Banner of the Russian Armed Forces
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.svg) | |
| Use | War flag and naval ensign     |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 3:4 |
| Adopted | 29 December 2000 |
.svg) Reverse of the flag | |
The Banner of the Russian Armed Forces (Russian: Знамя Вооружённых сил Российской Федерации, romanized: Znamya Vooruzhyonnykh cil Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the official symbol and military relic of the Russian Armed Forces. The banner was established by Federal Law of the Russian Federation No. 162-FZ, dated December 29, 2000, "On the Banner of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the Banner of the Navy, the Banners of Other Branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Banners of Other Troops".[1]
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the formation of the Russian Federation, it was necessary to create new symbols for the Russian Armed Forces which succeeded the Soviet Armed Forces. At the Scientific and Practical Military-Heraldic Conference in Moscow in 1999, General Sergei Ivanov spoke and reported on the desire of veterans of the Armed Forces to see the familiar Red Banner in the symbols of the Armed Forces.[2] On December 8, 2000, Vladimir Putin sent to the State Duma a draft on the Laws on the Coat of arms, anthem, flag, and military banners. It was decided to make the Banner of the Armed Forces purely red, and the Banner of the Navy, the St. Andrew's Flag.[2]
On May 8, 2001, President Putin ceremoniously presented the new Banner of the Russian Armed Forces to Minister of Defense Sergei Ivanov. This banner participated in the parade dedicated to the 56th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. The banner was a red flag with a 2:3 aspect ratio. In a speech to the military on the occasion of the Defenders' of the Fatherland Day in February 2003, Sergei Ivanov promised to return the red star to military banners. Minister of Defense Sergei Ivanov proposed to make changes to the appearance of the Banner of the Armed Forces, and these proposals were supported by the President Vladimir Putin who submitted in May that year a bill to the State Duma based on the draft prepared by the Military Heraldic Service of the Ministry of Defense. The basis for the new appearance of the Banner of the Armed Forces were samples of the banners of the Imperial Russian Army of 1883, as well as early samples of the banners of the Soviet Army of the Soviet Armed Forces. The bill was adopted by the Federal Assembly and signed-into-law in July 2003.[3]
