---
title: "Flag of Russia: colours and meaning"
description: "What every colour and symbol on the Russia flag stands for, its official 2:3 ratio, and the year the current design was adopted. Plus the flags it gets mistaken for."
url: https://atoneplace.net/flag/russia/
site: "At One Place"
---

# The flag of Russia

**The flag of Russia: Three equal horizontal bands of white, blue and red.**

Ratio 2:3 · current design adopted 1991

*[Flag drawn on the page: Russia]*

The colour meanings are folk tradition; no Russian law has ever assigned them. The design goes back to Peter the Great's merchant ensign of the 1690s and is usually said to be modelled on the Dutch flag he saw while learning shipbuilding in Zaandam, which is why so many Slavic flags share the same three colours. It was restored on 22 August 1991 and confirmed by the constitutional law of 1993. The 1991 version briefly used a lighter blue and a different red before the 1993 specification settled the shades.

## Flags it gets confused with

*[Flag drawn on the page: Russia, Netherlands]*

*Drawn at each flag’s own official ratio, which is itself the difference in some of these pairs.*

| Flag | How to tell them apart |
| --- | --- |
| Slovenia | Slovenia adds a coat of arms — a white Triglav mountain under three stars — in the upper hoist corner. |
| Slovakia | Slovakia adds a double cross on three hills, in a shield set slightly toward the hoist of centre. |
| Serbia | Serbia uses the same colours in the opposite order — red on top — with a crowned double eagle toward the hoist. |
| Netherlands | The Netherlands puts red on top and blue at the bottom, the reverse of Russia. |

## What the colours mean

*Flag laws usually specify a Pantone chip, a CMYK mix or just a colour name. Converting any of those to sRGB is lossy, which is why published hex values disagree.*

- **White** (#FFFFFF) — Traditionally nobility and frankness
- **Blue** (#0039A6) — Traditionally honesty and faithfulness
- **Red** (#D52B1E) — Traditionally courage and generosity

- **Ratio:** 2:3
- **Current design adopted:** 1991
- **Colours:** white, blue, red

## Common questions

### What does the flag of Russia look like?

Three equal horizontal bands of white, blue and red.

### What do the colours of the Russia flag mean?

White: traditionally nobility and frankness. Blue: traditionally honesty and faithfulness. Red: traditionally courage and generosity.

### How do you tell the Russia flag from the Slovenia one?

Slovenia adds a coat of arms — a white Triglav mountain under three stars — in the upper hoist corner.

### When was the Russia flag adopted?

The current design dates from 1991, and its official ratio is 2:3.

## Related pages

- [Russia](https://atoneplace.net/country/russia/)
- [The flag of Slovenia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/slovenia/)
- [The flag of Slovakia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/slovakia/)
- [The flag of Serbia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/serbia/)
- [The flag of Netherlands](https://atoneplace.net/flag/netherlands/)
- [Every flag with white in it](https://atoneplace.net/flag/colour/white/)
- [The flag of United States](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-states/)
- [The flag of India](https://atoneplace.net/flag/india/)
- [The flag of United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-kingdom/)
- [The flag of Canada](https://atoneplace.net/flag/canada/)
- [The flag of Japan](https://atoneplace.net/flag/japan/)
- [The flag of France](https://atoneplace.net/flag/france/)
- [The flag of Brazil](https://atoneplace.net/flag/brazil/)
- [The flag of Italy](https://atoneplace.net/flag/italy/)

## Sources

- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]