Transnistria media guide

The separatist authorities exercise tight control over the media. Many outlets are owned either directly by the region's government or by business groups with close links to the authorities.

Western governments and media freedom groups say anti-government outlets face serious restrictions, adding that journalists often self-censor. These claims are denied by officials.

The Freedom House democracy advocacy group rated Transnistria as "not free" in 2022, in terms of political rights and civil liberties.

Television is the most-influential medium. There are two region-wide channels, one government-run and the other owned by a powerful company enjoying strong connections with the authorities. Viewers also turn to European satellite channels and rebroadcasts of the main Russian networks.

The press provides a spread of political opinion, although the main dailies are government-owned. Two opposition papers publish less often but are as popular as their official counterparts. General circulation figures are low.

The small media market provides content in the region's main languages - Moldovan, Russian and Ukrainian. The government TV broadcasts in each. However, Russian-language outlets predominate.

There were 147,000 internet users in January 2022, comprising 31% of the population (datareportal.com).