The Presidential Library spotlights the symbols of presidential power

The official symbols of presidential power, attributes used during the solemn inauguration ceremony of the newly elected head of the state, were approved on August 5, 1996. Today, these are the Standard (Flag) and the Emblem of the President of the Russian Federation.

The Presidential Library’s documentary Symbols of Presidential Power reveals the history of the creation of the Standard (Flag) and the Emblem of the President of the Russian Federation. The film was prepared within the framework of a large-scale project The Presidential Chronicle, continuing since 2014. Chief Heraldmaster of Russia, Chairman of the Heraldic Council of the President of Russia Georgy Vilinbakhov took part as one of the experts of the film. Extracts of the film are available on the official website of the President of Russia in the Presidential Insignia section.

Video lecture of Candidate of Historical Sciences, Executive Secretary of the Heraldic Council of the President of Russia Gleb Kalashnikov, Russian State Heraldry is also dedicated to this topic. The recording of the presentation is available on the Presidential Library’s portal.

Decision on the development of state symbols of the Russian Federation, flag and emblem, was made in 1990. In addition, it was necessary to create symbols of the head of the state, as almost every country with a president had a presidential standard, symbol of personal presidential power.

In 1994, the Standard (Flag) of the President of the Russian Federation was approved. Its description and image are featured in the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation № 319, the digital copy of which is available on the Presidential Library’s portal.

Similarly to the State Flag of the country, the Standard, or the Flag of the President of Russia is a tricolor, but it has a golden image of the State Coat of Arms of Russia in the centre. The Standard is handed to the newly elected head of the state at his inauguration ceremony. After the President has taken oath, the Presidential Standard is placed in his office and on his transport vehicles, and a duplicate is flown from the presidential residence at the Moscow Kremlin, as well as at other residencies during the presidential visits.

At the end of the inauguration process, another symbol of presidential power – the Emblem of the President, existing in a single copy, is handed to the President of the Russian Federation. A detailed description of the symbol is featured in the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation № 906 of July 27, 1999, the digital copy of which is available on the Presidential Library’s portal.

The Emblem of the President is a cross with arms in equal size, expanding ends and the overlay image of the State Coat of Arms of Russia in its centre. On the reverse of the cross, there is a medallion with a slogan engraved around it: Benefit, Honour and Glory. Chain of the Emblem consists of seventeen links, nine of which depict the State Coat of Arms of Russia, another eight – the slogan Benefit, Honour and Glory. The reverse side of the links features the overlays with the full names of each Russian President and the year they took office engraved on them. After the head of the state has taken oath, the Emblem is kept in the presidential residence at the Moscow Kremlin.

At the inauguration, the President of Russia takes the oath on the Special Copy of the Constitution of the Russian Federation that used to have a status of one of the three official symbols of presidential power in 1996-2000. The text of the Constitution intended for taking the oath was published in a single copy as a special edition and is currently located in the personal library of the President of Russia in Kremlin.

The Presidential Library’s exhibition hall on Senate Square 3 showcases the exact copy of the inauguration edition of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, gifted to the library by the head of the state on the institution’s opening day on May 27, 2009. Users have an opportunity to explore the text via the virtual tour around the Constitution Hall, available on the institution’s portal. Here, the text of the country’s Main Law is also displayed featuring amendments, approved in the All-Russian vote on July 1, 2022.

The library’s portal provides other documentaries prepared within the project The Presidential Chronicle: Personal Library of the President of the Russian Federation (2015), I Appeal to the President (2016), Archive of the President of the Russian Federation (2017), Parade Residence of the President of Russia. Grand Kremlin Palace (2021). The work on the project continues.