Transnistria

Flag of Transnistria
Adopted	September 2, 1991[1]
Designed by	(unknown)
Proportions	1:2[2]
Reverse design

The state flag of Pridnestrovie or Transnistria^[3] is a horizontal triband of red, green, and red (width ratio 3:2:3), with a hammer-and-sickle in the canton. The reverse side does not have the hammer-and-sickle symbol.

SymbolismEdit

Despite the hammer-and-sickle symbol on the flag, Transnistria is neither a socialist, nor a communist state

The current flag is an adaptation to the flag of the former Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Other flags of TransnistriaEdit

The standard of the President.

National (civil) flag

Victory Banner

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HistoryEdit

On April 30, 1990, the city councils of Tiraspol and Bendery declared that they refused to recognise the newly adopted Romanian-like flag of Moldova, and were going to use the flag of the Soviet Union instead.

On June 2, 1990, the Congress of the deputies of Pridnestrovie demanded to revoke the law of the flag of Moldova. On the same day the deputies decided to form the Pridnestrovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within Moldova.

On September 2, 1990, the Extraordinary Congress of the deputies of Pridnestrovie proclaimed formation of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic within the Soviet Union.

In August 1991 the government chose two variants of the flag for the Pridnestrovian Moldavian SSR:

Variant 1 (the same as the flag of the Moldavian SSR)

Variant 2

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On September 2, 1991, the government adopted the first variant. Later the name of the republic was changed to Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.

In 1992, the military of Pridnestrovie used sleeve stripes of three equal horizontal bands: red, green, and red. The variant of the flag without the hammer-and-sickle remains widely used.

The law "On the state Symbols of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic" was passed by the Legislative Chamber of the Supreme Council of the republic on July 3, 2000, and approved by the Chamber of Representatives on July 18, 2000.

In May 2009 the Supreme Council of the republic adopted the Russian tricolour as a national flag (as opposed to the state flag) of Pridnestrovie^[4], because "Russia is the legal successor of the Soviet Union, the guarantor of the Pridnistrovian settlement, to which the people of Pridnestrovie seeks to reunite"^[5]. The national flag is supposed to be flown over the state buildings alongside with the state flag. The only difference between the national flag of Pridnestrovie and the flag of Russia is its aspect ratio: 1:2 (same as the state flag's) instead of 2:3. Also it was decided to adopt the Victory Banner of Russia, to commemorate the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.^[6]

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ The flags of Pridnestrovie on the official website of the Russian Vexillology and Heraldry Centre
2. ↑ State flag of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic on the unofficial website of the president of the republic
3. ↑ What's in a name: "Pridnestrovie" vs "Transnistria"
4. ↑ Official website of the Supreme Council of the PMR: Legislation on amending the law of the PMR about state symbols of the Republic
5. ↑ Russian tricolour is about to become the national flag of Pridnestrovie on amic.ru
6. ↑ Official website of the Supreme Council of the PMR: Proceeding with harmonization of the Pridnestrovian legislation with that of Russia