22 March 1918; 107 years ago (1918-03-22) (officially adopted) 24 August 1991; 34 years ago (1991-08-24) (de facto restored) 28 January 1992; 33 years ago (1992-01-28) (officially restored, current design)
The sky-blue version that was used from 1917 to 1921 and later was reintroduced in 1992; it is still in widespread use next to the current darker version which was introduced in 2006.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
In March 1939, it was also adopted byCarpatho-Ukraine. However, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, the use of the bicolor flag was banned, and it was replaced by theflag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. This flag featured a red background, with an azure bottom and a golden hammer and sickle, along with a golden-bordered red star on top. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the bicolor flag gradually returned to use before being officially adopted again on 28 January 1992 by theUkrainian parliament.
Ukrainian law states that the colours of the Ukrainian flag are "blue and yellow", but other state bodies have determined the colours. In the table below, the colours are presented according to DSTU 4512:2006 technical specifications:[7] (TheCabinet of Ministers of Ukraine made this standard mandatory formilitary funeral flags in 2021.)[8]
There has been disagreement over the shade of blue used in the flag. Both dark blue (Ukrainian:синій) and sky blue (Ukrainian:блакитний) flags were historically used. When the flag was approved in 1992, the dark blue colour was chosen over sky blue for practical reasons: sky blue flags fade very quickly in the sun. Although the official standard was introduced in 2006, some manufacturers keep producing flags that do not match the standard.[11]
A Ukrainian independence poster (1917)
Leonid Kadenyuk atNASA; note different shades of blue on the patch and on the flag behind (1997)
Maryland State House Ukraine Solidarity Vigil; note different shades of blue and yellow (2022)
The Ukrainian flag being decorated at a 2025 conference of European leaders with a relatively light shade of blue, especially when being compared to other European national flags
Article 20 of theConstitution of Ukraine states that "the State Flag of Ukraine is a banner of two equally sized horizontal bands of blue and yellow colour." (Ukrainian:"Державний Прапор України — стяг із двох рівновеликих горизонтальних смуг синього і жовтого кольорів.").[12][13]
Hanging version of the Ukrainian flag
In addition to the normal horizontal format, many public buildings, such as theVerkhovna Rada, use vertical flags. Most town halls fly their town flag together with the national flag in this way; some town flags in Ukraine exist only in vertical form. The proportions of these vertical flags are not specified. When hung like a banner or draped, the blue band should be on the left. When flown from a vertical flagpole, the blue band must face the mast.
The flag did not appear onUkrainian postal stamp issues until 1992, when they depicted the flag with the state coat of arms. Since then, the flag has frequently appeared on stamps.Cinderella stamps of theOrganization of Ukrainian Nationalists were printed outside Ukraine during the Soviet period for patriotic purposes.
Traditionally, the flag may be decorated with agoldenfringe surrounding the perimeter of the flag, as long as it does not deface the flag proper. The tradition began with theflag of the Ukrainian SSR. In addition, theGreat Soviet Encyclopedia shows a flag decorated with a gold star. Ceremonial displays of the flag, such as those in parades or on indoor posts, often use a fringe to enhance the allure of the flag. No specific law governs the use of the fringe. Traditionally, theArmy,Guard,Navy andAir Force use a fringed flag forparades,colour guards and indoor displays, while theOffice of the President and local authorities use a fringed flag on all occasions.
The flag is displayed athalf-staff (or half-mast) as a sign of respect ormourning. When done nationwide, such a step is proclaimed by the president. Half-mast means flying a flag two-thirds of the way up a flagpole; the top of the flag must be at least a flag's height from the top of the flagpole. Black ribbons indicate mourning on banners that can not be lowered to half-mast.
The Day of the National Flag in Ukraine is celebrated on 23 August; it began in 2004.[14] Previously, 24 July was National Flag Day in Kyiv. The first ceremonial raising of the yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flag in modern times took place on 24 July 1990, at the flagstaff of the Kyiv City Council, two years before the flag was officially adopted as the National flag. Since 1992, theIndependence Day of Ukraine has been celebrated on 24 August. Following a government decree, the flag must be flown from public buildings on this date and certain other holidays; not all are public holidays. Flags must also be flown on parliamentary election days and regional-specific flag days. The public display of flags to mark other events, such as the election of the president or the death of a prominent politician (whereupon flags are flown at half-mast), can be declared at the discretion of theCabinet of Ministers. When flags are flown at half-mast, vertical flags are not lowered. A black mourning ribbon is instead attached, either atop the mast if hung from a pole, or to each end of the flag's supporting cross-beams if flown like a banner.
Cossack flags depicted inReply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks byIlya Repin, 1880–1891Typical agricultural landscape of Ukraine in theKherson OblastA boy carrying a blue-yellow flag with the Ruthenian lion in the middle during the Ruthenian pilgrimage to the Holy Land, 1906
The roots of Ukrainian national symbols come from pre-Christian times when yellow and blue prevailed in traditional ceremonies, reflecting fire and water.[15] The most solid proof of yellow and blue colours can be traced back as far as theBattle of Grunwald in 1410, in which militia formations from theRuthenian Voivodeship participated.
Blue-yellow, red-black, crimson-olive and especially raspberry colour banners were widely used byUkrainian Cossacks between the 16th and 18th centuries. These were not the only possible combinations, since normally Cossacks would fly theirhetman's banners, which were similar to the coats of arms of the nobility. Also, yellow and blue were the colours common on coats of arms inGalicia. In fact, the coat of arms ofLviv to this day remains a golden lion on a blue field.
Some put the starting point of the adoption of the current national flag of Ukraine to 1848 when, during theSpring of Nations on 22 April 1848, a blue-and-yellow banner was adopted by theSupreme Ruthenian Council[16] in Lemberg (Lviv), the capital of theKingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria (acrownland of theAustrian Empire). On 25 June 1848 two blue and yellow banners flew over thecity's magistrate (Rathaus) for the first time.[17] It is unknown who hang the banners and the Austrian authorities dissociated themselves from this action, as did theSupreme Ruthenian Council itself.[17] The banners hung for almost a week.[17] At the request of the Supreme Ruthenian Council, on 15 May 1849 a yellow-and-blue flag hang again on the Rathaus, this time for one day.[17] Although this move did not have significant consequences, the newly formed Ukrainian divisions in theImperial-Royal Landwehr of theAustro-Hungarian Army used blue-and-yellow banners in their insignia.
Artwork depicting the yellow-over-blue flag used by the UPR during theUkrainian War of Independence, 19181920 publication featuring Ukraine's flag and coat of armsUkrainian Galician Army troops with the blue and yellow flag, 1918
Both blue-yellow and yellow-blue flags were widely used during theUkrainian struggle for independence in 1917. For the first time in the history of theRussian Empire, the blue-yellow flag was flown on 25 March 1917 inPetrograd during a 20,000-strong massdemonstration.[16] On the territory of Ukraine the national flag was flown for the first time inKyiv on 29 March 1917 by soldiers.[16] On 1 April 1917, Kyiv saw a 100,000-strong demonstration where over 320 national flags were flown.[16] Afterwards, similar demonstrations with Ukrainian flags took place across the entire Russian Empire, even beyond ethnic Ukrainian lands.[16] Numerous famous Ukrainian politicians wrote about the 1 April demonstration, includingMykhailo Hrushevsky andSerhiy Yefremov, noting that there were blue-and-yellow flags, whileDmytro Doroshenko claimed that they were yellow and blue.[16] The blue-yellow flag was flown at the First Ukrainian Military Congress on 18 May 1917.[16]
The official flag established by theUkrainian People's Republic in 1918 was blue-yellow. Instead, they refer to the decision on the Fleet Flag, which was to be light blue–yellow,[18] as an indication that the official flag was light blue–yellow.[19] Also adopted were several other service flags of the Ukrainian People's Republic.[20]
Among Ukrainian immigrant organisations, there were proponents of both blue-yellow and yellow-blue flags. Eventually, an agreement was reached to use the blue-yellow flag until the issue could be resolved by an independent Ukraine.
Photo of the Ukrainian flag confiscated by the KGB after it was flown in one of the Kyiv universities in 1966. The flag contains lines alluding to theUkrainian anthem: "Ukraine has not perished, it has not been killed yet".
During Soviet rule, the Ukrainian flag was banned,[24] and anyone displaying it could be criminally prosecuted for "anti-Soviet propaganda". The first flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted on 10 March 1919, to serve as the symbol of state ofSoviet Ukraine. Details of the official flag changed periodically before the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, but all were based on the red flag of theOctober Revolution in Russia and an exact replica of the flags of the neighbouringRussian SFSR.The first flag was red with the gold Cyrillic sans-serif lettersУ.С.С.Р. (U.S.S.R., acronym forUkrainskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Sovetskaya Respublika in theRussian language). In the 1930s, a gold border was added to the flag. In 1937, a new flag was adopted, with a small gold hammer and sickle added above the gold Cyrillic serifУ.Р.С.Р. (U.R.S.R., forUkrainska Radianska Sotsialistychna Respublika in the Ukrainian language).
The Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists is a Ukrainian political organisation which as a movement was originally created in 1929 in Western Ukraine (interwar Poland at the time). For a long time, the OUN did not officially have its own flag; however, during the Hungarian and Polish aggression against theRepublic of Carpathian Ukraine in 1939, Carpathian Sich, a militarised wing of the OUN, adopted as its flag a design taken from the OUN's emblem – a golden nationalistic trident on a blue background. The flag was finalised and only officially adopted by the organisation in 1964 at the 5th Assembly of Ukrainian Nationalists.
TheUkrainian Insurgent Army was a Ukrainian nationalist paramilitary and later partisan army that engaged in a series of guerrilla conflicts during World War II againstNazi Germany, the Soviet Union,Czechoslovakia, and both underground andcommunist Poland. The group was the military wing of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists — Bandera faction (the OUN-B), originally formed in Volyn in the spring and summer of 1943. Its official date of creation is 14 October 1942. The battle flag of the UPA was a 2:3 ratio red-and-black banner. The flag continues to be a symbol of the Ukrainian nationalist movement. The colours of the flag symbolise 'Ukrainian red blood spilled on Ukrainian black earth'.[citation needed]
In 1949, the flag of the Soviet Ukraine was changed once again.[25] TheSoviet Union managed to obtain two additional seats in theUnited Nations by adding Ukraine andByelorussia asmember states.[25] The flag change came about because all the Soviet flags were the same.[25] The new Ukrainian flag consisted of red (top, 2/3) andazure (bottom, 1/3) stripes,[25] with the golden star,hammer and sickle in the top left corner. Communist party leaders such asNikita Khrushchev andLazar Kaganovich feared using words like 'light blue' and 'blue' in the official flag colours, as they were the terms used by theUkrainian diaspora.[25]
During the Soviet period, multiple unsanctioned attempts to hoist the national blue-and-yellow flag were made. In 1958, an underground group was established in the village of Verbytsia,Khodoriv Raion; its members raised national flags and spread anti-Soviet pamphlets under cover of darkness.[26]
The events in the Baltic countries soon led to similar patterns in Ukraine. In particular, West Ukraine and theUkrainian SSR's capital city ofKyiv were the scenes of near-constant political demonstrations, in which yellow-and-blue flags were waved by demonstrators.
On 14 March 1990, the Ukrainian flag was raised for the first time since the establishment of the Soviet Union in the small city ofStryi.[27]
On 20 March 1990, theTernopil town council voted on the use and re-establishment of the yellow-and-blue flag and thetryzub andShche ne vmerla Ukrainy national anthem. The same day, the yellow-and-blue national flag was flown for the first time in 80 years on a governmental building in Kyiv, replacing the then-officialred-azure flag of the Ukrainian SSR.
On 28 April 1990, theLviv oblast council (oblasna rada) also allowed the use of the national symbols of Ukraine within the Oblast.
On 29 April 1990, the yellow-and-blue flag was flown from the Ternopil city theatre's flagstaff without theflag of the Soviet Union hanging above it.
As the Soviet red and azure flag remained thede jure flag of the newly-independent Ukraine, the blue and yellow flag was provisionally adopted for official ceremonies in August 1991 followingUkrainian independence, before officially being restored on 28 January 1992 by theParliament of Ukraine.[29][30] At the beginning of the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, landmarks all over the world were lit up with the colours of the Ukrainian flag, while numerous cities raised the Ukrainian flag in solidarity.[31][32]Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment, an independentBelarusian volunteer regiment, also adopted the colours of the Ukrainian flag in its insignia.
Flag of post-Soviet Ukraine used from 24 August 1991 to 28 January 1992,de jure
Flag of post-Soviet Ukraine used from 8 September 1991 to 28 January 1992 (blue-yellow, lighter shades),de facto
Flag of post-Soviet Ukraine used from 8 September 1991 to 28 January 1992 (Soviet shades from previous SSR flag),de facto
Flag of post-Soviet Ukraine used from 8 September 1991 to 28 January 1992 (blue-yellow, darker shades),de facto
The sky-blue version that was in use until 2006; it is still in widespread use next to the current darker version.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Flag of Ukraine with lighter shades is non-standard but has been frequently used[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Flag of Ukraine with the shades introduced in 2006
One claimed version is that, since one of the first known coloured depictions of thecoat of arms of Kyiv was mainly in yellow-blue colours, this tradition may have existed since the time of the Nordic-SlavicGrand Prince of KyivVolodymyr the Great. However, the blue-yellow colouring dates back toKievan Rus', as an early version of theTryzub, Ukraine's national coat of arms, sported the same colouring as the seal ofSviatoslav I of Kyiv (c. AD 945). During the 1709Battle of Poltava, the Cossacks followingMazepa fought under yellow-blue banners, while their Swedish allies were under yellow ones. Some Cossacks and noblemen had coats of arms in yellow and blue.[33]
Ukrainians commonly refer to the flag as "yellow and light blue" (Ukrainian:жовто-блакитний,zhovto-blakytnyi)[34]—a different version of the flag used during UNR (Ukrainian National Republic) years (1917–1921) with yellow on the top and blue on the bottom. The yellow on the top allegedly represents golden domes (cupolas) of Christian churches and the blue theDnieper river.
The head of theUkrainian Heraldry Society,Andriy Grechylo, points to the fact that the discussion about order of colours was taking place as far back as 1918.[25] Nonetheless, both governments of the Ukrainian People's Republic as well as the Ukrainian State defined that the upper half would be light-blue, while the lower would be yellow.[25] During 1918 it was taken into consideration that light blue would lose its shade under sun, therefore it was decided to make the colour darker.[25]
Already in the 1918 draft of the Constitution of the Ukrainian People's Republic, the order of colours was defined as blue and yellow.[25] The same order could be found in legislative acts of theWest Ukrainian People's Republic for November 1918 and theRepublic of Carpathian Ukraine on 15 March 1939.[25] The argument on the order of colours was taking place in theUkrainian diaspora as well.[25] In 1949 it was decided that, until Ukraine defined a single state flag, the diaspora would use the blue-and-yellow banner.[25]
Throughout the history ofUkraine, various heads of state have used different flags. The designs differ according to the historical era they were used in and in accordance with the political scene inUkraine at the time. The first flag to be used by a head of state of Ukraine was that ofPavlo Skoropadskyi. A standard for thePresident of the Ukrainian People's Republic in exile appeared around 1930. The current design, theflag of the president of Ukraine, was adopted in 1999. In 2022, the president of Ukraine used a variant where the left side of the blue upper-half contains the yellowTryzub.[42]
^abcKuzemska, N. (2006)."ДСТУ 4512:2006. Державний прапор України. Загальні технічні умови" [DSTU 4512:2006. National flag of Ukraine. General technical conditions].uk.wikisource.org (in Ukrainian). Research Institute of Design of NAU, Ukrainian Research Institute of Textile Industry. Retrieved9 March 2022.
^Smith, Ned (24 February 2001)."Green Ukraine / Ukrainian Far East (1921, Russian Far East)".FOTW "Flags Of The World". CRW Flags. Retrieved24 October 2018.In "Flags of Non-Russian Peoples Under Soviet Rule" by Prof. Walter Trembicky [tbc69], pages 134 and 135, it mentions two proposed flags for Green Ukraine, or the Ukrainian Far East, neither of which was officially adopted, since the movement quickly proved abortive. There are simple black & white line drawings illustrating the two proposed flags on p. 133 of [tbc69]. The green in the two flags was described as dark or deep green. ... One [of the two proposed flags] was the Ukrainian blue-over-gold bicolor with a green triangle at the hoist.
^Trembicky, Walter (1969).Flags of Non-Russian Peoples Under Soviet Rule. Flag Research Center. pp. 134, 135.
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