What are the official symbols of Russia?
The flag, coat of arms and anthem reflect the country's centuries-old traditions.
The national flag of the Russian Federation
Russian flag
The Russian flag has three equal-sized horizontal stripes: white at the top, blue in the middle and red at the bottom. It was officially approved in 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, replacing the red flag with a yellow sickle and hammer.
The Russian ‘tricolor’ has deep historical roots: the “flag of the Tsar of Moscow” first appeared on ships back during the reign of Peter the Great.
Read more about the history of the Russian ‘tricolor’ here.
The colors of the Russian flag are often called pan-Slavic, as they are also found on the flags of Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia and other Slavic states. Read more about it here.
State coat of arms of the Russian Federation
State coat of arms of the Russian Federation
The coat of arms of Russia depicts a golden double-headed eagle on a red shield. The crowns on its heads symbolize the sovereignty of Russia, while the scepter and orb in the talons of the eagle are ancient symbols of state power.
Find out how the coat of arms came to be here.
The national anthem of the Russian Federation
Russian anthem
The modern anthem was adopted in 2000. It is based on the 1944 anthem of the Soviet Union, the music for which was written by composer Alexander Alexandrov and the words by poet Sergei Mikhalkov.
Translation of the Russian national anthem is available here.
Meanwhile, find out how many other anthems there have been in Russia in different historical periods here.
And, finally, discover what the anthem of the Russian Empire and the anthem of Great Britain had in common here.
