NOVEMBER 3, 2024 — An emblem displaying the coat of arms of Russia’s Republic of Karelia has drawn attention due to an unusual color error, Stolica na Onego reports.
The color arrangement mistakenly swaps the red and blue stripes, making it resemble the Azerbaijani flag.
Local residents first noticed that the coat of arms of the Republic of Karelia, displayed at Segezha’s Park of Culture and Recreation, showed the red and blue stripes in reverse order.
The contractor responsible, also a local resident, has been notified of the mistake and will oversee its correction.
According to vexillographia.ru, Karelia’s flag, officially adopted on February 16, 1993, is a rectangular banner with three equal horizontal stripes: red on top, blue in the center, and green on the bottom.
Designed by Aleksandr Ivanovich Kinner and inspired by the flag of the former Karelian-Finnish SSR, the flag retains the red color from Karelia’s Soviet past and includes symbolic references to the region’s landscape: The green stripe represents Karelia’s extensive forest resources, and the blue stripe symbolizes the republic’s rivers and lakes.
Image: Stolica na Onego