Znamya (newspaper)

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For Russian monthly magazine, see Znamya.

Znamya or Znamia (Russian: Знамя, literally Banner) was a Saint Petersburg daily newspaper established by an ultra-nationalist journalist Pavel Krushevan in 1902. The newspaper was an organ of the infamous Union of the Russian People.

It is alleged by most scholars, including most recently (2004) by Cesare G. De Michelis in his The Non-Existent Manuscript: A Study of the Protocols of the Sages of Zion that the Protocols of the Elders of Zion first publically published edition came out in August (13 days later in September, depending on whether or not you are using the Gregorian Calendar) of 1903 in Znamya. The paper carried the headline, in Russian, "The Jewish Programme to Conquer the World." But the paper purported that it was merely printing a document whose actual title, in Russian, was "The Protocols of the Sessions of the "World Alliance of Freemasons and of the Sages of Zion"." It is probably this publication event alone which gives this newspaper its historical, but notorious, importance--and arguably the most significant anti-Semitic publication event! The event consists of the publication of the following nine (9) issues, in Russian of course, under the Russian language headline, "Programa zavoevanija mira evrejami" (The Jewish Programme for the Conquest of the World), as follows:

No. 190 (28 August [10 September]): 2; 2,
No. 191 (29 August [11 September]): 2; 3,
No. 192 (30 August [12 September]): 2; 4,
No. 193 (31 August [13 September]): 1-2; 5,
No. 194 (1 [14] September): 1-2; 6,
No. 195 (2 [15] September): 1-2; 7,
No. 196 (3 [16] September): 2; 8,
No. 197 (4 [17] September): 2; 9,
No. 200 (7 [20] September): 2.

It is reported by some that in 1905 the newspaper changed its name to Russkoye Znamya or Russkoe Znamia (Russian: Русское Знамя, literally Russian Banner). However, no major scholarly library in the West appears to carry any issues prior to 1905 when the alleged predecessor was allegedly known by the shorter name. The idea that these two papers are the same comes from the famous Russian and/or Soviet encyclopaedia which is considered the scholarly equivalent of the especially famous 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica--namely, the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary.

After the February Revolution in March 1917 the newspaper was discontinued by the decision of the Petrograd Soviet.

Currently there is a small online publication Russkoye Znamya devoted to "the history of Russian people and alternative medicine" that claims to be the continuation of the newspaper [1]. As of the August 27, 2006 the web site appears to be dead.