“A symbol that unites”: how Russia and the liberated territories celebrated the Day of the Russian Flag

On Monday, August 22, Russia celebrates the Day of the State Flag of the Russian Federation.

The holiday was established on the basis of the decree of the President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin dated August 20, 1994 "On the Day of the State Flag of the Russian Federation."

The official history of the Russian tricolor goes back to 1705, when, by decree of Peter I, all Russian merchant ships began to sail under the white-blue-red flag.

Previously, a flag in such colors was raised on a warship during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich in 1668.

The tricolor was approved as the state flag of Russia only on the eve of the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II in 1896.

Vladimir Putin also pointed out these historical aspects in his address on the occasion of the holiday.

The head of state stressed that the Russian flag symbolizes loyalty to traditional values, truth, justice, solidarity, mercy, and respect for the centuries-old history of Russia.

“The national flag, like the unfading red Banner of Victory, serves to educate the younger generation in the values ​​of patriotism, citizenship, and responsibility for the future of the Motherland.

From September 1 of this year, the school week in all schools of the country will begin with a solemn ceremony of raising the flag and singing the anthem.

I am sure that the national flag of Russia will forever remain a sacred symbol for all generations of our citizens, will inspire them to a feat of arms, labor achievements, to conquer new heights in science, culture and sports, and evoke a sense of pride in their homeland," Putin said.

As follows from the data of the VTsIOM poll, 66% of Russians "experience admiration and pride at the sight of the national flag."

Events on the occasion of one of the main symbols of the state began on the evening of August 21, when more than 300 white, blue and red cars drove along the Garden Ring in Moscow.

On the morning of August 22, on Poklonnaya Hill near the Victory Monument, the Russian flag was unfurled, consisting of 90 parts that were brought from various regions of the country.

In the afternoon, a canvas of 1,000 square meters was unfurled near the Victory Museum.

m is the largest flag of Russia.

• On Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow, in honor of the Russian Flag Day, a huge tricolor was unfurled, assembled by 200 volunteers from 90 parts

The crew of Expedition 67 of the International Space Station represented by Oleg Artemiev, Denis Matveev and Sergei Korsakov also addressed the Russians with congratulations.

“The flag, coat of arms and anthem are the most important symbols of the state, which confirm the independence and sovereignty of the country,” Matveev said.

As Korsakov added, under the tricolor, Russia "has achieved outstanding success in the field of scientific discoveries, culture and sports, in the field of state building."

In the Crimean city of Yalta, traditionally on this day, the flag of Russia was hoisted on the top of Mount Ai-Petri - at an altitude of 1234 m above sea level.

At the same time, a ceremony of laying flowers at the obelisk of Glory in honor of the liberators was held on the territory of the Sapun Mountain memorial complex in Sevastopol.

After that, a tricolor 45 m long and more than 17 m wide was deployed near the diorama building.

• Huge Russian flag on Sapun Mountain in Sevastopol

Festive events and flash mobs with the Russian tricolor were also held in Melitopol, Zaporozhye region.

“We have been waiting for this day, we are very glad that it has come true.

We are glad to be together with Russia, we aspired to this, we will be together with Russia.

For us, the symbol of this Russian flag is a symbol of liberation,” Galina Danilchenko, head of the city administration, told RIA Novosti.

At the same time, in Berdyansk, local residents carried a flag over 70 meters long through the streets of the city.

In addition, activists of the Young Guard of United Russia and the Volunteer Company unfurled a Russian flag measuring 2.4 thousand square meters in Kupyansk, Kharkov region.

m. In another city in the region - Volchansk - a white-blue-red flag was raised on the main square.

At the same time, in Mariupol, a tricolor with an area of ​​200 square meters was stretched over the Azovstal plant at a height of 100 m.

m.

In addition, the participants of the Mashuk forum in Pyatigorsk, including those from the republics of the DPR and LPR, climbed the mountain of the same name and hoisted the tricolor on the slope. 

Flagpoles 35 meters high were installed on the Concorde Square in Nalchik and the flags of Russia and Kabardino-Balkaria were hoisted on them.

The size of the panels was 7 × 10.5 m.

In Rostov-on-Don, local residents held a “Za flag” flash mob on the territory of the Maxim Gorky Park, they lined up in the shape of the letter Z, holding white-blue-red balloons and flags.

In St. Petersburg, over 1,500 activists lined up in the form of a map of Russia on Moscow Square.

“The tricolor map, consisting of the colors of the flag of Russia, reminded the inhabitants of the Northern capital of the greatness of the state and the importance of the main symbol of the country,” the United Russia press service said.

In the village of Novosemeykino, Samara Region, representatives of student groups and other youth associations laid out on the mountain an image of the Russian flag 63 m long, as well as special operation symbols Z and V made of stones that were painted white, blue and red.

It took 600 tons of stones and 2.5 tons of paint to create the composition.

"The Russian tricolor is a link between generations"

Deputy Director of the Institute of History and Politics of the Moscow State Pedagogical University Vladimir Shapovalov called the Day of the State Flag one of the key holidays in terms of the formation of the state civil identity.

According to him, the symbolism of the country plays a paramount role, so the flag, along with the anthem and coat of arms, is a "key, backbone element" for any state.

“Our state tricolor has a colossal history and is a link between generations of Russians.

It is a symbol that unites all our fellow citizens, and now, at the present time, perhaps, there are no people who would not know the symbol of Russia and its significance.

For us, it is fanned not only with the memory of our history, but also with modern feats that the Russians perform on the battlefield, in science, sports, culture, ”the RT interlocutor emphasized.

He also recalled that from September 1, the flag will be raised in the country's schools "as an obligatory element of the educational process."

In turn, military historian, director of the Air Defense Forces Museum Yuri Knutov pointed out that the Russian flag has "a number of spiritual symbols", resulting in "the unity of different peoples, different confessions."

“At one time, Peter I took the flag of the merchant fleet, later this flag began to be used in Russian symbols, and starting from 1991 this flag became official.

But the peculiarity lies in the fact that it contains a number of characters.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the following interpretation was given: white is the color of the festive clothes of ordinary people, peasants, who form the basis of the Russian Empire.

Blue is the color of the Mother of God (Russia is under her protection), and red is the color of power, ”he explained in an interview with RT.

According to Olga Kovitidi, a member of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building, for the Crimeans, “the Russian flag has become a symbol of honor, valor and glory, a symbol of our victory.”