Tiraspol,city, easternMoldova. It lies along theDniester River and the Odessa-Chişinău railway. It was founded byRussia in 1795 alongside a fortress built in 1792 to protect the lands Russia had acquired through theTreaty of Jassy (1792). From 1924 to 1940, it was the capital of the then MoldavianAutonomous S.S.R., established by the Soviets on Ukrainian territory east of the Dniester. Occupied by German forces in 1941, Tiraspol was retaken by the Soviets in 1944. The city, with its large Russian population, has been at the centre of a Russian separatist movement east of the Dneister.

Although the centre of an agricultural area, Tiraspol is well-industrialized, producing wines, spirits, foodstuffs, textiles, carpets, glass, furniture, and electrical equipment. The city also has a teacher-training institute. Pop. (2004 est.) 158,069.