Previous flags (1990’ies) of Mordovia (Russia)

Last modified: 2005-10-08 by antonio martins
Keywords: mordovia | error | overprint | doubt |
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• “Mordvian SSR” flag, 1990-1995(?)
• “Fixed” (A)SSR flag, 1992 (?)
• Stripped versions reported in 1993
• Version reported in 1993
• Version reported in 1994

• Mordovia
• Russia

“Mordvian SSR” flag, 1990-1995(?)

In 1990, the Mordvian ASSR (a constituent of the Soviet Union, integrated in the Russian Republic), upgraded itself to the status of SSR, and had this reflected on a new flag, slight modification of the previous: the "A" is removed from the trilingual inscription of the soviet flag: russian, erzian mordvian and mokshian mordvian.
António Martins, 16 Sep 1999

This design is confirmed by photographs taken of the White House, where these flags were flying, and from the Parliament, when there they were arranged along the wall behind the speaker’s desk. The book Politisches Lexikon Rußland (Roland Götz and Uwe Halbach, 1994, Beck, München) confirms that in December 1990 the Mordvinian ASSR was changed by law to the Mordvinian SSR! The only facts we have about a transitory flag are photographs from the White House where the flag flying had the three inscriptions (but reduced to "SSR" instead of "ASSR"), the same flag hanging in the parliament, also to be seen on video recordings I have. The videos show the flag sometimes very small, that sometimes I could assume that the other version is shown.
Ralf Stelter, 25 Jul 1999

“Fixed” (A)SSR flag, 1992 (?)

I saw (and also I have the image videorecorded many time) one flag of Mordowia, in July 1992 in the Soviet of Nationalities of this date. Was red with blue vertical stripe at hoist, but instead of the hammer and sickle and inscriptions was a yellow circle and below three small bars.
Jaume Ollé, 13 Jul 1999

Could it be a normal Mordvian ASSR flag with wiped out symbols and letters, lacking a proper new flag?… Please note that this may have been so, but the disc could’t cover the star and be circular at the same time, without reaching the blue stripe. So, either the disc was eliptical, or it did reach the blue stripe, or the star was not covered by the circle, being either conserved or removed.
António Martins, 24 Jul 1999

This might eventually be an old flag with overprinted hammer and sickle and letters. In Russian or Soviet flags the emblems were printed onto the red cloth (silk screen, the two flags we have are printed with a very thick plastic-like colour) so it is not difficult to remove the small star by scratching it off, while the larger elements had to be overprinted.
Ralf Stelter, 25 Jul 1999

This suggestion only applies to the version of the flag with initials only because the full name is too large; in the video recorded flag, the circle and bars are in small size.
Jaume Ollé, 24 Jul 1999

Version reported in 1993

This design is given in Flagmaster 072 [flm], page 11.
Molnár István, 01 Jul 2002

It is a big fiction! This flag never existed. I think it is fantasy of mr.Tarnovsky.
Victor Lomantsov, 02 Jul 2002

Stripped versions reported in 1993

In September and November 1993 were reported (quoted from any russian vexillologist or/and published in any Bulletin) different flags with four colours (blue, white, yellow and red) in two differents arrangements (horizontal B-R-Y and W at hoist; and B-R-W-Y horizontal).
Jaume Ollé, 13 Jul 1999 and 24 Jul 1999

This could be striped versions of the old ASSR flag as “poor man’s flags” or as proposals (by whom?) to abolish the ASSR flag.
Ralf Stelter, 25 Jul 1999

In September and November 1993 were reported (quoted from any russian vexillologist or/and published in any Bulletin) different flags with four colours (blue, white, yellow and red) in two differents arrangements (horizontal B-R-Y and W at hoist; and B-R-W-Y horizontal).
Jaume Ollé, 13 Jul 1999 and 24 Jul 1999

Version reported in 1994

This design was shown in several flag magazines (who copied each other), originally coming from a Russian source (when I remember correctly it was Oleg Tarnovski).
Ralf Stelter, 25 Jul 1999

Could this be just an hyper-imaginative reconstruction of the 1992 flag?…
António Martins, 24 Jul 1999

This flag is listed under number 87 at the chart Flags of Aspirant Peoples [eba94] as: «Mordovia (Mordovians) [Moksha] - Central Russia».
Ivan Sache, 15 Sep 1999

Moksha is the name of one of the two forms of the mordvian language, the other one being erza (in fact they are two not so similar, but closely related languages). Quoting it as a local form of "Mordovia" is grossly erroneous.
António Martins, 16 Sep 1999