OCTOBER 14, 2024 — Today, Belgorod Oblast in Russia celebrates its annual flag day, reported Vpered.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, Governor of Belgorod Oblast, made a statement on the occasion, highlighting the values embodied in the flag. Gladkov remarked, “The colors and images of the flag of the region encode the main values of our great land. This is its amazing beauty, natural riches, and generous arable land. These are wonderful, brave, strong in spirit, selfless, and noble people who have lived in Belgorod Oblast for centuries.”
In his statement, Gladkov also took the opportunity to launch a rhetorical offensive on the Ukrainian forces currently engaged with Russian troops.
The flag of Belgorod Oblast, adopted on June 22, 2000, consists of a blue cross dividing it into four equal parts. According to the website for the Belgorod Cultural Region, each color represents different aspects of the region: white symbolizes the rich chalk deposits, green stands for the land’s fertility, red signifies the blood spilled by the soldiers in the Belgorod border regions from the 16th to the 20th centuries, and black represents the richness of the soil. The region’s coat of arms, featuring a golden lion and a black eagle on an azure field, is displayed on the white section of the flag.
The design of the flag draws inspiration from the colors and layout of historical regimental and company banners of the Belgorod Army Infantry and Garrison regiments, which were granted by Peter I in 1712.
Image: Лобачев Владимир, CC BY-SA 4.0