| Proportion | 2:3 |
|---|---|
| Adopted | 1712 |
Russian Navy Ensign (Russian: Андреевский флаг; Russian Pre-reform: Андреевскій флагъ) — ensign of the Navy of the Russian Empire (from 1712 to 1918), the naval flag of the Russian Federation and the banner of the Navy of the Russian Federation (since 2000).
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St. Andrew's flag has a white background with two blue diagonal bands, forming a slanted cross, called St. Andrew's. 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.
In 1698 Peter I the Great was established the first Russian medal — the Order of St. Andrew, which is to be awarded for military exploits and the public service. When Peter I became a tsar, he started to device a flag of the Russian Navy. The symbolism of the flag is a tribute to his father, Alexey Mikhaylovich Romanov who first established a special flag for the first Russian naval vessel — three-masted frigate ‟Eagle”.
From 1692 to 1712 Peter I personally drew eight flags projects 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 a blue St. Andrew's cross, whom he baptized Russia. |
Original Text (Pre-reform orthography):
| Флагъ бѣлый, поперёкъ этого имѣется синій Андреевскій крестъ, коимъ Россію окрестилъ онъ. |
After the revolution the Russian Navy Ensign was changed, but it was used by the White Army up to 1924. Pre-revolutionary flag of St. Andrew was reintroduced in the Russian Navy in 1992, and it still used today.