Today marks a day of celebration and festivities for the small breakaway state of Transnistria in Eastern Europe. Located in a narrow strip of land between the river Dniester and the Ukrainian border they are internationally recognised as part of Moldova. With a population of only around half a million of mostly Moldovan, Russian and Ukrainian background they've contributed significantly to Eurovision throughout the years punching well and truly above their weight.
Let's take a dive and celebrate their notable influences:
1. DoReDoS - 'My Lucky Day'
From Transnistria's third largest city Rîbnița the cracking trio of DoReDoS was born. Members Marina Djundyet, Eugeniu Andrianov and Sergiu Mîța produced a delightful performance in 2018 to claim a hotly contested top 10 position with 'My Lucky Day'. The trio sported the colours of the flag of Moldova during their performance.
2. Anna Odobescu - 'Stay'
Born in the city of Dubăsari - Odobescu represented Moldova in 2019 with her entry 'Stay'. Although unlucky not to make it to the Grand Final - she graced our screens once again with a short role in the infamous movie, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
3. Sergey Stepanov & Anton Ragoza (SunStroke Project) - 'Run Away' & 'Hey, Mamma!'
Hailing from the capital Tiraspol - Sergey Stepanov or "Epic Sax Guy" became a world-famous internet sensation and meme after his memorable saxophone performance at 2010 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Run Away'. His band member Anton Ragoza also left an impression with him impressive light-up-violin-dance combination. SunStroke project returned in 2017 to claim Moldova's best result to date with 3rd place and 'Hey, Mamma!'.