New East Digital Archive

Flag quiz! Can you tell freaky from fake in our round-up of Russian flags?

Flag quiz! Can you tell freaky from fake in our round-up of Russian flags?

The Russian regions are home to some of the world's strangest flags. Can you spot the fake ones in this selection?

29 December 2013

Any Russian mayor worth his salt knows that the best way to attract investment (and perhaps divert a few million roubles into a Swiss bank account) is to commission a jazzy new logo for his city. The success of this policy is evident in the global fame of cities like Yaroslavl and Ulyanovsk.

But these brand-conscious bureaucrats are missing a trick by overlooking the riches under their noses — and on their flagpoles. For, already fluttering above Russia’s provincial towns are a parade of bizarre banners and strange symbols that put the focus-group faffing of modern-day logo-mongers to shame.

To celebrate Russia’s off-beat heraldic heritage, we’ve put together a little quiz: can you tell which of these 14 flags is genuine, and which we’ve cobbled together on Photoshop?

Let’s have fun with flags!

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