Bender, Moldova

Bender, also known as Tighina or Bendery, is a city on the western bank of the Dniester River within the internationally recognized borders of Moldova, though it has been under the de facto control of the unrecognized Transnistria region since 1992. It is the second largest city in Transnistria and the fourth largest in Moldova, and it holds the historic fortress of Tighina, one of the important fortifications of the medieval Principality of Moldova until 1812. With a population of about 83,919 in 2023, Bender sits within a demilitarized buffer zone created after the 1992 War of Transnistria, where a Joint Control Commission formally shares authority even as Transnistrian authorities exercise practical administrative control.