Nagorno-Karabakh and Transnistria are frozen conflicts where unrecognized territories seek independence or alignment with other states. Nagorno-Karabakh, primarily Armenian, lies within Azerbaijan, while Transnistria is a Russian-backed breakaway region in Moldova. Both regions face economic isolation, limited international recognition, and dependency on external powers, particularly Russia. The "enclave effect" isolates populations from global trade and development, leading to stagnation, brain drain, and vulnerability to political manipulation. The lack of diplomatic recognition makes citizens' rights uncertain, limiting their access to global markets, security, and education, perpetuating hardship and reinforcing a cycle of dependency.
Soviet veteran living in the deserted city of Agdam, Karabakh, July 2014
Fisherman on the Dniestr river in Tiraspol, Transnistria, December 2013
Abandonned classroom as the Armenian population fled the Azeri attack on the village during the April 2016 offensive. The school is heavily damaged as it is still today in direct line of fire. Talish school, Nagorno-Karabakh, August 2016
Transnistrian countryside, December 2013
Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, October 2013
Barge crossing the Dniestr river in Tiraspol, Transnistria, December 2013 Enclaved between Ukraine and Moldova, on the eastern bank of the Dniestr river, this veritable state is still part of Moldova. Following a short war in the beginning of the nineties, the time has stood still, fostering the poverty that became a part of contemporary Transnistria and Moldova.
Alley in Shushi town, Nagorno-Karabakh, March 2014
Tiraspol suburbs, Transnistria, December 2013
Martakert to Drmbon road in nothern Karabakh, October 2013
The supervisor verifying a cleared patch. The HALO Trust at work, Khramort minefields, Nagorno-Karabakh, July 2014
Samzor village, Hadrut region, Nagorno-Karabakh, October 2013
Surenavan village, October 2013
Second hand market in Chisinau, Moldavia, December 2013
City park in Tiraspol, Transnistria, December 2013
Mets Tagher village in Hadrut region, Karabakh, July 2014
Karvachar town, February 2014
Town council with Lenin's statue, Ciobruci in Transnistria, December 2013
Traditionally dressed Karabakh women in Gansk village, Askeran region, March 2014
Between building blocks, Stepanakert, February 2014
Ciobruci, Transnistrian countryside, December 2013
Veteran of Stalingrad, resident of Karintak village in Shushi region, Nagorno-Karabakh, March 2014
Collecting useful building material, Karvachar town, Nagorno-Karabakh, February 2014
New Maragha village, Nagorno-Karabakh, October 2013
Boy recovering wood for heating in Shushi, March 2014
Improvised chapel along the road from Kovsakan to Jrakan, Karabakh, March 2014
Early morning wash up. Family Manat's home in Pakahan village, March 2014
Shushi town, Karabakh, March 2014
Recently displaced Armenian children from Talish village that was attacked by Azeri forces in April 2016. Drmbon near Sarsan Lake in Martakert region, Nagorno-Karabakh, August 2016
Multi-functional combat sports ring, Hadrut town in southern Karabakh, March 2014
Armenian teenagers on their way to collect firewood. Kovsakan in Nagorno Karabakh, August 2016
A not very user friendly playground in Shushi, Karabakh, July 2014
Two of the four permanent residents in the remote village of Gaylatoon, meaning the place of the wolf. Stepanakert region, Karabakh. July 2014
Hadrut, Nagorno-Karabakh, July 2014
Abandonned school sporthall as the Armenian population fled the Azeri attack on the village during the April 2016 offensive. The school is heavily damaged as it is still today in direct line of fire. Talish school, Nagorno-Karabakh, August 2016
Karintak village in Shushi region, Nagorno-Karabakh, July 2014
Clearing excavated earth. The HALO Trust at work, Khramort minefields, Nagorno-Karabakh, July 2014
Preparing fire in the public oven, Taghlar village in Hadrut region, Karabakh, July 2014
The capital of the self declared Republic of Transnistria, July 2014
Togh village in Southern Nagorno-Karabakh, August 2016
