Subnational flags of the Soviet Union

Last modified: 2005-05-13 by antónio martins
Keywords: deface | scarlet | purpure | heraldry |
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• Soviet subnational flags
• About the administrative structure of the Soviet Union

• Subdivisions of the Soviet Union
• Soviet Union
• Clickable map of the Soviet Union
• Historical Chart of the flags of Soviet Republics
• Subdivisions of Russia

• Emblems of all USSR republics
  reported by Jarig Bakker, 06 Aug 1999

  The same site, Emblems of all USSR republics, at a new location
  reported by Pascal Gross, 12 Jan 2000

• Soviet Union Page at Christian Siemerʼs Heraldic Images Lexicon (in German).
  reported by Jens Pattke, 22 Mar 2001
• SSR flags and arms (in Russian)
  reported by Zach Harden, 25 Nov 2002

Soviet subnational flags

In 1936-1980ths the ASSR flags were “rare”. I think they were flown only upon Parliaments and Governments of the ASSRs. In Moscow they flew nowhere.
Victor Lomantsov, 25 Oct 2000

While I was in Russia, I questioned intensively several people about vex apects of the soviet society, and what I got about ASSR flags is very scarce as they seem to be very seldom used. In Chuvashia, where I lived, many people even didnʼt knew that there was an ASSR flag, and never saw it — though it was, as usual, almost identical to the RSFSR flag. The latter, though, was also an infrequent sighting, being the soviet national flag the almost exlusively used flag in most occasions (this may have been different in non-russian republics).
António Martins, 24 Oct 2000

1918 tricolor flags allowed?

I was aware at the time that Mikhail Gorbachev had decided to let Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia fly their 1918 national flags, in addition to their S.S.R. flags.
John Crosby, 23 May 2001

ASSR flags were identical to the respective SSR flags but defaced with itʼs name (complete or initials only) written across in golden letters. Meanwhile, a oks, unlike SSRs and ASSRs, didnʼt have flags of their own.
António Martins, 11 Mar 2000 and 25 May 2001

Names of ASSRs on flags were usually written in “national” language and in language of the republic of which the ASSR was part.
Victor Lomantsov, 21 Dec 2001

The flag of Russia was the only SSR flag only with non-horizontal stripes, while the flag of Byelorussia had the only one with both.
Steve Stringfellow and António Martins, 12 and 13 Mar 2000

The post-1949 soviet flags scheme: Mainly red (scarlet), with distinguishing features for each republic's flag; for republic's autonomous subdivisions (only ASSRs), the republic flag with the appropriate inscription in golden letters. Soviet SSR flags had two shades of blue, as expactable, considering they were russian language based (the known "goluboi~ / sky blue vs. sinii~ / blue blue" issue):

• Red (“scarlet”) main field: all.
• Light blue: Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Turkmenistan.
• Dark blue: Azerbaijan, Latvia, Kirghizia, Armenia and Estonia.
• Green: Byelorrussia, Lithuania, Moldavia and Tajikistan.
• Plus white: Byelorrussia, Uzbekistan, Latvia, Kirghizia, Tajikistan and Estonia.
• Plus golden hammer and sickle: all except Georgia (which had red hammer and sickle).

SSR flags (and most soviet flags containing red) were medium red (aka scarlet, alyi~, or simply krasnyi~), not dark red (aka purpure — purpurnyi~ or kropovyi~). The word "krasnyi~" means simply red, regardless of the exact shade, but in those rare soviet/russian flags using a darker hue this was/is specifically stated. Likewise, a “dark” shade of yellow (golden) was prescribed and used.
António Martins, 07 Nov 2000 and 10 May 2000

It should be noted that in some cultures, notably in Germany, golden is sometimes rendered with a greenish hue, usually light greenish yellow, but this is not so in Russia, where golden is usually rendered as dark yellow or light orange.
António Martins, 28 Jan 2001

Names of ASSRs on soviet flags usually were written in the local language and in language of the “metropolis” — i.e., the republic of which the authonomy was a part of.
Victor Lomantsov, 21 Dec 2001

Until 1950ths abbreviation in russian language (and other “soviet” languages) were with dots between letters (for example "C.C.C.P.", later "CCCP").
Victor Lomantsov, 21 Oct 2000

The exact face used on ASSR flags was one of Smithʼs unanswered doubts in the special number of The Flag Bulletin dedicated to soviet vexillology [smi72]. For what is worth, Sokolov shows some times serif and others sans type faces on his articles, and thereʼs also the questions of case (all upper case, capitalized plus lower case or capitalized plus small caps), and abbreviation.
António Martins, 24 Oct 2000

I would not be surprised if it is determined that ASSR flags were produced in very small amounts (at any given time only a couple of copies, used in selected locations?), and thus the size, position, face, style and content of the distinguishing inscription would be either unspecified legally or in practice ignored, and would vary with the ad hoc opinion of the flag maker...
António Martins, 24 Oct 2000

The emblems of the ASSRs were similar to their appropriate SSR, but with aditional inscription in several languages identifying the ASSR.
Željko Heimer, 20 Sep 2001

Interesting ideas that pop up when comparing these 15 emblems, especially regarding the political atmosphere of the adoption time, the local her