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Russian civil defence

Civil Defence
Ministry of Extraordinary Situations

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Other sites:

Law Nº 1231 of 1997.11.15
reported by Chrystian Kretowicz, 13 Nov 2002
Russian Civil Defense Ministry offcial website
reported by António Martins, 28 May 2007

Civil Defence

image by Jan Oskar Engene, 05 Aug 1996

During the presidential election campaign in Russia earlier this summer, I noticed candidate Alexander Lebed being interviewed on TV in front of a couple of flags (hanging on the wall behind him). The first flag was the Russia white-blue-red with a large light blue canton (covering the two upper bands) containing a white star. In the centre of the star appeared a dark blue disk with a triangle in orange. The second flag consisted of the light blue canton only.
Jan Oskar Engene, 05 Aug 1996

The blue circle with the orange triangle is the worldwide accepted symbol of civil defence.
Željko Heimer, 06 Aug 1996

But I took this out of the freezer even so and a cursory check shows that there is a detail difference between the image contributed by Jan Oskar and the law illustration: Blue triangle on orange disc (as prescribed by the Geneva Convention, see int-gp.html) instead of orange triangle on blue disc. Jaume's image is correct in this regard, but shows a plain cloth veriosn of the canton, which (although "logical" as a personal flag for the Minister) is not mentioned in the law? Jan Oskar and Jaume, could these be observation errors? (Yes, I'm asking about something you reported eleven years ago. ;-) This law #1231 of 1997.11.15, is later than both (conflicting?) images we show in FotW-ws at ru_cvdf.html, both from 1996. This law could have simply confirmed a previous one, or regulated an unlegislated use, but may be Jan Oskar and Jaume's versions were indeed correct in pre-1997 times?

Anyway, I'm attaching new images as (flag) and (emblem detail). According to the law annex, this emblem may be used standalone, on the breast of the golden two-headed eagle or on a orange shield itself on the said eagle.

The flag is (according to art.2) hoisted in buildings and vessels serving the Ministry. The emblem (according to art.3) has a more widespead use, appearing in building plaques, vehicle liveries, uniforms, insignia, and on the flag itself.

Art.1 of the annex of this law describes the flag. The canton is a square taking up two stripes of the background; overall ratio (4+2):(4+5)=2:3. The emblem is not prescribed in detail, stating only that it is elongated vertically (no diagonal symmetry axis); the annex illustrations allow to assert that the angles of the triangle and of the star are tangent to the edge of the disc. The blue color shades are medium blue for the middle stripe («the same as the federal flag»), and light blue for both the canton («_квадрат голубого цвета_») and the triangle («_треугольник голубого цвета_»).

The full name of this entity, BTW, is, according to this law, Ministry of the Russian Federation on Matters of Civil Defense, Extraordinary Situations and Natural Disaster Relief (Министерство России по делам гражданской обороны, чрезвычайным ситуациям и ликвидации последствий стихийных бедствий); it become a Ministry in 1994. Official website, with no word about the flag, AFAICT.

As for Aleksandr Lebed's connection to this flag(s), I venture that it has to do with his office as Secretary of the Security Council (Совет Безопасности) in 1996; the Civil Defense Minister has been a member of this Council since 1994, according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Lebed and to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Extraordinary_Situations_%28Russian_Federation%29.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 4 Jun 2007

Ministry of Extraordinary Situations

image by Jaume Ollé, 15 Dec 1996

That is the flag of the Ministry of Extraordinary Situations.
Jaume Ollé, 15 Dec 1996

Here "Extraordinary Situations" means "emmergencies".
António Martins, 1999