Cossack flags

Last modified: 2000-01-07 by antonio martins
Keywords: cossacks | russia | cross: maltese | don | kuban | black sea | rostov | kalmyk | krasnodar | krasnov |
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• Cossack Renaissance
• The Union of Cossacks
• Don Cossacks
• Kuban Cossacks
• Black Sea Cossacks

• Russia

Several Cossack regions were recognized by the Tsars; these were abolished by the Bolsheviks and their populations dispersed. The revival in Cossack traditions and history has resulted in the revival of the flags of the Don Cossacks and the Kuban Cossacks.
Stuart Notholt

«The “Cossack Renaissance” is an old ambition of this [the Cossack] people, which always felt as an act of tyranny the imposition of sickle-and-hammer flags and now it has restored the old standard bearing Archangel Gabriel with unsheathed sword and unfolded wings».
Guiseppe Bottasini, quoting Corriere della Sera, 09 Aug 1995

In 1990, the Union of Cossacks (Sou^z Kazakov) adopted this emblem. This group uses as its flag the Russian flag with the emblem in the centre.
Stuart Notholt

I'd like confirmation about the color, size and position of the seal. Since this was adopted in 1991, maybe the flag should be 1:2.
António Martins, 16 Mar 1999

The flag of Don Cossacks is a blue/yellow/red tricolour, which dates back to the flag of the “Omnipotent Don Army”. The colours stood for the Don, the Kalmyks and the Russians respectively.
Stuart Notholt

Such flag was developed still ataman (cossack chieftain) Krasnov in 1918. Each colour symbolized the following: dark blue — colour of Don's cossack, yellow — Kalmyks, which were included into structure of Area of Don Forces ("Voisko Donskoe"), red — nonresident inhabitants.
Oleg Mysakov, 12 Sep 1996

Several sources report the ratio of this as 2:3 the same that other flags: naval ensign, navy chief command, and ataman's standard.
Jaume Ollé, 7 Apr 1999

See also: Rostov Region

The flag of the Kuban Cossacks includes blue (for Russians) and green (for Muslims).
Stuart Notholt

The center field is maroon red.
Christopher Gamaliy, 01 Mar 1999

Actually it is raspberry, a very different shade of red than marroon red is. That fact is known to the "vexillological public" since 1968, by the way!
Ralf Stelter, 27 Jun 1999

The ratio of the flag of Kuban is reported 2:3 by Flaggenmitteilung 179 [flm].
Jaume Ollé, 07 Apr 1999

See also: Krasnodar Region

Some Cossacks use a dark red banner with a white Maltese cross near the hoist. This dates back to a Black Sea Cossack flag of 1792.
Stuart Notholt