Transnistria Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...

is a region in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

that is under the effective control of the self-declared Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic but is recognized by the international community as an administrative unit of

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...

, the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester. Transnistria uses a red-green-red triband and the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester use the

flag of Moldova The national flag of the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Drapelul Moldovei) is a vertical triband of blue, yellow, and red, charged with the coat of arms of Moldova (an eagle holding a shield charged with an aurochs) on the centre bar. The reverse i ...

Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic

The Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, also known as Transnistria ( ro, Steagul Transnistriei, Moldovan Cyrillic: Стягул Транснистрией; russian: Флаг Приднестровья; uk, Прапор Придністров'я), has two co-official national flags. The first co-official national flag consists of three horizontal bands of red, green, and red, of vertical width 3:2:3, and in the upper canton, is the main element of the coat of arms of Transnistria; a golden hammer and sickle and a gold-bordered red star. The hammer and sickle fit into a conventional square, and the star, a conditional circle.

adopted this design that comprises a version of the flag of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic used between 1952 and 1990 in the 2000 Law about State Symbols. The second co-official national flag consists of three horizontal stripes in the colors white, blue, and red. (Russian flag at a ratio of 1:2 instead of 2:3)

History

The flag of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic served as the flag of the republic until December 1991. When Moldova became independent, some places in Transnistria refused to fly the new Moldovan flag and continued to fly the

flag of the Soviet Union The State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (), commonly known as the Soviet flag (), was the official state flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from 1922 to 1991. The flag's design and symbolism are derived from ...

. Continued use of the flag of the former Moldavian SSR was popular and it was officially reintroduced as the flag of Transnistria in 1991. Despite the socialist influence on the flag and coat of arms, Transnistria is not a

socialist state A socialist state, socialist republic, or socialist country, sometimes referred to as a workers' state or workers' republic, is a sovereign state constitutionally dedicated to the establishment of socialism. The term '' communist state'' is of ...

. It is the only state in the world that uses the hammer and sickle on its flag. The original flag, as well as its description, are kept in the official residence of the President of Transnistria. In 2009, the Supreme Council discussed a proposal to replace the civil flag – which is plain red-green-red without the hammer and sickle – with a new flag, carrying three horizontal stripes in the colours white, blue, and red, being almost identical to the flag of the Russian Federation, but with a different aspect ratio (1:2 instead of Russia's 2:3). The primary reason for the co-official national flag is that it indicates Transnistria's desire for closer ties with Russia, a guarantor of Transnistria's claimed independence from

. In a 2006 referendum, 97.2% of Transnistrians were reported to have voted in favour of increased free association with Russia. The new flag is used alongside the state flag. In 2017, the Supreme Council passed a motion making the new design Transnistria's co-official national flag.

Usage

Transnistrian law permits the use of a simplified version of the flag for non-governmental use (personal and commercial usage) without the hammer and sickle and red star and regard to shape or size. The most common size is still 1:2, but 2:3 versions have also been used. The national flag of Transnistria is permanently raised on the buildings of: File:Flag of Transnistria (State) - Construction sheet.svg, Construction sheet (State Flag) File:Transnistria flag - panoramio.jpg, Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic flag File:Transnistria-plate.jpg, Transnistrian

number plate A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate (American English), or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identificatio ...

with the simplified flag in the corner

Other flags

The presidential flag is a 1:1, yellow fringed version of the civil flag with the

coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...

in the center. It was adopted on 18 July 2000 and replaced an earlier version dating from 1997. The army flag is a blue flag with a yellow bordered red cross. It is similar to that of the Moldovan army, but does not include the Moldovan coat-of-arms. A customs flag is also in use by Transnistrian customs. It is a primarily green flag with two red bands at the bottom. The central part of the flag is dominated by the symbol of Transnistrian customs.

Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester

The law which formally established the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester contains provisions for the region to adopt its own symbols.Law No. 173 from 22.07.2005 "About main notes about the special legal status of settlements of the left bank of Dnestr (Transnistria)"
/ref> At present, the region has not yet adopted a distinctive flag and instead of the

is used for official purposes. It consists of a vertical tricolor of blue, yellow, and red, charged with the

coat of arms of Moldova The coat of arms of Moldova is the national emblem of the Republic of Moldova. Official description Moldovan law describes the arms as follows: ''Per fess gules and azure, an aurochs head cabossed overall, accompanied by a mullet of eight points ...

(an eagle holding a shield charged with an aurochs) on the center bar. File:Flag of Moldova.svg,

Flag of Moldova The national flag of the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Drapelul Moldovei) is a vertical triband of blue, yellow, and red, charged with the coat of arms of Moldova (an eagle holding a shield charged with an aurochs) on the centre bar. The reverse i ...

References

External links

About the State Flag of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flag Of Transnistria Politics of Transnistria Flags of Moldova