Sevastopol

The flag of Sevastopol has been official since April 21, 2000. It is red with the city's coat of arms in the center; its proportions are 2:3.

The coat of arms, first adopted in 1969, is diagonally divided into white and blue sections, and is charged with a depiction of the Monument to the Sunken Ships, a laurel branch and a Gold Star medal.

Located on the Crimean Peninsula, the city is claimed by both Russia and Ukraine as a federal city or city with special status respectively, separate from the republic of Crimea. Together with the republic, it was annexed by Russia in 2014, but the Ukrainian claim has a majority international recognition.

2015 proposal and debate[]

Flag of Sevastopol (project) — Proposed flag of Sevastopol

Following the annexation, a bill concerning the symbols of the city was introduced in the new Legislative Assembly of Sevastopol in February 2015. It proposed a return to the royal coat of arms adopted by the city in 1893 (with some modifications), as well as a new flag based on it. The flag consisted of a white griffin on a red background. The new symbols had been approved by the Heraldic Council of the President of the Russian Federation in October 2014.

The bill was withdrawn in October 2015 following an appeal against it in March of that year, signed by citizens who criticized the lack of consultation. А referendum on the coat of arms was planned for March 2018, but was later cancelled.

In a May 2018 online poll on the city's coats of arms, 79% of residents expressed a preference for the "Soviet-era" arms adopted in 1969 (which is included on the current flag), 18% chose the royal arms, and 3% wanted a newly designed coat of arms. Despite this, the Legislative Assembly rejected two bills proposing readoption of the 1969 emblem, citing objections by the Heraldic Council.

Sevastopol

2015 proposal and debate[]

Flag redesigns[]

Fan Feed