This is a list article about

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

s that have been used by pro-Russian separatists in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

and in areas occupied by

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and Russian-controlled forces during the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

Donetsk People's Republic

The of the

Donetsk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR; , ) is Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, occupied territory in Ukraine that the Russian Federation has claimed to annex and declared as a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia, comprising parts o ...

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. 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. The original DPR flag also featured a coat of arms of the republic that said "''Donetsk

Rus' Rus or RUS may refer to: People * East Slavic historical peoples (). See Names of Rus', Russia and Ruthenia ** Rus' people, the people of Rus' ** Rus, a legendary eponymous ancestor, see Lech, Czech and Rus * Rus (surname), a surname found in Ro ...

''" (Донецкая Русь) in the centre. It was identical to the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk Republic political party flag, while also retaining the words "''Donetsk Republic''" (). A simpler white

double-headed eagle The double-headed eagle is an Iconology, iconographic symbol originating in the Bronze Age. The earliest predecessors of the symbol can be found in Mycenaean Greece and in the Ancient Near East, especially in Mesopotamian and Hittite Empire#icon ...

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 * 2014 United Nations Security Council election 16 October 2014 Africa * 2014 Algerian presidential election 17 April 2014 * 2014 Botswana general election 24 October 2014 * 2014 Comorian presidential election 21 February and 10 April 2014 * 2014 ...

. The simplified black, blue and red tricolor without inscriptions or coats of arms started being adopted after 2017. File:Flag_of_the_Donetsk_Republic_(Organisation).svg, First flag of the

, based on the political party Donetsk Republic File:Variant Flag of the Donetsk Republic Organisation.svg, First flag variant displayed on 7 April 2014 File:Flag of the Donetsk People's Republic.svg, Alternative flag variant between April – June 2014 File:Flag of the Donetsk People's Republic (2014-2018).svg, Second flag of the Donetsk People's Republic (October 2014 – 2017) File:Flag of Donetsk People's Republic.svg, Current flag of the Donetsk People's Republic

Luhansk People's Republic

There have been used to represent the

Luhansk People's Republic The Luhansk People's Republic (LPR; , ) is a disputed territory administered as a republic of Russia in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast, with its capital in Luhansk. The LPR was proclaimed by Russian-backed paramilitar ...

. 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 Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

. 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. File:Flag of rastyazhka-Luganskoj.svg, First flag of the

displayed on 9 May 2014 File:Flag of the Lugansk People's Republic (2014).svg, alt=Variant of the first flag of the Luhansk People's Republic, used mostly by the state before October 2014, Variant of the first flag of the Luhansk People's Republic, used mostly by the Russian-controlled militant group before October 2014 File:Flag of the Lugansk People's Republic (Late 2014).svg, Second flag of the Luhansk People's Republic (October 2014 – 2017) File:Nouveau drapeau Lougansk.svg, Third flag of the Luhansk People's Republic (2017) File:Flag of the Luhansk People's Republic.svg, Current flag of the Luhansk People's Republic

Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast

Russia initially occupied much of

Kherson Oblast Kherson Oblast (, ; ), also known as Khersonshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in southern Ukraine. It is located just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson, on the northern or right bank ...

in early 2022, but was forced to retreat from the right bank of the

Dnieper River The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

, 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 Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

and the Russian-installed head of the occupied part of the region,

Volodymyr Saldo Vladimir Vasilyevich Saldo (, ; born 12 June 1956) is a Ukrainian and Russian politician serving as the acting collaborationist governor of the annexed Kherson Oblast since 4 October 2022. A member of the ruling United Russia, he previously ...

, the flag of Kherson Oblast was seen, but in the middle of the white stripe is the 1803 coat of arms of

Kherson Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...

supported by golden oak branches and blue ribbons, and surmounted by the Imperial Crown. Flag of Kherson Oblast (Russia).svg, Flag of Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast Coat of arms of Kherson Oblast (Russia, Big size).svg, Coat of arms of Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast

Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Russia occupies the southern half of Ukraine's

Zaporizhzhia Oblast Zaporizhzhia Oblast (), commonly referred to as Zaporizhzhia (), is an oblast (region) in south-east Ukraine. Its administrative centre is the city of Zaporizhzhia. The oblast covers an area of , and has a population of The oblast is an import ...

as of 2023. In the early months of the occupation, the coat of arms used by the occupational forces was originally the same as that of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast but re-worded in Russian. However, 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. On 30 September 2022, Russia declared the annexation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, despite controlling only the southern part of it. 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 Zaporizhzhia, formerly known as Aleksandrovsk or Oleksandrivsk until 1921, is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia ...

at the time) in the middle. Flag of the Russian administered Zaporizhzhia Oblast (1).svg, Flag of Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast Coat of Arms of the Russian administered Zaporizhzhia Oblast.svg, Coat of arms of Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Historical separatist movements

Kharkiv People's Republic

The Kharkiv People's Republic (

: Харьковская Народная Республика) was a short-lived

self-proclaimed Self-proclaimed describes a legal title that is recognized by the declaring person but not necessarily by any recognized legal authority. It can be the status of a noble title or the status of a nation. The term is used informally for anyone declar ...

state in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

. It was declared by

separatist Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...

s during the

2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine From the end of February 2014, in the aftermath of the Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity, which resulted in the ousting of Russian-leaning President of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, demonstrations by Russian-backed, ...

. The separatists were led by Yevhen Zhylin. 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. File:Flag of the Kharkov People's Republic.svg, Proposed flag of the Kharkiv People's Republic File:Flag of Kharkov People's Republic.svg, Unofficial variant of the Kharkiv People's Republic Flag of Russian occupied Kharkiv Oblast.svg, Flag used in Russian-occupied Kharkiv Oblast File:Coat of Arms of Russian Administration of Kharkov Oblast.svg, Coat of arms used in Russian-occupied Kharkiv Oblast

Novorossiya

Novorossiya Novorossiya rus, Новороссия, Novorossiya, p=nəvɐˈrosʲːɪjə, a=Ru-Новороссия.ogg; , ; ; ; "New Russia". is a historical name, used during the era of the Russian Empire for an administrative area that would later becom ...

() was an unrecognised

confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

of the

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...

and

s, claiming the territory of the

and

Luhansk Luhansk (, ; , ), also known as Lugansk (, ; , ), is a city in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be making Luhansk the Cities in Ukraine, 12th-largest city in Ukraine. Luhansk served as the administra ...

oblasts in the

Donbas The Donbas (, ; ) or Donbass ( ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. The majority of the Donbas is occupied by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War. The word ''Donbas'' is a portmanteau formed fr ...

region of

eastern Ukraine Eastern Ukraine or East Ukraine (; ) is primarily the territory of Ukraine east of the Dnipro (or Dnieper) river, particularly Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts (provinces). Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts are often also regarded as ...

. However, on 20 May 2015, the leaders of the Federal State of Novorossiya declared that they would halt the confederation 'project.'Russian-backed 'Novorossiya' breakaway movement collapses

Ukraine Today Ukraine News Today was a Ukraine-based private English language satellite television channel and webcasting service. The channel, which was owned by the Ukrainian 1+1 group and headquartered in Kyiv, presented round-the-clock news bulletins aim ...

(20 May 2015)
The "New Russia" is closed
Gazeta.ru (20 May 2015) File:Flag of Novorussia (project).svg, Flag used by supporters of Novorossiya File:War Flag of Novorussia (Variant).svg, Flag of Novorossiya with the coat of arms File:Novorossiya flag2.svg, Flag of Novorossiya, proposed by Oleg Tsaryov File:Coat of Arms of Novorussia.svg, Coat of arms of Novorossiya The battle flag is based on the

naval jack A jack is a flag flown from a short jackstaff at the bow (front) of a vessel, while the ensign is flown on the stern (rear). Jacks on bowsprits or foremasts appeared in the 17th century. A country may have different jacks for different pu ...

of the Imperial Russian Navy. Oleksandr Chalenko, who worked as a political journalist in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, described the flag and explained its symbolism in an item published by ''

Izvestia ''Izvestia'' ( rus, Известия, r=Izvestiya, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia. Founded in February 1917, ''Izvestia'', which covered foreign relations, was the organ of the Supreme Soviet of th ...

'' on 20 March 2014: "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 Tsaryov as a potential flag for the confederation of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. This resembled an upside-down

Romanov The House of Romanov (also transliterated as Romanoff; , ) was the reigning dynasty, imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after Anastasia Romanovna married Ivan the Terrible, the first crowned tsar of all Russi ...

flag, which was the national flag of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

from 1858 to 1883. Some have noted that the flag's design resembles the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

's Navy jack and battle flag, known also as the "Dixie flag", though this is almost certainly a coincidence. 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 Pavel Yuryevich Gubarev (, ; born 10 February 1983) is a pro-Russian public figure, primarily known for his pro-Russian activities in Donbas in 2014. He is married to Ekaterina Gubareva. Early life Gubarev gained a degree in history from Don ...

, later picked it up. However, Gubarev has stated that the inspiration for the flag came from banners used by

Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

in the 18th century. The only Cossacks that used a similar banner where the Semirechye Cossacks from

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

who never saw combat or service in or near Ukraine.

References

{{2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Military Russian-occupied Ukraine Russian occupation of Ukraine Flags of Russia Lists and galleries of flags