Time travelling to USSR: An-24 to Odesa and overlanding through Transnistria PMR

[SQueeze]

This is a continuation from
Part 1: Throwback to USSR: Ukraine Int’l to Kyiv and State Aviation Museum

The next installment of my journey brings us back deeper into the Soviet era with a rare flight with a vintage’73 An-24. This was definitely a highlight of my Ukraine trip, something that I had been looking out for for months. My first Soviet airliner, an Antonov.

As was written in the display in the State Aviation Museum, this model seems to be the workhorse of Soviet regional Aviation. There were more than 1000 produced and some of these are still flying and I am thankful it is still possible to fly some of these in 2018!

Motor Sich Airlines is a rather unknown airline based in Zaporizhia and it is probably the only commercial airline today (other than Air Koryo) that exclusively flies Soviet airliners. In this way, it is guaranteed that one will be able to experience it even if the models get substituted from time to time. It flies mainly domestic routes except for a single route to Minsk, capital of Belarus.

Its website (https://flymotorsich.com/en/) , however, is nowhere near Soviet era. It functions well, bilingual, user-friendly, and accepts international credit cards. This is no Air Koryo for sure (ps: I just discovered during the Kim-trump summit fever that Air Koryo does have a website now!)

At the time of booking when I was actually not that firm on my itinerary, I was contemplating if I should be booking to Lviv (for An-24) or to Odesa (for An-140). Now I had never flown any of these and I was then not that familiar of what is what. I then decided on Odesa because I would also like to go to Transnistria in the south (a self proclaimed republic, the last remnant of the Soviet Union).

It was only later that I realised that An-140 is newish (2003 vintage) but rarer. Upon closer checking, it also seems that Motorsich does not follow schedule when it comes to fleet deployment. For the route I was flying, they actually fly more An-24s! In my heart, I was actually looking forward more to the An-24, older than myself!

Motorsich also has other types like An-72 and Yak-42 but these are rarely seen on the Odesa routes. And in fact, they hardly fly.

Chapter 1: The flight

Flight: M9 254
Aircraft: An24 (**-BXC) - 1973
Seat: 2D
Class: Economy
Load: 12/48

My journey began on a sunny spring morning at Kyiv Zhuliany. Kyiv has two airports. I had earlier landed 2 weeks before in the bigger main hub, Boryspil airport to the southeast of the city. Zhuliany airport is the older airport located in the city centre to its southwest. Currently, it is serving mainly regional routes although there are also FlyDubai flights from Dubai.

Arriving into the airport, one is welcome by this retired An-24 in colourful livery. One can only imagine the years and decades it has served the Soviet Union.



Zhuliany airport, contrary to what I expected, is a modern terminal.



But that is for international departures, which actually form the bulk of traffic here (Eastern Europe destinations).

Domestic departures are from a separate building (but also modern) to its left, marked by a large D. The signage was not that clear, so I am pretty sure a lot of domestic passengers would turn up at the international terminal the first time round.



The hall is simple and modern and will not be out of place in Western Europe. Ukraine has progressed far ahead.



Very few departures in the day (only four and exclusively for Motorsich). Definitely, this place is rather underutilised.



The waiting area is bright and sunny and is served by a single cafe.



It also has an adjacent business class lounge. I wonder for who since Motorsich has no business class service.



Flight would depart on time and it is for a remote Bay. Passengers were transported by bus. Load is very light and these were basically all of us. Considering that my fare was just S$50or so, I wonder if Motorsich is running for profits or what...



Plane spotting here is definitely an exciting eye opener.

Bravo Airways MD-83 (thanks yflyer for the tip!)



And other rarities!





Yakovlev, I think.

[SQueeze]

And then round the tarmac to the far corner, were parked 2 Motorsich aircrafts serving 2 departures that morning. To Lviv and to Odessa each. The An-72 with its unusual was on the foreground and the An-24 in the background. Which am I flying ? Both will be Super novelty for me.



I was relieved that either way, I would be on either something extreme rare as the An-72 or extremely old vintage as the An-24. I was relieved to be not assigned the newish An-140 but then the An-72 will probably be more special although I think it is newish also. My heart couldn’t decide. Either way, it would make my day!

Okay. Finally settled. It was the An-24 to Odesa that morning.



I stepped into the cabin. And I think the pictures will speak for themselves of this unique experience. The vintage feel is real. I did not touch up the photos. Amazing.



Round windows, real curtains, Super recline, plush thick seats! Where else can we find these on modern airliners.





The first row is forward facing in this version. Across my research, I thought the first row will be rear facing, forming a face-to-face arrangement with the second row.



My seat was assigned 2nd row but then it was a very light load so I moved around.

Leg room is quite tight for first row actually.



Interesting: First row table is full width!



Safety card is placed right in front. I took one of these back for souvenir!



Scrutinising it....



It really seems there is a rear facing or a 4-some format. Motorsich has 2 other An-24s. May be those have such arrangement.



And then there is the curtain. The curtain! I was playing with it like a child. I never got this excited about shading device other than the first time on the 787.

[SQueeze]

Preparation of flight began with a manual safety demonstration.



And then we were soon airborne. With one of the loudest, and very much most vibrant I ever experienced. Video here.



The seatbelt sign (curiously a projection) was on for a very long time and I started to wonder if this is on the precautionary side due to the age of the aircraft.



It was not. It was off after almost half an hour airborne. I moved back to my 2nd row seat which has better leg room comfort.

Here, the table is more similar to what we find in modern western aircrafts. Maintenance and upkeep is, however, quite poor.



Reading materials. Motorsich does not have its own magazines but Zhuliany airport has and that’s what’s gone to here.



Is this a call button?



Admiring the details of the curtain while passing time



And then the air hostess came round with a glass of water. Nice, I didn’t expect there would be service.



I was wrong. There was full service on this hour long flight! This doesn’t look that great and it looks like something that has come from the USSR but it was really tasty. Crispy on the outside, fresh and soft on the inside. Not to mention, one of the strongest cup of tea I ever had.

[SQueeze]

After that, I took a peep to the toilet and wow, it was an experience in itself.

I never took many photos in airplane toilets but this one I must!





Including, my apologies, the toilet bowl from 1973. Although, I believe, thank god, the seat and cover are newer than that looking at the fresher colour tone.



Passing by the galley. I felt like I was not in 2018.



Our luggage was in full view too!



I enjoyed the remainder of my flight behind my curtain



Until we landed on a wet and rainy day in Odesa, on the Black Sea coast.



Plane spotting here is also an eye-opener with many derelict Soviet-era aircrafts.



Upon disembarkation, again we were bussed into the terminal.



And voila, we are back to 2018 in this terminal.



The arrival terminal is very modern but departures are still from the older building and I stepped back to 1970.

[SQueeze]

Chapter 2: Odesa

Odesa is famously beautiful. Unlike Kiev, I feel it has a lot less Slavic flavour and feels a lot more Central European. It is extreme eclectic, and I can’t in fact think of any other cities I have been which has so much diversity of architectural style. Odesa is Neo classical, Renaissance, baroque, Neo gothic, Parisian Haussmann, and with some Slavic domes mixed in all in a square kilometre. It’s like Paris, Vienna, Florence and Prague merged together. It was a truly cosmopolitan centre in the 19th century, a crossroad between Russia, and the Ottoman Empire.

Classical / Neoclassical





The famous Opera House, the most iconic in all of Odesa



This area reminds me of parts of Italy





Its heyday was in the receding distant past. And the whole city is in a state of dilapidation, parts of which make me feel like I was in Mumbai, India. For those familiar with Mumbai, Kala Ghoda is very similar.







I stayed in an enormous grand hotel for S$50!





Which comes with a stylish Swimming pool.



It reminds me of the Grand Budapest Hotel movie!

[SQueeze]

Chapter 3: an unrecognised republic, Transnistria PMR

Where is Transnistria PMR? At the collapse of the Soviet Union, numerous states emerged independent. Some everyone knows of (such as Ukraine and Kazakhstan). Some is not so well-known except to the more geographically-savvy (such as Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova). And then there is Transnistria, which I bet only a very handful knows - only the geographically-obsessed like me. On the same boat are South Ossetia, Nagorno Karabakh and Abkhazia. These are former unresolved conflict zones right at the collapse of the USSR which exist in relative peace today, but in existential uncertainty. In the case of Transnistria, it is a complete independent state on its own with its own definitive borders, language (unlike for the rest of the claimant country Moldova, Transnistria speaks Russian), currency, visa, president, prime minister, banking system, etc. The only thing they don’t have, a recognition by the international community.

Crossing Transnistria is an adventure of a lifetime for me. And I did it with some anxiety and trepidation. There is very little information available about the region and most stories revolve about a day trip from Moldova which will not have onward immigration irregularity later on. Coming from Ukraine, my Ukrainian visa was only single entry, if I was denied entry in Transnistria, I would be in no man’s land for perpetuity. And there is no Singapore consulate in the vicinity who will be able to rescue! Entering Moldova through Transnistria will not give me Moldovan entry stamp as Moldova does not recognise the border the Transnistrians control! I may not be able to exit Moldova with no stamp. And again, no embassy or consular presence to protect me.

So yes, this journey is probably only for the mad and the extremely curious. And here’s the story.

The journey started in the chaotic mess of Odesa bus station which reminds me more of parts of developing Asia rather than Europe.



Fortunately, buying tickets were easy and straight forward at a ticket counter.



Actual transport was by a modern and comfortable Mercedes marshrutka. For those familiar with travel in the former USSR, this is the most common mode of transport for intercity travel. Yes, it will help to know Cyrillic alphabet to find the marshrutka. In this case, I was going to Tiraspol although final destination was Kolyevo Kamenka.



The journey through the border was 2 hours past rolling Ukrainia countryside.


Exiting Ukraine was quite cumbersome. All the passengers’ passports were taken and we had to each be scanned (both persons and belongings). After a good 20 minutes, everybody’s passports were retuned. Except mine and I got worried. It took another 10 minutes, and I was good to go with a Ukrainian exit stamp, now rendering my visa invalid.

Crossing the buffer zone into Transnistria. I was excited, anxious. It reads a whole wordy Prydnestrovskaya Moldavskaya Respublika - it's official name.



The Transnistrian border facility is surprisingly modern.



Non-Transnistrians have to report to the small booth in the photo background to get our visas. It was a Surprisingly efficient procedure and an electronic visa receipt was immediately issued in less than 1 minute after one simple question: how Long are you spending in Transnistria and where is the next destination. In English! I said I was heading to Chisinau later in the day. That’s it. No further interrogation. No signal for bribery. Done.



Relieved that it was all smooth so far, I was back in the marshrutka and off we were to Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria, half an hour away.

Entering Tiraspol.



First I got off at the bus station which is also the train station. This is a surreal place with a big building and nobody. Interestestingly, the sign is bilingual. On the left - Gara is Romanian in cyrillic. Vokzal on the right is Russian. This is a country with complex identity.



And exchanged money since I read credit cards are not accepted in Transnistria. Currency is Transnistrian ruble, which can’t be exchanged in official international market.



And then I headed into town, walking.

It is a ghostly reminder of a time gone by, a frozen time capsule of the Soviet Union. It's not a bad or dangerous place. There is a peaceful charm to it.

[SQueeze]

The City Hall still has a prominent Lenin statue in front of it. Lenin lives on here!





The streets are quiet and almost car-free. Notice the Russian flags lining up in alternate with Transnistrian flags. They want to be part of Russia although, unlike Crimea, Russia does not recognise Transnistria as independent, nor part of itself. Only two other ‘states’ recognise, and these are South Ossetia, and Abkhazia. They are all on the same boat, so they recognise one another only!



Trolley bus zipped past by.



Moving closer to the centre of town, there are more visible signs of normality of life. There is nothing much to see here but it’s interesting to people-watch and just feel the atmosphere which I imagine not much has changed since the 1980s.






That day (9 May) was also Victory Day, a celebration day. I missed the grand parade but the festive atmosphere was still present in many parts of town centre with tanks displayed on the streets for the people.

One can’t help but feel that this is an unresolved conflict zone.










This is a powerful image for me, and one of my favourite in this trip. War and religious symbols in one frame.



I walked past the eerie Parliament building, an imposing grandeur of Soviet architecture with Lenin leading.

[SQueeze]

Propaganda line the main drag of Tiraspol.



Including this black and white old Soviet movie which appears to me about war, liberation, peasant struggle, and family sacrifice!



With celebration at fever pitch, there was a full dose of Soviet nostalgia, including music !

Street scene video with communist patriotic music

Colourful oldies music full of zest and fervour

I walked amidst the celebrating crowds. It’s just so wonderful to people watch. The normality of life in a non-existential country.





I obviously attracted attention. I was the only non-Caucasian in town and the very few tourist who ever come. So I had to be interviewed by local news! They asked me how I thought about the music, the festivity, where o was from. It’s surreal to know that I was on local TV news that night. I might be quite a difference that breaks their usualness of reporting in such a small nation.



I spent a few hours in town and headed back to the bus station to catch an onward marshrutka to Chisinau (Kishinev).

The station is newish but very surreal in its emptiness.



Soon after, I was on my way. In a Moldovan car this time!



Crossing the Dniestr River which gives this country its name.



I didn’t take shots of the border area this time as the border with Moldova is heavily militarised. Naturally, as there is the claimant country.

Interestingly, while Transnistrians barricade themselves thoroughly to resist invasion, on the Moldovan side, there was little military presence. There is not even an immigration facility as to them, this is not an international border. Neither are they expecting Transnistrian invasion. So it’s open on that side.

I entered Moldova with no stamp. One remaining thing I had to do was to Ensure I have a stamp in Chisinau. For that, I had to go to one Bureau of Asylum in central Chisinau. It was a straight forward process and it’s a transparent procedure which they detail out in a flyer in the office although the website is not as clear about it. All in all, it took just 15 minutes.

Verdict:

The whole experience on the two to three days was surreal for me. For the most part, it was like stepping back to the past (the 80s). It was adventurous and needed courage and passion and sympathy for the region and the people. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything else. Really one of the most special, if not the most memorable trip I ever undertook.

Hope readers enjoy my trip report, and perhaps get inspired to visit the region. Even in Europe, there are still all these corners which are still so little explored.

[yflyer]

Amazing TR, SQueeze! The AN-24 looks like a very interesting plane to fly (As long as you don't sit in the front row...)...

Great photos, and commentary...gives me a glimpse of places I may ever get a chance to visit...

And you've really achieved a first on SQTalk by writing a TR about a country that doesn't even exist, at least to the international community! That was an incredibly daring thing to do...entering Transnistria! Thumbs up!

[9V-SML]

Incredible TR you got there SQueeze! Really intrigued, having read Parts 1 and 2 of the series. Did you decide in advance on the duration to spend in each destination or was it mostly decided on the fly? It seems you've done quite a bit of research before embarking on this trip.

Definitely looking forward to Parts 3 and 4!

[9V-JKL]

Thank you SQueeze for sharing another fascinating TR. What an adventure!
Without your TR, I would never have known where/what Transnistria is.

[SQueeze]

Amazing TR, SQueeze! The AN-24 looks like a very interesting plane to fly (As long as you don't sit in the front row...)...

Great photos, and commentary...gives me a glimpse of places I may ever get a chance to visit...

And you've really achieved a first on SQTalk by writing a TR about a country that doesn't even exist, at least to the international community! That was an incredibly daring thing to do...entering Transnistria! Thumbs up!

Thanks yflyer, I guess half of my TRs are "Firsts" here. I promise More to come!

Incredible TR you got there SQueeze! Really intrigued, having read Parts 1 and 2 of the series. Did you decide in advance on the duration to spend in each destination or was it mostly decided on the fly? It seems you've done quite a bit of research before embarking on this trip.

Definitely looking forward to Parts 3 and 4!

Thanks 9V-SML. I had the flights booked in advance. But I had kept many things loosely planned. Like I decided not to go to Chernobyl nuclear zone because I found Kiev itself so fascinating and I had made too many friends in the dance festival I attended to. And I originally wanted to spend the night in Transnistria rather than Odesa because My main area of interest is Soviet rather than European architecture. But when I reached Odesa, it was raining, I was feeling tired, and the city seemed intriguing enough. So I found the nice grand hotel, and decided to splurge there and treated myself.

Thank you SQueeze for sharing another fascinating TR. What an adventure!
Without your TR, I would never have known where/what Transnistria is.

Thanks 9V-JKL. Happy to share.