At a glance: the Russian flag is a horizontal tricolour of three equal stripes — white on top, blue in the middle and red at the bottom — in proportions of 2:3. It goes back to the era of Peter the Great, was replaced by Soviet red flags for most of the 20th century, and was restored on 22 August 1991, the date now marked as Russian Flag Day. The law gives the colours no official meaning.
People often type "Rissian flag" when they mean the flag of Russia; this page is about that real flag.
Design and Specifications
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Name in Russian | Флаг России (flag ra-SSEE-i), often called the триколор (tri-ka-LOR, tricolour) |
| Design | Three equal horizontal stripes: white, blue, red (top to bottom) |
| Proportions | 2:3 (width to length) |
| Current form set by | Presidential decree of 1993; Federal Constitutional Law of 2000 |
| Restored | 22 August 1991 |
| Flag Day | 22 August |
| Official colour meanings | None |
The law describes the colours simply as white, blue and red, which is why you will see slightly different shades of blue — from a mid blue to a darker royal blue — on flags made by different manufacturers.
History of the Russian Flag
Origins around 1700
White, blue and red first appeared as a Russian flag at sea. Accounts often link the colours to Russia's first Western-style warship, the Oryol (Eagle), built in the late 1660s under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. What is clearer is that under Peter the Great, around the beginning of the 18th century, the white-blue-red tricolour was established as the flag of Russian merchant ships. A popular theory holds that Peter, who studied shipbuilding in the Netherlands, was inspired by the red, white and blue Dutch flag, but this is not proven.
Rival flags in the 19th century
In the 19th century the tricolour was not the only candidate for a national flag. In 1858, under Alexander II, a black, yellow (gold) and white flag based on the colours of the imperial coat of arms was introduced for official use. For a few decades both designs were seen. Under Alexander III the white-blue-red flag was favoured for festive occasions, and in 1896, ahead of the coronation of Nicholas II, it was confirmed as the national flag of Russia. Around 1914 a variant with the imperial eagle in a yellow square in the corner was also used.
Revolution and the Soviet period
After the revolutions of 1917 and the civil war, the tricolour was replaced by red flags. The Soviet Union, formed in 1922, flew a red flag with a gold hammer and sickle and a gold-outlined star in the upper corner. Russia (the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic) also had its own flags within the USSR; from the 1950s it was red with a narrow vertical blue stripe along the hoist, plus the hammer, sickle and star.
During these decades the old tricolour did not disappear entirely: it was used by some of the anti-Bolshevik White forces during the civil war and by some Russian émigré communities.
Restoration in 1991
During the attempted coup of August 1991, crowds defending the Russian parliament building in Moscow carried the white-blue-red flag. On 22 August 1991, just after the coup failed, the tricolour was officially adopted again as the flag of Russia. The Soviet Union itself was dissolved in December 1991.
The first post-Soviet version had proportions of 1:2. A presidential decree of December 1993 set the current design with 2:3 proportions, and the Federal Constitutional Law on the State Flag, adopted in December 2000, gave it its present legal basis. Since 1994, 22 August has been observed as the Day of the State Flag.
Timeline
- Late 17th century: white, blue and red associated with early Russian ships
- Early 18th century: Peter the Great establishes the tricolour for merchant shipping
- 1858: black-yellow-white "imperial colours" flag introduced
- 1896: white-blue-red confirmed as the national flag
- 1917–1922: revolution and civil war; red flags replace the tricolour
- 1922–1991: Soviet red flag with hammer, sickle and star
- 22 August 1991: tricolour restored
- 1993: decree fixes 2:3 proportions
- 2000: federal law on the state flag
What Do the Colours Mean?
There is no official meaning for the colours of the Russian flag, and the law is silent on symbolism. Several unofficial interpretations are widely repeated:
- White for nobility and frankness, blue for faithfulness, honesty and chastity, and red for courage, generosity and love.
- A religious and monarchist reading: white for God or faith, blue for the Mother of God (the protector of Russia), and red for the sovereign or the state.
- A geographical reading sometimes offered for the 19th-century flag, linking the stripes to different East Slavic lands.
All of these are later interpretations rather than the documented reasons the colours were chosen. White, blue and red later became known as pan-Slavic colours, and several Slavic nations adopted flags in the same colours during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Flags That Look Similar
| Country | Stripes | How to tell it apart |
|---|---|---|
| Russia | White, blue, red (horizontal) | No emblem |
| Slovenia | White, blue, red (horizontal) | Coat of arms with Mount Triglav near the hoist |
| Slovakia | White, blue, red (horizontal) | Coat of arms with a double cross toward the hoist |
| Serbia | Red, blue, white (horizontal) | Colours in reverse order; coat of arms on the state flag |
| Netherlands | Red, white, blue (horizontal) | Red on top |
| France | Blue, white, red (vertical) | Vertical stripes |
Related Russian State Symbols
- Coat of arms: a gold double-headed eagle on a red shield, with St George slaying the dragon on its breast.
- Presidential standard: a square version of the tricolour with the coat of arms in the centre.
- Naval ensign: the white flag with a blue diagonal St Andrew's cross, first introduced under Peter the Great and used again by the Russian navy since 1992.
- National anthem: its current lyrics were adopted in 2000, set to the music of the Soviet anthem by Alexander Alexandrov.
Displaying the Flag
The flag must be flown with white at the top; flying it upside down puts red on top, which is a common mistake in graphics and costume designs. Russian law requires the flag to be flown on major state buildings, and it is widely displayed on public holidays such as Russia Day (12 June), Victory Day (9 May) and Flag Day itself. If you are displaying it abroad at an event with other national flags, the usual international convention is that all national flags are the same size and flown at the same height.
Common Misconceptions
- "The red Soviet flag was Russia's flag." It was the flag of the Soviet Union, a union of several republics, of which Russia was the largest. Russia's own flag within the USSR was a separate design, and today's Russian flag is the pre-revolutionary tricolour.
- "The black, yellow and white flag is the old Russian flag." It was an official imperial flag for a few decades from 1858, but white-blue-red is both older and was confirmed as the national flag in 1896.
- "The flag has an official symbolism." It does not; all colour meanings are unofficial interpretations.
- "It is a copy of the Dutch flag." A Dutch influence is a popular theory, not a proven fact, and the colours are in a different order.
- "Rissia has its own flag." There is no country called Rissia; "Rissian" is simply a misspelling of Russian.
Useful Words
- флаг (flak) — flag
- белый (BYE-ly) — white
- синий (SEE-niy) — blue
- красный (KRAS-ny) — red
Fun fact: the old word красный also meant "beautiful", which is where Red Square (Красная площадь) gets its name. See more vocabulary in our English to Russian guide, and colour words in What Is Russian Blue?
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the colours of the Russian flag mean?
Officially, nothing: Russian law does not assign meanings to the colours. Popular interpretations include white for nobility or frankness, blue for faithfulness and honesty, and red for courage and love, or white, blue and red as faith, the Virgin Mary's protection and sovereignty.
When was the Russian flag adopted?
The white, blue and red tricolour dates back to around 1700 and was declared the national flag in the late 19th century. It was replaced by Soviet red flags after the revolution and restored on 22 August 1991. Its current form was set by decree in 1993 and by federal law in 2000.
What are the proportions of the Russian flag?
The Russian flag has a width-to-length ratio of 2:3, with three horizontal stripes of equal height: white at the top, blue in the middle and red at the bottom.
When is Russian Flag Day?
Russia marks the Day of the State Flag on 22 August, the anniversary of the tricolour's return as the national flag in 1991. It is a commemorative day, not a public holiday.
What was the Russian flag before 1991?
From the 1920s until 1991 Russia was part of the Soviet Union, whose flag was red with a gold hammer and sickle and a star. The Russian Soviet republic within the USSR had its own red flag, in its final form with a vertical blue stripe at the hoist.
Which flags look like the Russian flag?
Slovenia and Slovakia also use white, blue and red horizontal stripes but add coats of arms. Serbia uses red, blue and white. The Netherlands uses red, white and blue, and France uses vertical blue, white and red stripes.
More Russian History and Culture
Continue with Russia in the 19th century, traditional Russian hats, and our overview of Russian culture.