The Flag of Ossetia is a tricolor flag, top to bottom white, red, and yellow, used by the Ossetian people in Ossetia, a region spanning both sides of the Caucasus Mountains.
The flag is used by two distinct political entities: The Republic of North Ossetia–Alania (a federal subject of Russia), and the self-declared Republic of South Ossetia – State of Alania.
South Ossetia has been under the control of the Russian Federation since the 2008 Russo-Georgian war and is mostly unrecognized by the international community.
History
North Ossetia
Under the Soviet Union, the North Ossetian ASSR changed flags several times. The present flag was adopted on 2 October 1991 shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, and then reinstated on 24 November 1994."On the State Flag of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania", The Law of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania dated 24.11.1994 No. 522A, Vladikavkaz, 1994. Accessed 24 June 2021.
+FlagDateUseDetails1917–1922Flag of the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus1922–3 July 1936Flag of the North Ossetian Autonomous Oblast3 July 1937–29 July 1938Flag of the North Ossetian ASSRRussian written in Cyrillic and Ossetian written in Latin18 June 1938–16 June 1954Flag of the North Ossetian ASSRRussian and Ossetian both written in Cyrillic16 June 1954–24 June 1981Flag of the North Ossetian ASSR24 June 1981–2 October 1991Flag of the North Ossetian ASSR2 October 1991–10 December 1991Flag of the North Ossetian ASSR, and then of the North Ossetian SSR10 December 1991–24 November 1994Flag of the North Ossetian SSR, and then of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania
South Ossetia South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast Between 1922 and 1990, South Ossetia was an autonomous oblast of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic known as the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast. As an autonomous oblast, it did not have its own flag, instead the Flag of Georgian SSR was used for official purposes. Republic of South Ossetia – State of Alania The flag of the Republic of South Ossetia – State of Alania was prescribed by the South Ossetian Constitution of 26 November 1990 and confirmed by the Regulation on the National Flag of 30 March 1992. Unlike North Ossetia, South Ossetia did not use the variant with the violet stripe from 1991 to 1994, instead continuously using the variant with the red stripe.
The Republic of South Ossetia – State of Alania maintains a Presidential standard for use by the President of South Ossetia when serving in an official capacity as the head of state. Although the flag is often the coat of arms centered on the flag, there is no codified presidential standard, and as such several variants have been used.
Provisional Administration of South Ossetia (2007–2025) The Provisional Administration of South Ossetia was established by the Government of Georgia in April 2007. It used the Ossetian flag together with the flag of Georgia. The provisional administration was abolished on 31 December 2025.
Design
Symbolism
The flag is said to represent the social structure of ancient Ossetian society, which was divided into three social groups forming an organic whole: the military aristocracy, the clergy, and ordinary people. The colors symbolize moral purity (white), martial courage (red) and wealth and prosperity (yellow). In blazons, the flag is described as Per fess Argent and Or, a fess Gules. The proportions are 1:2.Республика Северная Осетия – Алания. Russian Centre of Vexillology and Heraldry. 15 July 2007. Accessed 25 June 2021.
Color scheme of the flag of North Ossetia
Colour modelWhiteRedYellow Pantone Safe Red 186c Yellow 012c CMYK 0.0.0.0 0.100.83.24 0.16.100.1 RGB (255,255,255) (193,0,32) (255,215,0) Hexadecimal #FFFFFF #C10020 #FFD700 NCS S 0300-N S 1085-Y80R S 0580-G70Y
Gallery
See also Coat of arms of North Ossetia Coat of arms of South Ossetia Flag of the North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Notes
References
External links