[JadeEmperor]

I think the original article is very misleading and is taking the issue way out of context - which is in turn being taken out of context by Freepers here. The fact, this is not about re-adopting the Soviet "hammer and sickle" flag as the current flag of the Russian army (as many in this thread seem to be impressed), but about what to consider the official banner of WWII victory (the same flag that flew over the Reichstag) in Russia.

http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?menu=1&id_issue=11727941

"Senators discussed the bill for the first time in mid-April. The majority of senators then opposed the bill passed by the State Duma, which provided that a copy of the flag raised atop the Reichstag in Berlin on May 1, 1945 have a five-pointed white star on a red field without the hammer and sickle."

All this is about, is whether or not to revise what the appearance of the official WWII Victory Banner should be. The Russians have voted to keep the original hammer and sickle as WWII Victory Banner. Big deal!

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11497522&PageNum=0

"The present version of the law was adopted by the State Duma on April 25. It was drawn up by the conciliatory commission. The first versions of the law, which introduced the notion of the “symbol of the Victory Banner,” was rejected first by the Federation Council and then by the President, because the symbol of the Victory Banner differed from the banner, which had been hoisted by Soviet Army soldiers over the Reichstag."

Like it or not, it was the Soviet army that stormed Berlin and it was a Soviet banner that flew over Reichstag. Not an American, British or Russian tricolor. That was all a part of history. To claim otherwise would be pure Orwellian revisionism, something like rewriting the textbooks that it was a UN banner, not the Stars and Stripes that flew over Gettysburg.

[Cindy]

Thank you for the ping JadeEmperor.

[Thunder90]

It seems that in Russia, they are trying to restore a lot of the Soviet symbology. I have seen reports of Lenin and Stalin statues returning to places they were dismantled at during the fall of the USSR.

[Calpernia]

If they are not re-adopting the Soviet symbol, I’m thrilled.

Then I will go back to my speculation that Putin isn’t Soviet, Gorbechev is.

[spanalot]

“Like it or not, it was the Soviet army that stormed Berlin and it was a Soviet banner that flew over Reichstag. Not an American, British “

I don’t like it - Patton could have taken Berlin and Moscow were it not for communists in the US govt.

And these communists are guilty for the 60,000,000 that their tovarish in the Kremlin killed after the war.

[ken21]

i see.

thanks for the clarification.

[Levante]

thanks for the info!

[RasterMaster]

Whatever flag they fly, they are still commies...