Flags used in Russian-occupied Ukraine

This is a list article about flags that have been used by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine and in areas occupied by Russia and Russian-controlled forces during the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Donetsk People's Republic

 

Pro-Russian protests in Donetsk on 7 April 2014. The DPR first flag variant is seen displayed amongst other flags such as the Russian, Belarusian and Donetsk Oblast ones.

The flag of the Donetsk People's Republic was claimed by the Russian-controlled militias to be based on the flag of the Donetsk–Krivoy Rog Soviet Republic, whom they claim as the "People's Republic's" predecessor.^[1] However, there is no evidence of any such flag in 1918, and it is most likely based on the flag of the International Movement of Donbass, a Soviet anti-Ukrainian independence organisation started at Donetsk University in August 1989.^[2][3]

The original DPR flag also featured a coat of arms of the republic that said "Donetsk Rus'" (Донецкая Русь) in the centre. It was identical to the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk Republic political party flag, while also retaining the words "Donetsk Republic" (Russian: Донецкая Республика). A simpler white double-headed eagle variant was used by pro-Russian protesters since 7 April 2014 and then by separatists of the Donbas People's Militia.

By October 2014, a second main flag which carried the words "Donetsk People's Republic" (Донецкая Народная Республика) was created with an updated doubled-headed eagle that looked less similar to the Russian coat of arms. This flag appeared to be more prominently used by the militant organization, even appearing on ballot boxes during their 2014 elections.^{[citation needed]} The simplified black, blue and red tricolor without inscriptions or coats of arms started being adopted after 2017.^{[citation needed]}

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  First flag of the Donetsk People's Republic, based on the political party Donetsk Republic^{[4][5][specify]}
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  First flag variant displayed on 7 April 2014
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  Alternative flag variant between April – June 2014
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  Second flag of the Donetsk People's Republic (October 2014 – 2017)^[6]
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  Current flag of the Donetsk People's Republic^[7]

Luhansk People's Republic

There have been several flags used to represent the Luhansk People's Republic. The first flag featured a similar design to the flag used by the Donetsk People's Republic, the main differences being that the top stripe was light blue or azure, a color used in the 1950–1992 flag of the Ukrainian SSR, instead of black. It featured a different coat of arms, and it contained the words Luhansk Republic (Луганская Республика) in Russian. The original shade of light blue used for the top stripe may have been inspired by the shade of blue used in the flag of the city of Luhansk. The second was adopted at some point in October 2014, with an abbreviation of the group's local name replacing the aforementioned text. On 2 November 2014, the Republic adopted a new flag that resembled the previous flags but lacked the coat of arms.

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  First flag of the Luhansk People's Republic displayed on 9 May 2014^[8][9]
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  Variant of the first flag of the Luhansk People's Republic, used mostly by the Russian-controlled militant group before October 2014^[10][11]
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  Second flag of the Luhansk People's Republic (October 2014 – 2017)^[12][13]
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  Third flag of the Luhansk People's Republic (2017)
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  Current flag of the Luhansk People's Republic^[14]

Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast

Russia initially occupied much of Kherson Oblast in early 2022, but was forced to retreat from the right bank of the Dnieper River, giving up the city of Kherson in November.

At the signing of the agreement on the accession of the Kherson Oblast to Russia by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian-installed head of the occupied part of the region, Volodymyr Saldo, the flag of Kherson Oblast was seen, but in the middle of white stripe, there is the 1803 coat of arms of Kherson supported by golden oak branches and blue ribbons, and surmounted by the Imperial Crown.^{[15][failed verification]}

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  Flag of Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast
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  Coat of arms of Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast
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  Coat of arms used in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast until 30 September 2022

Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Russia occupies the southern half of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast as of 2023.

In the early months of the occupation, the coat of arms used by the occupational forces was originally a re-worded version of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast.^[16][17] Though on 25 May 2022, it was replaced by the 1811 coat of arms of the city of Zaporizhzhia (then called Oleksandrivsk in Ukrainian or Aleksandrovsk in Russian), which was again adopted by the city in 2003, with the magenta color associated with Cossacks replaced with red due to "historical" reasons.^[18]

On 30 September 2022, Russia declared the annexation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, despite controlling only the southern part of it.^[19] At a Moscow signing ceremony between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian-installed head of the occupied southern half of the oblast, Yevhen Balytskyi, the flag of the Zaporizhzhia region was presented as a bi-color field in green and red, and the 1811 coat of arms of Aleksandrovsk (Zaporizhzhia at the time) in the middle.^[20]

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  Flag of Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast
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  Coat of arms of Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast
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  Coat of arms used in Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast until 25 May 2022

Historical separatist movements

Kharkiv People's Republic

The Kharkiv People's Republic (Russian: Харьковская Народная Республика) was a short-lived self-proclaimed state in Kharkiv, Ukraine. It was declared by separatists during the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine. The separatists were led by Yevhen Zhylin.^[21] It was created on 7 April 2014 when pro-Russian protesters stormed government buildings in Kharkiv and declared the Kharkiv People's Republic. It was dissolved when Ukrainian authorities regained control of the building later that same day.^[22][23][24]

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  Proposed flag of the Kharkiv People's Republic^[25]
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  Unofficial variant of the Kharkiv People's Republic
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  Flag used in Russian-occupied Kharkiv Oblast^[26]
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  Coat of arms used in Russian-occupied Kharkiv Oblast

Novorossiya

Novorossiya (literally "New Russia") was an unrecognised confederation of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, claiming the territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. However, on 20 May 2015, the leaders of the Federal State of Novorossiya declared that they would halt the confederation 'project.'^[27]

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  Flag used by supporters of Novorossiya
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  Flag of Novorossiya with the coat of arms
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  Proposed flag of Novorossiya, proposed by Oleg Tsarev
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  Coat of arms of Novorossiya

The battle flag is based on the naval jack of the Imperial Russian Navy. Oleksandr Chalenko, who worked as a political journalist in Kyiv, described the flag and explained its symbolism in an item published by Izvestia on 20 March 2014:^[28] "It's a red flag with a blue Saint Andrew's cross. The flag of the Russian Navy. Of the Navy, which played a prominent military role in the emergence and establishment of historical Novorossiya."

A white-yellow-black tricolor was presented on 13 August 2014 by Oleg Tsarev as a potential flag for the confederation of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.^{[29][better source needed]} This resembled an upside-down Romanov flag, which was the national flag of the Russian Empire from 1858 to 1883.

Some have noted that the flag's design resembles the Confederate States of America's navy jack and battle flag, known also as the "Dixie flag", though this is almost certainly a coincidence.^[30][31] Ukrainian political analyst Mikhail Pavliv is credited with having created the flag; Pavliv explains that he had simply stumbled upon the flag online somewhere, and that the leader of the New Russia Party, Pavel Gubarev, later picked it up.^{[citation needed]} However, Gubarev has stated that the inspiration for the flag came from banners used by Cossacks in the 18th century.^{[citation needed]} The only Cossacks that used a similar banner where the Semirechye Cossacks from Kyrgyzstan who never saw combat or service in or near Ukraine.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• List of Russian flags
• Flags of the federal subjects of Russia

References

1. "The DPR became a legal successor of the Donetsk-Krivoy-Rog Republic". novorossia.today. 5 February 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
2. James Ivan Clem: The Life of the Parties: Party Activism in Lʹviv and Donetsk, Ukraine, Ann Arbor (MA): University of Michigan Press 1995, p. 52.
3. Edwards, Maxim (9 June 2014). "Symbolism of the Donetsk People's Republic". openDemocracy. Retrieved 3 June 2017. But Vladimir Kornilov, the world's leading – and only – specialist on the short-lived state (and author of The Assassinated Dream, a book on its history), does not agree. The myths that grew around the Republic, [Kornilov] added, led to distorted views of its history, and 'pictures of some flag which was never actually used.' In fact, the flag used by the Donetsk People's Republic is, with alterations, that of the International Movement for Donbas or the Interdvizheniye Donbasa, an organisation whose roots started only in August 1989, in a lecture theatre of Donetsk University.
4. "Symbolism of the Donetsk People's Republic". openDemocracy.
5. "Donetsk County (Ukraine)".
6. "DPR Approved National Symbols (Russian title: ДНР утвердила национальную символику)".
7. . DNR.ru (Official Donetsk People's Republic site). 30 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-06-30.
8. Raeside, Rob (16 November 2019). "Lugansk People's Republic (Ukraine)". Flags Of The World. from the original on 1 January 2022.
9. . Kyiv Post. Interfax-Ukraine. 24 July 2014. ISSN 1563-6429. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
10. "Ukraine: Lugansk People's Republic leader steps down". Ruptly. 14 August 2014.
11. [The militias announced who will represent them at consultations on Ukraine]. Информационное агентство "Новороссия" [Novorossiya Information Agency] (in Russian). 2017-07-17. Archived from the original on 2014-07-20. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
12. . Archived from the original on 2014-11-03.
13. . Lugansk Online. October 31, 2014. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014.
14. [Law on the state flag of the Luhansk People's Republic]. Луганский Информационный Центр [Lugansk Information Center] (in Russian). 26 November 2014. Archived from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2022. Настоящим Законом устанавливаются Государственный флаг Луганской Народной Республики, его описание и порядок официального использования. [This Law establishes the State Flag of the Luhansk People's Republic, its description and the procedure for official use.]
15. "Подписание договоров о принятии ДНР, ЛНР, Запорожской и Херсонской областей в состав России". Президент России (in Russian). 30 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
16. "Occupiers in Zaporizhzhia oblast steal the ZRMA's symbols and ID number to make a fake seal". imi.org.ua. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
17. . 2022-07-28. Archived from the original on 2022-07-28. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
18. Новости, Р. И. А. (2022-05-25). "Запорожская область вернула герб времен Российской империи". РИА Новости (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-10-03.
19. "Подписание договоров о принятии ДНР, ЛНР, Запорожской и Херсонской областей в состав России". Президент России (in Russian). 30 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
20. Новости, Р. И. А. (2022-05-25). "Запорожская область вернула герб времен Российской империи". РИА Новости (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-10-03.
21. "In pictures: Pro-Russians proclaim 'people's republic'". BBC News. 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
22. Jarábik, Natalia Shapovalova, Balázs. "How Eastern Ukraine Is Adapting and Surviving: The Case of Kharkiv". Carnegie Europe. Retrieved 2022-09-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
23. "Who's who: These are the key figures and groups in Ukraine's political crisis". The World from PRX. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
24. "Waiting for War". The New Yorker. 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
25. "Kharkiv County (Ukraine)".
26. "На освобожденных территориях Харьковской области утвердили герб и флаг - ТАСС".
27. Russian-backed 'Novorossiya' breakaway movement collapses, Ukraine Today (20 May 2015)
    (in Russian) The "New Russia" is closed, Gazeta.ru (20 May 2015)
28. Chalenko, Oleksandr (20 March 2014). "Что такое Новороссия?" [What is Novorossiya?]. Известия [Izvestia] (in Russian). eISSN 1563-6313. ISSN 0233-4356. OCLC 1076768530. from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2022. Это красный флаг с синим Андреевским крестом. Флаг российского флота. Флота, который сыграл выдающуюся военную роль в деле появления и утверждения исторической Новороссии.
29. LifeNews: Oleg Tsarev presented the new flag of Novorossiya
30. Babiak, Mat (22 May 2014). "Welcome to New Russia". Ukrainian Policy. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
31. "Ukraine News One: 'Novorossiya' flag appears uncannily like 'Dixie' (VIDEO)". kyivpost.com. Retrieved 15 June 2014.