# Ensign of the Russian Navy

The Russian Navy ensign, also known as St. Andrew's flag (Russian: Андреевский флаг; Russian Pre-reform: Андреевскій флагъ), was the ensign of the Navy of the Russian Empire (from 1712 to 1918), and is the naval ensign of the Russian Federation since 1992, and the banner of the Navy of the Russian Federation since 2000.
The flag has a white background with two blue diagonal bands, forming a saltire, called St. Andrew's Cross. The ratio of the flag's width to its length is 1 / 1.5, the width of the blue band is 1 / 10 the length of the flag.
The Guard Ribbon and image of order awarded to the ship can be added to the flag.

## History

In 1698 Peter I the Great established the first Russian medal, the Order of St Andrew, which is to be awarded for military exploits and public service. When he became tsar, he started to devise a flag for the Russian Navy. The symbolism of the flag is a tribute to his father, Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, who established a special flag for the first Russian naval ship, the three-masted frigate Oryol.
In 1699 on the draft of the tsar's instruction to Yemelyan Ukraintsev concerning protocol issues of the Russian embassy to the Ottoman Empire there is a white-blue-red three-striped flag crossed by a diagonal blue St. Andrew's cross.
In 1700 the flags of admiral (white), vice admiral (blue) and counter admiral (red) were introduced; in the canton (the shaft's upper corner) placed the image of St. Andrew's flag on a three-striped background.
Officially, the right of Russian warships to fly St. Andrew's flag was announced after the occupation of Kotlin Island in 1703. Since then, the flag with St. Andrew's cross has been used as a symbol of Russia's access to the four seas — the White, Baltic, Azov and Caspian.
In 1705 a drawing of a three-striped St. Andrew's flag was placed in a book by Carolus Allard, published in Holland.
Since 1709 St. Andrew's cross on a white field was placed in the cantons of naval flags.
In 1712, the final version of the ensign for the fleet's main forces (the middle part of the squadron) and ships in solo voyage — St. Andrew's flag of white colour with a blue (cyan) cross reaching to the cloth's corners was adopted.
From 1692 to 1712 Peter I personally drew eight proposed flags that have consistently been taken into the Navy. Description of the flag's final version by Peter I:
* The flag is white, across it there is St Andrew's blue cross, with which he baptized Russia.
Original Text (Orthography and font (ru) are also original):
* Флагъ бѣлый, поперекъ этого имѣется синій Андреевскій крестъ, коимъ Россію окрестилъ онъ.
Modern Russian:
* Флаг белый, поперек этого имеется синий Андреевский крест, коим Россию окрестил он.
Blue and red flags with St. Andrew's flag in the cantons were abolished in 1732–43, 1764–97 (finally abolished in 1865).
In 1819 St. George's ensign was established as a reward flag — St. Andrew's flag with the image of St. George placed on a red shield in the centre. It was awarded to the line ship Azov (1827) and the brig Mercurii (1829).
In 1837 St. George's flag was introduced for naval crews. St. Andrew's flag was cancelled by the decree of the All-Russian Congress of the Navy of 18 November (1 December) 1917. During the Russian Civil War St. Andrew's flag was hoisted on the White Navy's ships.
After the Russian Revolution, the Russian Navy Ensign was changed, but it was used by the White Army up to 1924. The flag of St Andrew was reintroduced in the Russian Navy in 1992 by the decree of Boris Yeltsin from 21 July, and is still used today.