Celebrations dedicated to the Day of Russian State Flag

Celebrations dedicated to the Day of Russian State Flag will be held in Moscow on August 19th-22nd.

In August 1991 the Russian tricolour, Russia's white, blue and red historical flag, became one of the symbols for the GKChP (the State Committee for Emergency Situation) - a group of conservative party nomenclature, which opposed the policy of reforms carried out in the country. Upon the initiative of the GKChP USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev, who had been on his vacation in Foros (Crimea, today's Ukraine), was arrested. Under the tricolour flag (instead of the red Soviet flag) people gathered in front of the White House, which was occupied at that moment by the executive bodies of Russia, one of the 15 USSR republics.

The White House became the place, where the tricolour flag was raised for the first time and afterwards became the State Flag of the new democratic Russia.

"Holiday of Russia's Free People" will be held in Moscow on Monday. On Monday evening the defendants of the White House will gather in front of it and will hold a rally, Chairman of the Organising Committee of Celebrating Events Vladimir Komchatov disclosed to journalists.

A procession towards the Memorable sign in Novy Arbat (Moscow's downtown), erected to those who died during the August events of 1991, is scheduled for Tuesday and will be followed by the commemoration. On Wednesday wreaths and flowers will be laid to the graves in Vagankovskoye cemetery where the defendants of the White House are buried.

On August 22nd a rally will be held followed by the solemn hoisting of the Russian State Flag in the Square of Independent Russia near the White House.