List of Russian flags


The nation of Russia has designed and used various flags throughout history. Listed in this article are flags — federal, administrative, military, etc. — used between the time of the Tsardom of Russia, Russian Empire and today's Russian Federation. Also included are flags from the USSR, a country that existed as a federal union of 15 distinct national republics, including the Russian SFSR.

Flags of the Russian Federation

State flag

FlagDateUseDescription
1991–1993Flag of the Russian Federation from 12 December 1991 to 11 December 1993. Still included in the State Heraldic Register.
1993–presentProportion changed from 1:2 to 2:3. First, the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation "On the State Flag of the Russian Federation", adopted on December 11, 1993, then Constitutional law "On the State Flag of the Russian Federation" adopted on 25 December 2000.

Presidential flags

Military flags

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, for a brief time, many Soviet era flags were still in use until new designs replaced them in the early 2000s. The new flags of the Russian Armed Forces are heavily inspired by the regimental banners and flags of the late Imperial Russian Army and Navy.

Flags of service branches

Flags of the Ground Forces

Flags of the arms of the Ground Forces of the Russian Federation
FlagDateUseDescription
2005–Flag of the Engineer Troops
2005–Flag of the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops
2006–Flag of the Missile Troops and Artillery
2007–Flag of the Air Defence Troops of the Ground ForcesNot to be confused with the Air Defence Troops of the Aerospace Forces.
2007–Flag of the Communication Troops
2005–Flag of the Main Directorate of the General Staff
2007–Flag of the Electronic Warfare Troops
2007–Flag of the Railway Troops
?–Flag of the Special Operations Forces

Flags of the Aerospace Forces

The Aerospace Forces are a branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, it has three arms, the Russian Air Force, the Air Defense Forces, and the Russian Space Forces. The Air Defense Forces does not have a flag.
FlagDateUseDescription
2004–Flag of the Air Force
2015–Flag of the Space ForcesLight blue field with the Russian Space Forces emblem.

Flags of the Rear of the Armed Forces

Military district flags

Banners of the Armed Forces

Each branch of the Armed Forces has a representative banner, one for the Ground Forces, the Aerospace Forces, the Navy, and one to represent the entire Armed Forces as a whole.
Obverse Reverse DateUseDescription
2000–2003Banner of the Armed ForcesThe first banner of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation was introduced on 8 December 2000, later confirmed by Federation Council on 20 December and signed by Vladimir Putin on 29 December. It was a plain red field, it symbolized the traditional red color of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union.
2003–Banner of the Armed ForcesThe present banner of the Armed Forces of Russian Federation is introduced under a resolution by State Duma in June 2003. This banner consists of two double-headed eagles, on the obverse side is the coat of arms of the Russian Federation, and on the reverse side is the middle emblem of the armed forces of the Russian Federation. The banner follows the principles and format of historically older Russian military flags that were last used prior to the Russian Revolution in 1917. It also contains four stars in each corner of the banner to symbolize the heritage of the Soviet Armed Forces. The reverse side also contains two pieces of text written in old style Slavic typeface, the top side of the banner contains the inscription "Fatherland" and on the bottom side the inscription reads "Duty Honor".
2002–Banner of the Ground ForcesThe banner of the Russian Ground Forces was introduced by decree No. 141 on February 4, 2002, by Vladimir Putin. It is similar to the above banner, but doesn't have stars and inscriptions, on the reverse side is the middle emblem of the Russian Ground Forces.
2002–Banner of the Air Force/Aerospace ForcesThe banner of the Russian Air Forces was introduced by decree No. 141 on February 4, 2002, by Vladimir Putin. It became the banner of the newly created Aerospace Forces branch, which saw the merger between the Russian Air Forces and the Air Defence Forces on August 1, 2015.
2000–Banner of the NavyThe ensign of the Russian Navy is used as the banner of the Russian Navy. On December 29, 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a federal law making the naval ensign of the Russian navy the official banner of the Russian Navy.

Victory Banner

The Victory Banner was a historical banner raised atop of the Reichstag building in Berlin, by the Red Army, on May 1, 1945. It signified the victory over Nazi Germany, and served as the main symbol of victory of the Soviet people. It was amended in Russian law in 1996, but with a new design to distance the new Russian state from any usage of Communist iconography. In 2007, following pressure from Red Army veterans, the original Victory Banner design replaced the 1996 variant, and has since then served its usage in virtually every single Victory Day parade held across Russia.
BannerDateUseDescription
1996–2007 Symbol of Victory BannerThe Symbol of Victory Banner was an alternative to using the historic Victory Banner, which contained the hammer and sickle.
2007– Banner of VictoryThe Banner of Victory raised on the Reichstag in 1945. Replicas of the Victory Banner can be used alongside the national flag on Victory Day.

Command Standards

Paramilitary flags

This section covers flags of the various government paramilitary organizations which are not part of the Russian military, but are structured similarly by ranking system, uniforms, and are equipped with both light and heavy arms.

Flags of non-military security forces

Flags of special services

Pennants

Historical flags of Russia

Civil ensign and national flag

Prior to the creation of the first official flag of Russia in 1858, several merchant flags were used to represent Russia, the most notable being the White, Blue, and Red tricolor devised by Tsar Peter the Great. The historical State Flags of Russia were signed by decree to officially represent the country as a whole. The Black, Yellow, and White tricolor became the first official flag of Russia in 1858, with previous flags being de facto unofficial flags of Russia.
FlagDateUseDescription
1668–1693Civil ensign of the Tsardom of RussiaEnsign of the Oryol ship.
1696–1721Civil ensign of the Tsardom of RussiaPeter the Great's tricolour was the merchant flag of the Russian Empire. However, the flags used by the Russian Army were regimental flags with the Double-Headed Eagle, the official Imperial symbol, in the centre. The Imperial Standard was the black Double-Headed Eagle displayed on a golden banner, which represented the Empire and the Emperor, the absolute ruler of Russia. When the black-yellow-white flag was in use between 1858 and 1896, the white-blue-red flag was still used as a merchant ensign.
1721–1896Civil ensign of the Russian EmpirePeter the Great's tricolour was the merchant flag of the Russian Empire. However, the flags used by the Russian Army were regimental flags with the Double-Headed Eagle, the official Imperial symbol, in the centre. The Imperial Standard was the black Double-Headed Eagle displayed on a golden banner, which represented the Empire and the Emperor, the absolute ruler of Russia. When the black-yellow-white flag was in use between 1858 and 1896, the white-blue-red flag was still used as a merchant ensign.
1858–1896State flag of the Russian EmpireOn 11 June 1858, by decree of Alexander II, the heraldic colors of the empire were approved for flags, banners and other items. It became the first State flag of Russia in 1865. The white-blue-red flag was reintroduced in 1883 but the black-yellow-white remained in use until it was fully replaced in all circumstances in 1896.
1896–1917State flag of the Russian EmpireOn 28 April 1883, Alexander III amended the 1858 decree "on flags for decorating buildings on solemn occasions" to be replaced exclusively with the white-blue-red colours. This meant that the white-blue-red flag was now to be used on land in addition to at seas. It fully replaced the black-yellow-white flag when it became the only official National flag in time for the coronation of Nicholas II in 1896.
1917–1918National flag of the Russian RepublicThe Russian Provisional Government and the Russian Republic kept using the same flag after the monarchy was overthrown in the February Revolution. During the Russian Civil War, it was also used by the Russian State in 1918–1920 and the White Guards overall until their defeat in 1923.
1918–1920National flag of the Russian StateThe Russian Provisional Government and the Russian Republic kept using the same flag after the monarchy was overthrown in the February Revolution. During the Russian Civil War, it was also used by the Russian State in 1918–1920 and the White Guards overall until their defeat in 1923.
1918–1937State flag of the Russian SFSRThe first flag of the RSFSR was established by decree on 13 April 1918. However the law never provided an official drawing or depiction. Instead, a simple red flag was commonly used. The description of the decree stated that the "flag of the Russian Republic is set on a red banner with the inscription: Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic." The decree however did not specify the exact shade of red used on the flag, nor the exact placement and size of the inscription, the ratio of the flag itself and the colour and font of the words. There is no evidence to suggest such a flag was ever produced and used. Later that year, on 17 June 1918, a decree was established on the new state flag of the RSFSR. This time, the law provided an official image for the flag. The ratio of the flag was 1:2, located in the upper left corner, the letters "R.S.F.S.R" appeared in old Slavonic font and were surrounded by a golden border.
1937–1954State flag of the Russian SFSRRed banner with stylized "RSFSR" abbreviation in gold Cyrillic letters in the honour canton.
1954–1991State flag of the Russian SFSRThe flag of the Soviet Union with a blue band at the hoist.
1991State flag of the Russian SFSRUsed by protesters during the August Coup and proclaimed national flag on 22 August 1991, then formally adopted as the state flag on 1 November.