Mălăiești is one of the larger communes in the Grigoriopol sub-district, in the disputed territory of Transnistria, internationally recognised as part of the Republic of Moldova. Its name is derived from Romanian "mălai", which means "millet or maize flour", with suffix -ești. It is composed of two villages, Cernița (Черниця, Черница) and Mălăiești. According to the 2004 census, the village's population was 5,364, of which 5,128 (95.6%) were Moldovans (Romanians), 120 (2.23%) Ukrainians and 92 (1.71%) Russians.

Notable natives