Pictures of Transnistria: An Unrecognized State Caught Between Past and Present

Located between the Dniester River and the eastern border of Ukraine, Transnistria is an unrecognized state of approximately a half million people. Though it asserts itself as a sovereign nation, it is claimed by Moldova and has no diplomatic relations with any United Nations member state.

Visiting the small zone in January of 2011, photographer Kosuke Okahara wanted to see what “it feels like to live in a country that doesn’t exist, if the people are still very attached to the place where they live.” The winner of a 2010 W. Eugene Smith fellowship, Okahara has worked in places as diverse as Colombia, Egypt, Sudan and his native Japan (where he is currently based).