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Evaluates the likely impact of political events in the Dnestr Moldovan Republic (Pridnestrovskaya Moldavskaya Respublika [PMR] or Transnistria) for Russia, Ukraine, & the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in general. A broad trend in the direction of the '3 Ds' -- democratization, demilitarization, & decriminalization -- is analyzed as a portent of major political changes in the unrecognized nation state. The 11 Dec 2005 elections demonstrated significant increases in voter turnout & changes in the structure of the parliament (the Transnistrian Supreme Soviet), which, along with the nonviolent replacement of the ruling elite with a new business elite & the emergence of a civil society & free media, suggest promising new directions. The likely 'Ukrainization' of Transnistria is also described, along with its implications for internal politics & international relations. Tables, Figures. K. Hyatt Stewart