*#redirect [[Flags used in Russian- controlled areas ofoccupied Ukraine #Novorossiya]] ▼{{Short description|Flag of the 2014–2015 proposed confederation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Copy edit|date=October 2022}}
{{Essay|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name = Novorossiya
| Article =
| Image = Flag of Novorussia (project).svg
| Alt =
| Nickname =
| Morenicks =
| Use = 011000
| Symbol = {{FIAV|proposal}}
| Proportion = 2:3
| Type =
| Adoption =
| Designer =
| Design = A [[Saltire|Saint Andrew's Cross]] of blue with a thin white border, on a red field
| Image2 = War Flag of Novorussia (Variant).svg
| Imagetext2 =
| Symbol2 = {{FIAV|alternate}}
| Proportion2 = 2:3
| Use2 = 001000
| Adoption2 =
| Designer2 =
| Design2 =
| Image3 = Novorossiya flag2.svg
| Imagetext3 =
| Adoption3 =
| Symbol3 = {{FIAV|proposal}}
| Proportion3 = 2:3
| Use3 = 111000
| Designer3 =
| Design3 = A tricolor of white, yellow, and black
}}
A white-yellow-black [[Tricolour (flag)|tricolor]] was presented on 13 August 2014 by [[Oleg Tsarev]] as a potential [[state flag]] for a confederation of the [[Donetsk People's Republic|Donetsk]] and [[Luhansk People's Republic|Luhansk]] People's Republics.<ref>[[Lenta.ru]]: [http://lenta.ru/news/2014/08/13/flag/ Tsarev presented the new flag of Novorossiya]</ref><ref>[[LifeNews]]: [http://lifenews.ru/news/138331 Oleg Tsarev presented the new flag of Novorossiya]</ref>{{better source|date=October 2022}} This resembled an upside-down [[House of Romanov|Romanov]] flag, which was the national flag of the [[Russian Empire]] from 1858 to 1883.
[[Novorossiya (confederation)|Novorossiya]] (or New Russia) was an unrecognised [[confederation]] of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, claiming the territory of the respective [[Donetsk Oblast|Donetsk]] and [[Luhansk Oblast|Luhansk]] oblasts in the [[Donets Basin|Donbas]] region of [[eastern Ukraine]]. On 20 May 2015 the leadership of the Federal State of Novorossiya announced the 'freezing' of the confederation 'project'.<ref name=utenrp>[http://uatoday.tv/politics/russian-backed-novorossiya-breakaway-movement-collapses-428372.html Russian-backed 'Novorossiya' breakaway movement collapses], [[Ukraine Today]] (20 May 2015)<br />{{in lang|ru}} [http://m.gazeta.ru/politics/2015/05/19_a_6694441.shtml The "New Russia" is closed], [[Gazeta.ru]] (20 May 2015)</ref>
The battle flag is based on the [[naval jack]] [[List of Russian navy flags#Jack|of the Imperial Russian Navy]]. Oleksandr Chalenko, who worked as a political journalist in Kiev, described the flag and explained its symbolism in an item published by ''[[Izvestia]]'' on 20 March 2014:<ref name="Chalenko_20140320">{{cite news|last1=Chalenko|first1=Oleksandr|date=2014-03-20|title=Что такое Новороссия?|trans-title=What is Novorossiya?|url=https://izvestia.ru/news/567843|url-status=live|script-work=ru:Известия|trans-work=[[Izvestia]]|language=ru|eissn=1563-6313|issn=0233-4356|oclc=1076768530|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320165555/https://izvestia.ru/news/567843|archive-date=2014-03-20|access-date=2022-03-24|script-quote=ru:Это красный флаг с синим Андреевским крестом. Флаг российского флота. Флота, который сыграл выдающуюся военную роль в деле появления и утверждения исторической Новороссии.|df=dmy-all}}</ref> "It's a red flag with a blue Saint Andrew's cross. The flag of the Russian Navy. Of the Navy, which played a prominent military role in the emergence and establishment of historical Novorossiya."
On 15 May 2014 the Russian on-line newspaper ''[[Vzglyad (newspaper)|Vzglyad]]'' noted that the then Governor of the [[Donetsk People's Republic]], [[Pavel Gubarev]], had announced the start of voting for a flag of the proposed state of Novorossiya.<ref name="Vzglyad_20140515">{{cite news | author = <!--not stated--> | date = 2014-05-15 | title = | script-title = ru:Жителям юго-востока Украины предложили выбрать флаг Новороссии | trans-title = The inhabitants of the south-east of Ukraine are invited to choose a flag for Novorossiya | url = https://vz.ru/news/2014/5/15/686972.print.html | url-status = live | script-work = ru:Взгляд | trans-work = [[Vzglyad (newspaper)|Vzglyad]] | language = ru | oclc = 1051229635 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141030040518/https://vz.ru/news/2014/5/15/686972.print.html | archive-date = 2014-10-30 | access-date = 2022-03-24 | script-quote = ru:Народный губернатор Донбасса Павел Губарев объявил о начале голосования за флаг Новороссии – государства, которое планируется создать, объединив юго-восточные земли Украины. [...] На сайте информационно-аналитического портала «Новороссия» представлены 11 вариантов будущего флага государства. | trans-quote = The People's Governor of the Donbas, Pavel Gubarev, announced the start of voting for a flag for Novorossiya, a state planned to be founded which would unite the south-eastern area of Ukraine. [...] The website of the informational-analytical portal 'Novorossiya' presents 11 variants of the future flag of the state. | df = dmy-all }}</ref>
Following the proposition of the white-yellow-black tricolour as the national flag, the [[saltire]] was then adopted as the [[War flag|battle flag]] of the republic,<ref>{{cite web | last1 = Tsarev | first1 = Oleg | author-link1 = Oleg Tsaryov | date = 2014-08-13 | title = | script-title = ru:Заседание конкурсной комиссии на лучшую символику Новороссии состоялось | trans-title = The meeting of the competition commission for the best symbols of Novorossia took place | url = https://tsarov.com.ua/novosti/novosti-oleg-tsarov/zasedanie-konkursnoj-komissii-na-luchshuyu-simvoliku-novorossii.html | url-status = dead | script-website = ru:Олег Царев - ОФИЦИАЛЬНЫЙ САЙТ НАРОДНОГО ДЕПУТАТА УКРАИНЫ | trans-website = Oleg Tsarev - OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE PEOPLE'S DEPUTY OF UKRAINE | language = ru | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140814095122/https://tsarov.com.ua/novosti/novosti-oleg-tsarov/zasedanie-konkursnoj-komissii-na-luchshuyu-simvoliku-novorossii.html | archive-date = 2014-08-14 | access-date = 2022-03-24 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> while a variant with the coat of arms has been used as the ''de facto'' national flag since.
== Similarity with the Confederate Naval Jack ==
[[File:Naval jack of the Confederate States (1863–1865).svg|thumb|The Confederate Naval Jack]]
{{see also|Modern display of the Confederate battle flag}}
Some have noted that the flag's design resembles the [[Confederate States of America]]'s [[Flags of the Confederate States of America#Confederate flag|navy jack and battle flag]], known also as the "Dixie flag".<ref>{{cite news|last=Babiak|first=Mat|title=Welcome to New Russia|url=http://ukrainianpolicy.com/welcome-to-new-russia/|newspaper=Ukrainian Policy|date=22 May 2014|access-date=26 May 2014}}</ref><ref name="kyivpost">{{cite web|url=http://www.kyivpost.com/multimedia/video-2/ukraine-news-one-novorossiya-flag-appears-uncannily-like-dixie-video-351384.html|title=Ukraine News One: 'Novorossiya' flag appears uncannily like 'Dixie' (VIDEO)|publisher=kyivpost.com|access-date=15 June 2014}}</ref> Ukrainian political analyst Mikhail Pavliv is credited with having created the flag; Pavliv explains that he had simply stumbled upon the flag online somewhere, and that the leader of the [[New Russia Party]], [[Pavel Gubarev]], later picked it up. However, Gubarev has stated that the inspiration for the flag came from banners used by [[Cossacks]] in the 18th century. According to Alexey Eremenko of ''[[The Moscow Times]]'', no Cossacks ever used a flag resembling the one chosen.<ref name=mtf>{{cite news|last1=Eremenko|first1=Alexey|title=Ukrainian Rebels Channel U.S. Confederates |url=https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/ukrainian-rebels-channel-us-confederates-36318 |agency=The Moscow Times|date=9 June 2014|access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref> However, [[Vexillology|vexillologically]], the flag is a combination of the flag of the [[Semirechye Cossacks]] and the [[Ensign of the Russian Navy|St. Andrew's Flag]].
==See also==
* [[List of Russian navy flags]]
▲* [[Flags used in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [https://flagspot.net/flags/ua-novru.html Novorossiya Republic] at [[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]]
{{Flag of Europe}}
[[Category:Novorossiya (confederation)]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 2014|Novorossiya]]
[[Category:Flags of states with limited recognition|Novorossiya]]
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