OCTOBER 25, 2024 — Today, on the 974th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) observes its flag day. The republic was a self-proclaimed separatist state in eastern Ukraine, later formally annexed by Russia.
In a public display of loyalty to DPR symbols, a 200-meter flag was unfurled on a bridge at Central Scherbakov Park of Culture and Leisure, reported the Russian Business and Politics News Agency.
Kirill Makarov, the DPR’s Minister of Youth Policy, emphasized the symbolic importance of the flag. “This is the flag with which we came to the Russian Federation… We have preserved our symbols. Therefore, both the flag and the emblem are symbols of our struggle for freedom,” he stated.
Oleg Morgun, the Russian-appointed mayor of Mariupol, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the region’s integration into the Russian Federation. “Under this flag, each of us contributes daily to strengthening the region’s economy and raising social standards. Under the flag of the republic, we became part of the Russian Federation, becoming its full-fledged subject,” he said.
In this article, we will explore the history and the myth-making of the Donetsk flag.
The Flag of the Donetsk People’s Republic
The DPR flag borrows heavily from the pan-Slavic colors seen in the Russian flag—red, blue, and white—with the white color replaced by black. According to independent media outlet TV Rain, the red symbolizes the blood shed in the struggle for freedom, the dark blue represents the spirit of the people as well as the waters of the Sea of Azov and Black Sea, and the black stripe signifies the fertile lands of southern Malorossiya and the coal-rich Donbas region.
The flag was first adopted on June 20, 2014, according to the Russian Centre of Vexillology and Heraldry, at a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Donetsk People’s Republic. Here, the flag was seen in its original iteration: with a coat of arms and the name of the republic. Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Purgin stated to reporters that “this flag was not invented by us, it was not invented yesterday. It was invented in 1917 by comrade Artem (Fyodor Sergeyev), who organized the Donetsk Republic, which later became the Donetsk-Krivoy Rog Republic.”
After going through several changes, the current form of the flag was approved on February 9, 2018. The law defines the flag as simply “a rectangular panel of three equal horizontal stripes: the top one is black, the middle one is blue, and the bottom one is red. The ratio of the width of the flag to its length is 2:3.”
The Modern Myth of a Century-Year-Old Flag
The Donetsk Krivoy-Rog People’s Soviet Republic referred to by Purgin was a short-lived state founded in 1918 with Soviet Russian backing. However, historian Vladimir Kornilov, an expert on the Donetsk Krivoy-Rog Soviet Republic, disputes the claim that the flag was century-old, stating that many myths and distorted views have emerged about the flag. He claims that images of a flag from that period are inaccurate and never historically used.
In reality, the flag of the DPR is inspired by the flag of the International Movement for Donbas (Interdvizheniye Donbasa), an organization advocating for autonomy in the Donbas region and opposing Ukraine’s independence. The group adopted a red-blue-black tricolor as their flag during its inaugural meeting on October 8, 1991. In fact, this view is confirmed by a 2017 heraldry study endorsed by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
The Flag of the Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine
In contrast, the Donetsk Oblast also has its own flag, approved by Ukraine.
On June 29, 1999, the regional administration announced a competition for designs of the coat of arms and flag. 98 participants sent around 200 designs, according to the Russian Centre of Vexillology and Heraldry. The winner was approved on August 17, 1999 by Nina Grigoryevna Scherbak, a resident of Donetsk.
The upper blue field features a rising sun, symbolizing the region’s eastern location within Ukraine, while the lower black field represents coal, the foundation of Donetsk’s primary industry, and the Sea of Azov.
Image: People’s Choice