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</script></head> <body class=""> <div class="header" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/WPHeader" role="banner"> <div class="topline topline__menu topline--red"> <a class="topline__toggleaside" accesskey="=" aria-label="Portal Menu" role="button" href="#sidebar" title="Portal Menu"><i></i></a> <div class="topline__in"> <a href="/" class="topline__head" rel="home" accesskey="1" data-title="President of Russia"> <i class="topline__logo"></i>State Insignia</a> <div class="topline__togglemore" data-url="/mobile-menu"> <i class="topline__togglemore_button"></i> </div> <div class="topline__more"> <nav aria-label="Main menu"> <ul class="nav"><li class="nav__item" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement"> <a href="/flag/" class="nav__link" accesskey="2" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="name">The Flag</span></a> </li><li class="nav__item" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement"> <a href="/emblem/" class="nav__link" accesskey="3" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="name">National Coat of Arms</span></a> </li><li class="nav__item" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement"> <a href="/anthem/" class="nav__link" accesskey="4" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="name">National Anthem</span></a> </li><li class="nav__item" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement"> <a href="http://flag.kremlin.ru/" class="nav__link" accesskey="5" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="name">Русский</span></a> </li> <li class="nav__item last" itemscope="itemscope" style="display: none;" itemtype="http://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement"> <a class="nav__link nav__link_search" href="http://en.kremlin.ru/search" accesskey="5" itemprop="url" title="Global website search"> <span itemprop="name">Search</span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class="search" style="display: none;"> <ul class="search__filter"> <li class="search__filter__item is-active"> <a class="search_without_filter">Search this website</a> </li> </ul> <div class="search__in"> <form name="search" class="form search__form simple_search form_special" method="get" action="http://en.kremlin.ru/search" tabindex="-1" role="search" > <fieldset> <input type="hidden" name="section" class="search__section_value"/> <input type="hidden" name="since" class="search__since_value"/> <input type="hidden" name="till" class="search__till_value"/> <span class="form__field input_wrapper"> <input type="text" name="query" class="search__form__input" id="search__form__input" lang="en" accesskey="-" required="required" size="74" title="Enter search" autocomplete="off" data-autocomplete-words-url="http://en.kremlin.ru/_autocomplete/words" data-autocomplete-url="http://en.kremlin.ru/_autocomplete"/> <i class="search_icon"></i> <span class="text_overflow__limiter"></span> </span> <span class="form__field button__wrapper"> <button id="search-simple-search-button" class="submit search__form__button">Search</button> </span> </fieldset> </form> </div> </div> <div class="topline_nav_mobile"></div> </div> <div class="main-wrapper"> <div class="subnav-view" role="complementary" aria-label="Additional menu"> </div> <div class="wrapsite"> <div class="content-view" role="main"> <div class="content content_main"> <div class="content__in content__in__large"> <div class="page"> <h1 class="title_main">The Flag </h1> <div class="lead lead--constitution"> <p>The Russian Federation state flag is rectangular in form and comprises three equal horizontal stripes: the upper one white, the middle one blue, and the lower one red. The flag is two-by-three in terms of width to length. </p> </div> <img class="full-width-img flag-shadow" src="/static/img/svg/flag.svg?e6efb77a91" alt="Flag"> <div class="photo__description"> The law does not stipulate the precise shades of blue and red that may be used. </div> <p>The Russian flag was created when Russia built its first naval vessels, and was used mostly as a naval ensign until the nineteenth century.</p> <p>Geographical exploration and discoveries by Russian navigators laid the start of the white, blue and red flag’s use on dry land.</p> <p>Before the nineteenth century, Russian sailors would raise a cross to mark land they were claiming for the country. But in 1806, a new tradition began when a Russian expedition exploring the coast of southern Sakhalin landed and raised two flags on the island – the St Andrew flag, which symbolized the navy’s valour, and the white, blue and red state flag which declared Russia’s new territorial acquisition.</p> <p> Peter the Great’s boat bore white, blue and red stripes. In 1693, also under Peter the Great, a detachment of small vessels sailed for the Solovetsky Islands flying a flag of equal horizontal white, blue and red stripes. </p> <p>The white, blue and red tricolour’s increasing use came to a halt in 1858, when the state emblems office at the Government Senate’s Heraldry Department proposed making changes to the national flag.</p> <p>Over the next 150 years Russia’s flag changed numerous times. In November 1990, a government commission on new state symbols settled the flag question quickly and almost unanimously: Russia had had the white, blue and red tricolour with its more than 300 years of history, and should return it to use.</p> <p>On December 25, 2000, with a new century and a new millennium about to begin, the Federal Constitutional Law On the Russian Federation State Flag was adopted, setting out the legal provisions and rules for the flag’s use.</p> <p>The law states, for example, the state flag can be raised during events organised by companies, entities and organisations, and also during family celebrations. People may hang the Russian national flag at home on their balconies or at their dachas if they wish. </p> <p>When the Russian Federation national flag and the flags of the Russian regions are raised at the same time, the national flag should be:</p> <div class="flags-icons flags-icons--maw641"> <div class="icon__container"> <img src="/static/img/icons/2_flags.svg?b8f9fd74eb" alt="image of two flags"> <p>on the left if <br>two flags are raised, </p> </div> <div class="icon__container"> <img src="/static/img/icons/3_flags.svg?0334185728" alt="image of three flags"> <p> in the centre if an odd<br> number of flags is raised</p> </div> <div class="icon__container"> <img src="/static/img/icons/4_flags.svg?62a948fa24" alt="image of four flags"> <p>left of centre if an even<br> number of flags is raised.</p> </div> </div> <p>The national flag must not be smaller in size or placed lower than the regional flag.</p> <p>The national flag cannot be used as the heraldic base for the regional flags. </p> <p>People may hang the Russian national flag at home on their balconies or at their dachas if they wish.</p> <p>A depiction of the national flag can be used as an element or as the heraldic base for Russian Federation state decorations, and also for the heraldic symbols, emblems and flags of the federal executive power bodies. </p> <div class="flags-icons flags-icons--logos"> <div class="icon__container"> <picture> <source srcset="/static/img/icons/medal-zolotaya-zvezda@2x.png?615a260c7c 2x, /static/img/icons/medal-zolotaya-zvezda.png?18a45b97f6 1x"/> <img src="/static/img/icons/medal-zolotaya-zvezda.png?18a45b97f6" alt="Gold Star Medal"/> </picture> <p>Gold Star<br> Medal <br> </p> </div> <div class="icon__container"> <img width="89" height="105" src="/static/img/icons/FSO_Emblem.svg?1ac1e6b753" alt="Federal Guard Service" /> <p>Federal Guard <br>Service</p> </div>  <div class="icon__container"> <img src="/static/img/icons/min-selhoz-logo.svg?e1f00dc4cf" alt="Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation"> <p>Ministry of<br> Agriculture of the Russian Federation</p> </div> </div> <p>The Russian state flag may not be used as an element or as the background for commercial organisations’ logos: </p> <div class="flags-icons flags-icons--maw537 flags-icons--pt0"> <div class="icon__container "> <img src="/static/img/icons/banned_flag_use.svg?a1b2b6af64" alt="Illustration - flag as logo"> </div> <div class="icon__container"> <img src="/static/img/icons/banned_flag_use2.svg?980874205b" alt="Illustration - flag as background"> </div> </div> <hr class="sep sep--mt0"> <ul class="photoset__list photoset_download"> <li class="photoset__item photoset__item--left"> <a class="download-constitution__title" href="/static/pdf/flag.zip?6170b7d032" download>File for download</a><br/> <a class="photo photoset_a" href="/static/pdf/flag.zip?6170b7d032" download> <img width="200" src="/static/img/svg/flag.svg?e6efb77a91" alt="flag " class="photoset__image"> <i class="photoset__icon"></i> <div class="photoset__link"></div> </a> <a class="photo photoset_a" href="/static/pdf/flag.zip?6170b7d032" download> <div class="photoset__meta"> Vectoral depiction of the flag <br> EPS, SVG, AI<br> 0,1 МБ.<br/> </div> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gallery__wrap"> <div class="gallery__overlay"></div> <div class="gallery" role="complementary" aria-label="Fullscreen gallery"></div> </div> <div class="read" role="complementary" aria-label="Material for reading"></div> <div class="wrapsite__outside hidden-print"><div class="wrapsite__overlay"></div></div><div class="sidebar" tabindex="-1" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/WPSideBar"> <div class="sidebar__content"> <div class="sidebar_lang"> <div class="sidebar_title_wrapper hidden"> <h2 class="sidebar_title">Официальные сетевые ресурсы</h2> <h3 class="sidebar_title sidebar_title_caption">Президента России</h3> </div> <div class="sidebar_title_wrapper is-visible"> <h2 class="sidebar_title">Official Internet Resources</h2> <h3 class="sidebar_title sidebar_title_caption">of the President of Russia</h3> </div> <span class="sidebar_lang_item sidebar_lang_first"> <a tabindex="0" href="http://flag.kremlin.ru/" rel="alternate" hreflang="ru" itemprop="url" class="is-active"> <span>Русский</span> </a> </span><span class="sidebar_lang_item"> <a tabindex="-1" rel="alternate" hreflang="en" itemprop="url" > <span>Английский</span> </a> </span> <meta itemprop="inLanguage" content="ru"/> </div> <ul class="sidebar_list"> <li itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement"> <a href="https://t.me/news_kremlin_eng" class="sidebar__special" itemprop="url" tabindex="0" rel="me" target="_blank" ><span itemprop="name">Telegram Channel</span></a> </li> <li itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement"> <a href="https://rutube.ru/u/kremlin/" class="sidebar__special" itemprop="url" tabindex="0" rel="me" target="_blank" ><span itemprop="name">Rutube Channel</span></a> </li> <li itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement"> <a href="http://www.youtube.ru/user/kremlin" class="sidebar__special" itemprop="url" tabindex="0" rel="me" target="_blank" ><span itemprop="name">YouTube Channel</span></a> </li> </ul> <ul class="sidebar_list sidebar_list_other"> <li itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement"> <a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/" class="no-warning" itemprop="url" tabindex="0"> <span itemprop="name">Website of the President of Russia</span> </a> </li> <li itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement"> <a href="http://en.flag.kremlin.ru/" class="no-warning --active-item" itemprop="url" tabindex="0" rel="external"> <span itemprop="name">State Insignia</span></a> </li> <li itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement"> <a href="http://en.letters.kremlin.ru/" class="no-warning" itemprop="url" tabindex="0" rel="external"><span itemprop="name">Send a Letter</span></a> </li> <li itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement"> <a href="http://en.putin.kremlin.ru/" class="no-warning" itemprop="url" tabindex="0" rel="external"> <span itemprop="name">Vladimir Putin’s Personal Website</span> </a> </li> <li itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement"> <a href="http://20.kremlin.ru/en/" class="no-warning" itemprop="url" tabindex="0" rel="external"><span itemprop="name">Putin. 20 years</span></a> </li> </ul> </div> <p class="sidebar__signature">Presidential Executive Office<br/>2025</p> </div><script type="text/javascript" src="/static/js/app.js?a98b2ec95c"></script></body> </html>