I. Public Memory in Transnistria - Tiraspol: Soviet Memory and Statehood

In September 2021, I had the privilege of joining a Summer School about identity discourses in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. We spent three weeks in the region and were also granted a one-day glimpse into "the country that does not exist", also known as Transnistria. Being allowed inside for a 48 hour visa and checked thoroughly by Transnistrian military at the border, we had a tour guide, showing us around Bender (Tighina) and Tiraspol (the capital of Transnistria, officially the second largest city in Moldova). My observations here are limited to public spaces and symbolic representations, not to everyday life.

I decided to split the trip into two blog entries; the first one will be about Tiraspol and how public spaces are shaped by monuments and beyond (which i caught on camera).

A burdened name? 

The etymology of Transnistria is easy to explain: land beyond the Dniester river (Днестр in Russian, Nistru in Romanian). A name of a region which dates back to World War II. In 1941,  Romania occupied parts of nowadays Western Ukraine and proclaimed it as Gouvernment of Transnistria (Guvernământul Transnistriei). At the end of World War II, the Red Army reconquered the region and created the Moldovan ASSR from the territories of Moldova (annexed from Romania) and contemporary Transnistria.

Contextualised in the current state of international affairs, we usually tend to forget this most fragile conflict zone. This small strip is located on the Eastern bank of the Dniester river and has been the result of the secession war of pro-Russian forces in 1992 from the Republic Moldova. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the language question was fiercely brought up and an unbridgeable gap between the two challenging fractions (pro Romania and pro Russia) amplified the conflict. The separatist forces, backed by Russian troops and still in the region to this day, had the upper hand and basically cut ties with Chișinău.

 Although an official part of Moldova, since then, it has been a separatist region backed by the Russian Federation. Today it is usually brought up as primary example of a frozen conflict. Hence, it is an unrecognised country by most UN member states, but de facto it has everything that makes up a state: a government, a military, a territory and even a state language! 

The language is called Молдовэняскэ (Moldovenească) aka Moldovan. It is basically Romanian, based on the grai (dialect) spoken in the region with many Russian words. Until 1991, Romanian was written with cyrillic letters and heavily under Russian influence as superstrat language. For many years, in order not to anger Russia, the Republic of Moldova named their official state language "Moldovan" too, even having had their own dictionary (Romanian-Moldovan dictionary!). After Maia Sandu was voted for presidency in 2020, a decree was issued changing the state language's name to Romanian in 2023.

(1) Poster on one of the main streets in Tiraspol: "Приднестровская Молдавская Республика" - The Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic; the national coat of arms, the soviet hammer and sickle are striking elements. A good example of pro Russian nation-building which uses soviet symbols to create a positive relation to the Soviet past and a different national identity from the "Romanian Moldovan" one. 

Nationalising memory culture: the Great Patriotic War and the Soviet Union

World War II certainly play a predominant role in the public spaces of Tiraspol. Most obviously in the remembrance of the Victory Day (день победы) or the fallen victims during the war. 

Even a big Lenin statue is hosted on the square before the governmental office. A dense concentration of soviet nostalgia and symbolism gives you the impression of visiting an open air museum. A soviet cage with great paroles, grand gestures and idols. I like good stories that provide a sense of purpose, but the reality there? i don't know; no, i don't think so. It felt like a burden, everybody of our group felt unease. 

Give yourself an idea of the soviet imagery in the following pictures:

(2) "Pridnestrov'e, South Ossetia, Abchasia - the heirs of the great victory". Pridnestrov'e is the official name in Russian for Transnistria. Joining Transnistria, the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abchasia (both Georgia) recognize each other's existence. They form together the "Commonwealth of Unrecognised Nations". 

(3) Honouring the veterans in public spaces is also interesting: "remember who you should be thankful for, when you live here - we are watching you."

 

(4) Public memorials which praise the heroic sacrifices against Nazi Germany, prevail in Tiraspol. 

(5) Lenin statue in front of the Supreme Soviet building in Tiraspol. It felt like a fever dream, but it surely brought up to my mind; I wonder, what does he represent for the locals? 

 

(6) "Again in the USSR"? - the name of this establishment brings up many questions....

Unfortunately, we had only very limited interaction with local residents, which inevitably shaped our perspective.  Many were maybe reserved by the group of young students, obviously not from Transnistria/Moldova. We had a tour guide speaking English with us, but the most striking part is that you did not hear any Romanian ("Moldovan") on the street, but solely Russian. We had gotten a bit into touch with them. when getting Transnistrian Kopeiki (currency) and souvenirs later. In general we were more interested in the monumentalisation and realization of Russian influence in the public spaces of this separatist region.  

In the next part, I will show you pictures of the Fortress Bender. A good example on the positive emotional charge of Russian imperialism in Transnistria.