100 Lei Red Army Command

Issued under Soviet military authority following Romania's occupation in 1944, this note was part of a broader series of Red Army Command currency printed by Goznak in Moscow and deployed across occupied territories as a tool for extracting local goods and services without drawing on Soviet state reserves. The Romanian leu denominations were calculated to circulate alongside existing Romanian currency at a fixed rate the Soviets set unilaterally — one that heavily favored the occupying force.

Romania was compelled to accept these notes as legal tender despite having no role in their production or authorization. The arrangement generated significant inflation and was a source of lasting economic resentment in postwar Romanian memory of the Soviet presence.