As a consequence of the Russian and Soviet policies towards Polish culture, only a small percentage of Poles in Moldova today speak Polish. For example, Petru Lucinschi (, who served as the second President of Moldova carries a transcribed version of the Polish surname Łuczyński, but has never publicly identified with a Polish heritage. A number of Transnistrian politicians such as former First Lady Nina Shtanski and Yevgeni Zubov, however, are open about their Polish roots.
