Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Marks National Flag Day With 100kg Flag and Pomp

Sergei Malgavko / TASS

With a 100-kilogram flag and the country’s biggest piece of white-blue-and-red cloth, Russia is celebrating its tricolor with pomp on national Flag Day this Wednesday.

Flag Day has been celebrated every year on Aug. 22 since it was introduced in 1994 by then-President Boris Yeltsin. 

To mark the occasion, cities from Moscow to Vladivostok planned a range of events for Russian flag lovers far and wide.

Moscow alone is set to host 250 events, including a festival of colors featuring only white, blue and red dye. The country’s biggest flag, measuring 1,000 square meters, has been put on display at the Victory Museum on Poklonnaya Gora.

A 28-by-16-meter flag weighing 100 kilograms, a gift from the Orthodox Church in Mexico on Flag Day in 2015, was unfurled in the annexed Crimean city of Simferopol.

Flag owners are actively encouraged to display their tricolors outside their homes and offices, while youth groups in several regions are holding a so-called “Russia in Every Window” campaign.

Those without a flag handy have assembled the tricolor using everything from utensils to ties and even children.

A post shared by Omarov Kurban (@zimamoscow) on

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more