Collection: Russian flags over the years

The USSR flag is possibly the best-known symbol of Russia’s communist era, with its characteristic gold hammer and sickle set against a red background. As an enormous country spread across a sprawling continent, Russia has a fascinating history that ranges from the earliest nomads to royalty, from tribal alliances to the Soviet Union, and into the modern Russian Federation.

But, before the formation of the cold war-era superpower, Russia existed under a dozen different flags – many of them completely unlike the ones that replaced them. Ivan the Terrible, in 1552, flew a burgundy banner which featured “the most gracious savior” – a religious icon used rather ironically by a leader renowned for his cruelty and mental instability. Later, in 1664, during the reign of Peter the Great, a flag was designed that was simplicity itself. Upon the arrival of a Dutch ship at a Russian port, Peter liked the Dutch flag so much that he decided to use the same colors for the Russian flag – just in a different sequence! And so, the horizontal red, white and blue banner became the official Russian flag. It was so popular, that after the fall of the Soviet Union, the flag was restored in 1991 and remains to this day.

During the Soviet era, though the iconic hammer and sickle design was universally displayed, and saw service as the Russian WWII flag – a flag that would eventually (and briefly) fly from the Reichstag in Berlin, just after the fall of the Nazi Party. Even today, this flag is still generally more readily associated with Russia by most people than its modern counterpart. The hammer and sickle-themed USSR flag is also seen contained in the flag designs of many former and current communist countries like Cuba, Vietnam, Angola, Laos, and North Korea, to name a few.