A column of Russian armored vehicles with red communist Soviet-era victory flags was struck by drones on a Ukrainian minefield in Kursk on February 16, according to the Telegram channel Shrike News.
Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Ukraine's apparent attack has added to Moscow's increasing equipment losses, which have resulted in Russian president Vladimir Putin depleting his military's stockpiles of equipment, jeopardizing Russia's ability to continue fighting in the war. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) recently said that Moscow's rate of tank losses is unsustainable, and they will run out of the military vehicles by 2026.
Russia's display of World War II victory flags could indicate that Moscow will stop at nothing until they achieve victory, making peace negotiations more difficult. The flags also reference a time when Moscow controlled Ukraine and other now-sovereign nations in eastern Europe.
What To Know
A video purportedly showing the attack posted by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine clearly shows red flags flying from tanks as they are targeted and explode. The linked video, above, contains battle scenes and potential loss of human life which could be upsetting to viewers.
Newsweek was unable to independently verify the video and the exact version of the red flag being flown.
Shrike News reported that the red flags on the Russian tanks were Soviet "victory" flags, also known as "Victory Banners," which were raised over the Reichstag on May 2, 1945, and have come to be recognized as a symbol of Russia's victory over Germany.
The "Victory Banner" features a hammer and sickle and a star in the top left corner, and it includes an inscription that reads "150th Rifle, Order of Kutuzov Second Class, Idritz Division, 79th Rifle Corps, 3rd Shock Army, 1st Belorussian Front." It bears a strong resemblance to the Soviet red flag.
Moscow's T-80BV and BTR-82A tanks went to assault the positions of the 47th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the village of Nikolkoye in western Russia, according to the Ukrainian Telegram account Military Informant.
Russia's 155th Marine Brigade was not able to "break through the wide-open fields" due to the drone attacks, and "some of the vehicles were hit and the landing force was forced to dismount, retreating. The surviving part of the column went a little further, but in the end, they also did not manage to go much deeper and the equipment was lost."
The Belarusian news outlet NEXTA reported in a post on X that Ukrainian forces used first-person view (FPV) drones to attack the Russian column, after which they lost a dozen tanks and an unspecified number of soldiers.
The last time the Soviet red flag was displayed at the Kremlin in Moscow was on December 25, 1991. It was replaced with the Russian tricolor flag following the collapse of the Soviet Union and its communist system. Russian soldiers began raising Soviet-era red flags in occupied areas of Ukraine in the spring of 2022.
What People Are Saying
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, OSINTtechnical, an account publishing posts about Russia-Ukraine, wrote: "Russian armored vehicles flying Soviet flags assaulted Ukrainian positions around Nikolskoye, Kursk Oblast this morning. The column drove into a minefield and was swarmed by Ukrainian drones, taking heavy losses."
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine posted a video of the attack and wrote on X: "Maybe next time they'll bring white flags instead."
Alex Parker Returns, a Russian military blogger, wrote on Telegram: "At first I was skeptical about this message. Then I checked with my local friends and they confirmed everything. Really crazy old men forced Victory banners to be hoisted on the equipment, after which they sent the column straight into a minefield under attack from thousands of FPV drones in the Kursk region. And now the crests have published a video of the destruction of this red-bannered column. This is such a disgrace!"
Anton Gerashchenko, the former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, wrote on X: "In Kursk region, Russians launched a frontal attack, waving red flags. The road was mined, and Ukrainian Defenders used drones to destroy the column of Russia's 155 brigade. Russian "Z-bloggers" were outraged with the "betrayal" of Russian military command."
What Happens Next
It is unknown how much Russia's display of Soviet-era victory flags will further strain upcoming peace negotiations with Ukraine, mediated by the U.S.
About the writer
Maya Mehrara is a News Reporter at Newsweek based in London, U.K.. Her focus is reporting on international news. She ... Read more