 | |
| Use | Other |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted |
|
| Design | A horizontalbicolour of black and red |
Theflag of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (Ukrainian:Прапор УПА,romanized: Prapor UPA), also known as thered-and-black flag (Ukrainian:Червоно-чорний прапор,romanized: Chervono-chornyi prapor) orUkrainian nationalist flag, is a flag previously used by theUkrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and theBandera wing of theOrganization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), and now used by various Ukrainian nationalist organizations and parties, includingUNA-UNSO,Right Sector,Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists and others.
In Poland, the flag is widely associated with themassacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia. The meaning of the flag in Ukraine has shifted over time in response to the2014 Russian invasion and it is frequently used today as an unofficialwar flag.
According to historian Jars Balan, the colors themselves can be traced back to 12th century Slavic songs andpoetry where red meant love and black sorrow, with this earlier symbolism intertwining the two.[1]
Andriy Grechylo argues that the red-black color scheme heralds back to theZaporozhian Cossacks, evidenced by the 1880-1891 paintingReply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks where it can be seen next to theblue-and-yellow draped spear.[2][3]
The 1914-1917Ukrainian Sich Riflemen (USS) embroidered the color scheme on their uniforms and banners and it was also used by the Knights of the Iron Spur, achivalric order set up by USS officers in autumn 1916.[4][5]
The colors were adopted by thePlastkurins Forest Devils (Lisovi Chorty) in 1922 and the Order of the Iron Spur, revived in 1927.[6] Thesports society "Ukraine" used the colors in the 1920s and 1930s in its emblem and kit.[7]
The revolutionary faction of theOrganization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), which was also called the OUN-B or theBanderites (because it was headed byStepan Bandera), sought to develop its own symbolism in order to differ from theOUN-M ofAndriy Melnyk, which used the blue flag of the OUN and the coat of arms with a goldentrident (tryzub) with a sword.
The OUN-B adopted a red and black emblem, and at the II Great Gathering of the OUN in April 1941 decided to abandon the trident with a sword and use only "the national Trident ofVolodymyr the Great in the form introduced by theCentral Rada" and "a separate organizational flag of black and red colors. The way of life and the mandatory proportions will be adopted by a separate commission."[8] However, due to the outbreak of World War II, this commission never met.[9][10]
The flag received a lot of usage after theIndependence of Ukraine in 1991, where it became a common symbol of Ukrainian nationalists.[11] It has also been frequently used as a military symbol and unofficialwar flag during theRusso-Ukrainian War.[1]
When it was adopted in 1941, the flag symbolisedBlut und Boden with the red symbolising blood shed in the struggle for Ukrainian spiritual values and the black symbolisingchernozem soil as anaturalistic metaphor for the "homeland", as well as serving as a reference to the peasant base of the OUN-B.[12][13]
In Poland, the red-and-black flag is widely associated with themassacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia committed by the UPA.[14][15][16]
The massacres were cited to justifyOperation Vistula in the propaganda of thePolish People's Republic and continue to be the focus ofmemory politics in contemporary Poland, largely driven byright-wing groups and politicians.[17][18] The degree to which the massacres fully constitute agenocide remains controversial in Polish political discourse.[19] According toGrzegorz Motyka, there has been a "growing radicalism" in Polish views onPolish–Ukrainian relations with the massacres often portrayed as a "third genocide" sometimes surpassingthose committed by the Nazis andCommunists.[20]
In August 2025,PresidentKarol Nawrocki proposed legislation that would ban "Banderite symbols", including the red-and-black flag, on par withNazi andSoviet Communist emblems.[21][22]
TheUkrainian far-right adopted the red-and-black flag in the aftermath ofUkrainian independence in 1991.[23] The flag remained controversial and came to be associated with the UPA andRight Sector.[24]
According toSerhy Yekelchyk, the image ofStepan Bandera acquired a new meaning in the course of theRevolution of Dignity as a symbol of resistance to the corrupt Russian-sponsored regime, set apart from the historical role of Bandera as a supporter ofethnonationalism— this symbolism as it relates to the red-and-black flag was further strengthened when Right Sector formed military units that fought inEastern Ukraine.[25]Andrii Portnov argues that this was facilitated by a rejection ofRussia's portrayal of Ukrainians as 'fascists' and 'Banderites' and a general lack of knowledge about the activity of the UPA.[24]
According to political scientist and historian Georgiy Kasianov, thenationalist memory narrative of the OUN and UPA as 'independence fighters against twototalitarian regimes' became an integral part of a "nationalist heroic myth" aimed at mobilising againstRussian aggression.[26] This narrative received strong state support between 2014 and 2018 with the slogan, flag, and anthem of the OUN promoted in broader liberation discourse while the totalitarian nature of the original OUN-B was concealed.[27] The red-and-black flag was heavily promoted bySvoboda at thelocal level where the party was more successful— inCentral Ukraine, it was referred to as the "flag of the struggle" rather than the more controversial "flag of the OUN".[28]
Despite the successful rehabilitation of symbols used by the far-right, these parties were unable to translate their symbolic capital into political achievements— these groups received 0.7% of the presidential vote and six seats in theVerkhovna Rada in the 2014 elections and, in 2019, 1.6% and one seat respectively.[31] According to Kasianov, positive attitudes towards nationalist formations surged in 2014–2017 and 2022 when many Ukrainians perceived the OUN and UPA in the context of Russia's aggression.[32]
According to historian Jars Balan, the red-and-black flag has been used since thefull-scale invasion by those who want to identify with the tradition of militant Ukrainian nationalism and who "respect the fact that the OUN and UPA took up arms in the struggle for Ukrainian independence".[1]
 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Ukrainian. (December 2024)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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The display of the red-and-black flag in Poland can result in police action as it may be associated with "the public promotion of fascism or another totalitarian system", which is forbidden by Article 256 of thePolish Penal Code.[37] For that reason, Polish police searched for individuals accused of painting it on building facades inWrocław in 2024.[38] In the same city, police also questioned individuals who displayed the flag on a balcony in 2022.[39]
In December 2024,Polish Defense MinisterWładysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, intervened with the Ukrainian attaché in Warsaw over flags displayed on Polish-donated Rosomak armored vehicles.[40] Roman Ponomarenko, an officer of the 12thAzov Brigade commented on the matter, stating it was "an exploitation of historical conflict and narrative for the sake of cheap popularity".[41]
In August 2025, during a concert by rapperMax Korzh atWarsaw'sNational Stadium, violence broke out. One of the attendees brandished a black-and-red flag. Over 100 people were detained by the police, and proceedings to expel 63 of them were initiated.[42]
Note: notthe politician by the same name.
Note: historian Jacek E. Wilczur[pl], also a veteran of theHome Army.
