A hammer and sickle crowned by a red star, together with statues of Lenin standing at the entrances of government buildings in Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria, are among the first things to catch the eye upon entering the region. Communist symbols appear on flags, the national emblem, banknotes and coins, maintaining a constant presence throughout the territory. Yet today they function primarily as symbols of a historical past, reinforcing Transnistria’s ties to Russia while distancing it from Moldova.

In a series of referendums held between 1989 and 2006, Transnistrians repeatedly expressed their desire to declare independence and join the Russian Federation as a freely associated state. Despite its Soviet imagery, Transnistria operates as a capitalist economy much like its neighbouring countries. Nevertheless, these symbols sustain a political narrative that seeks to affirm the territory’s distinct identity. Through them, cultural, social and political differences are continuously reinforced in opposition to the sovereign state of Moldova.

Together with the institutions that give meaning to an independent state—its own currency, parliament, elected president and postal system—these symbols become the foundations of a secessionist narrative.