Flag of Russia

The first official National flag of the Russian Federation, then the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), in 1991 was a rectangular cloth with three horizontal stripes of white, azure, and blood-red (Russian: “алый”) colors with a width-to-length ratio of 1:2. The flag remained in this form after the RSFSR was renamed the Russian Federation (Russia). On December 11, 1993, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree “On the State Flag of the Russian Federation,” according to which the azure color was replaced by blue, and the blood red color was replaced by red. The aspect ratio was also changed from 1:2 to 2:3.

What do the colors of the Russian flag mean?

• White is usually associated with purity, peace and nobility. It can also symbolize hope for a brighter future and belief in justice;
• Blue is traditionally associated with faith and honesty. Blue can also represent the strength and unity of a nation;
• Red has several meanings, including courage, strength and majesty. Historically, it could symbolize blood shed in the struggle for the homeland and selflessness. In addition, the color red has always had strong political connotations, especially during the Soviet Union, when it was associated with revolution and communism, although this meaning does not apply to the modern flag.

Another version is related to the Orthodox religion, where white symbolizes God, blue symbolizes the Virgin Mary (the patron saint of Russia, as she is often depicted in blue), and red symbolizes statehood.

An unpopular interpretation of the colors that sometimes occurs is that they symbolize the unity of three nations: white is the color of White Russia (Belarus), blue is the color of Little Russia (Ukraine), and red is the color of Great Russia.

At the time of Peter the Great, the tricolor flag had a more practical and functional meaning than an ideological one. Peter the Great created this flag for Russian merchant ships after his trip to Western Europe, where he was inspired by the Dutch tricolor, which consisted of red, white, and blue stripes. As a result, all Russian merchant ships were required to fly this tricolor. Peter the Great was actively engaged in the development of the Russian navy, and the flag became part of his policy.

The modern interpretation of the colors of the Russian flag, given Russia's current political behavior on the world stage, has probably taken on a slightly different meaning. Military conflicts and interference in the internal affairs of other countries are indicative of Russia's imperial ambitions, which in the past were reflected in the color red, which symbolized strength, power, and sacrifice for the good of the state, including in Soviet times. The blue color, which is associated with faith and loyalty, may lose its significance in the modern context due to the growing role of state propaganda and the escalation of conflicts at the international level, as Russia often demonstrates strong nationalism and support for military force.

Thus, although white is traditionally associated with peace, in practice Russia is pursuing a more aggressive policy that is more in line with the symbolism of power and imperial expansion than peaceful coexistence.

Interesting facts about the national flag of the Russian Federation:

• The Russian flag was raised on the moon during the Luna 2 mission in 1959;
• In 2013, residents of Vladivostok created a huge flag 700 meters long, which was included in the Guinness Book of Records; 
• The largest Russian flag was raised on Mount Elbrus in 2016 with an area of almost 1,000 square meters;
• In 2020, the largest flag in the world was made in the Kuban. The Russian tricolor was the size of a football field. It was unfurled in the sky of the Moscow region. This event took place during the celebration of the Russian Flag Day and was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.
• There is a maritime legend that says sailors used a cheat sheet called "BeSiK" - white, blue, red (Russian: "БеСиК - белый, синий, красный") to memorize the order of the colors on the flag and avoid punishment.

What flags of other countries are similar to the Russian flag?

The tricolor used in the Russian flag is quite popular. In general, there are 10 flags that have the same combination of colors. They can also be divided into 3 groups: 

• different sequence and shade of colors. Serbia(1) - red, blue and white flag with the coat of arms. Croatia(2) and Paraguay(3) have a red, white, and blue tricolor with a coat of arms. The flags of the Netherlands(4) and Luxembourg(5) are red, white, and blue tricolor. The sequence of colors is different, and, in the case of the Luxembourg flag, the color is a shade of blue. Not as obvious a resemblance as the previous ones, but still worth adding to the list - France(6). The blue-white-red tricolor, but the stripes are vertical rather than horizontal;
• identical sequence of colors: white, blue, red. These are the flags of Slovenia(7) and Slovakia(8) - they are exactly the same as the flag of the Russian Federation, only the coats of arms of the countries are additionally placed on the flag;
• three colors, but the number of stripes is different. Flags of Thailand(10) and Costa Rica(9). The flag of Thailand has 5 stripes: blue, white, double red, white and blue. Costa Rica's flag is exactly the same, except the colors are inverted, i.e.: red, white, double blue, white, red.

History of the Russian flag

The tricolor first appeared in Russia about 350 years ago and has become a symbol of the country. The colors white, blue and red are of great importance in the Russian heraldic tradition. The first Russian warship, the Orel, was built in 1667-1668. Black, white and azure fabric was ordered to create the ship's banners. However, due to the uprising of Stepan Razin, the first Orel was burned down, so the exact appearance of the first tricolor is unknown. According to the most reliable version, the flag may have had a blue cross on a white and red background. During the reign of Tsar Peter the Great, the flag of the Moscow kingdom appeared, which was used during the tsar's first sea voyage in 1693. The ancient flag is kept in the museum and is the oldest of all surviving tricolors. It consists of white, blue, and red stripes, with the image of a double-headed eagle with a red shield and St. George the Victorious on its chest in the center of the flag.

In 1705, Peter the Great issued a decree requiring foreign merchant ships to fly the tricolor without the eagle. In the nineteenth century, the white, blue, and red flag was used on land. Russian pioneers often marked the newly discovered lands with memorial crosses, but in 1806, an expedition to South Sakhalin planted the tricolor on the shore. In 1858, Emperor Alexander II approved a new national flag consisting of black, yellow, and white horizontal stripes. However, this flag was similar to the flag of the Austrian Empire, so it was not adopted. The next emperor, Alexander III, returned to using the tricolor, and the black, yellow, and white flag remained a symbol of the Romanov dynasty.

After the October Revolution of 1917 and the Bolsheviks' rise to power, the Russian Empire plunged into a new era in which the red flag came to the fore as a symbol of struggle. Its appearance meant the destruction of the old imperial structures and the introduction of the Soviet regime. Initially, the red flag had no established symbolism, but in 1918 it was inscribed with the words “RSFSR” (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic).

In December 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was officially founded, which led to a change in national flags. The first official flag of the USSR was a red cloth with the state emblem in the center. The coat of arms consisted of a hammer and sickle, symbols of the working class and peasantry, surrounded by a wreath of wheat. The coat of arms was bordered by a white border, which made it stand out against the red background. In 1923, the design of the flag changed: now in the upper left corner (in the canton) were depicted a sickle, a hammer and a red five-pointed star in gold, i.e. the same symbols as on the coat of arms, only in a simplified version. The canton was also highlighted by a golden border.

In the period from 1924 to 1991, the flag of the Soviet Union had 3 more variations, but the changes were very minor and noticeable only in comparison - the size of the symbols changed. The main difference between these three versions and the flag of 1923 is the absence of the golden outline of the canton, otherwise the symbolism remained unchanged: a five-pointed star at the top, symbolizing the leadership of the Communist Party, and a hammer and sickle at the bottom.
Returning to the flag of the RSFSR, it should be noted that it changed as follows. In 1937, the abbreviation RSFSR remained, but the style of writing changed, the inscription became more readable, and, as in the 1924 version of the USSR flag, the outline of the canton disappeared. In 1954, the design of the RSFSR flag changed: the red cloth remained dominant, but a vertical blue stripe was added near the pole. The blue color symbolized the unity of nations in a multinational state. This added a new dimension to Soviet symbolism, emphasizing the commonality of different peoples under the auspices of one great country. In addition, the usual Soviet symbols appeared: the sickle, hammer, and five-pointed star, and the inscription RSFSR disappeared.

In 1991, after the collapse of the USSR, the tricolor became the official flag of Russia. The return to the historical Russian flag, which was used in the Russian Empire before 1917, symbolized the revival of national identity and the desire for democratic change. In 1993, a law was passed that officially approved the tricolor as the national flag of Russia with changes in the shades of blue and red and the proportions of the flag, namely from 1:2 to 2:3.