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Republic of Serbian Krajina (Croatia, 1991-1995)

Republika Srpska Krajina - RSK

Flag of the Republic of Serbian Krajina - Image by Željko Heimer, 16 September 1999

Presentation of the Republic of Serbian Krajina
Flag of the Republic of Serbian Krajina
Coat of arms of the Republic of Serbian Krajina
Flags linked to the Republic of Serbian Krajina
Eastern Slavonia (Istocnja Slavonia)
Municipal symbols in the Republic of Serbian Krajina
- Vukovar
- Beli Manastir

See also:

Presentation of the Republic of Serbian Krajina

The self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK) encompassed different Serb states in Croatia. Serb Regions were established in 1991 in Eastern Croatia, Western Slavonia, and Kninska Krajina. On 19 December 1991 the assemblies of the three regions (Skupština Srpske Autonomne Oblasti Krajina, as Kninska Krajina renamed itself, Velika Narodna Skupština Srpske Oblasti Slavonija, Baranja i Zapadni Srem, and Skupština Srpske Autonomne Oblasti Zapadna Slavonija) proclaimed the RSK and adopted its Constitution, Ustav Republike Srpske Krajine, published on 2 January 1992 in the RSK official gazette Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske Krajine, No. 1 (text).
The RSK broke down after the Croatian offensive and seizure of Knin, the capital of the Republic, on 5 August 1995. After the western part of the RSK was returned under Croatian rule in 1995, the eastern part remained officially under UN mandate until 1997. The "state" changed its name to Sremsko-Baranjska Oblast or Oblast Istocne Slavonije, Baranje i Zapadnog Srema.

Željko Heimer, 15 December 2013

Flag of the Republic of Serbian Krajina

The flag of the RSK is prescribed in Article 6 of the Constitution, Ustav Republike Srpske Krajine, published on 2 January 1992 in the RSK official gazette Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske Krajine, No. 1 (text), as "the Serb tricolour, with the order of colours from top to bottom: red, blue, white". The proportions of the flag are not explicitly prescribed, but the 1:2 proportions of the national flags in this part of the world may be assumed as the usual.
The flag was never formally changed as long as the RSK existed - and even afterwards, considering the government in exile.

Željko Heimer, 15 December 2013

Flags linked to the Republic of Serbian Krajina

Numerous variations of the official flag were used in the RSK. All these variants were unofficial, in the sense that none of them was formally adopted. They were used, interchangeably, with the same set of flags used in Serb entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina - and in Serbia proper for that matter. Various sites and groups around the internet are trying to stipulate that there are different flags of small variations in design that may be ascribed to various of these entities, but that is simply not correct.
The most prominent of such examples is ascription of the tricolour with the blue shield coat of arms to the remaining entity of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Wester Srijem after the military defeat of the RSK in 1995 - which survived under UN transitional government until 1997. While there are photos showing the flag in actual use in that entity, it was never formally adopted and was just as haphazard variation as any other one.

Željko Heimer, 15 December 2013

Milan Martić's "presidential" flag

Milan (aka Mile) Martić, a leader of the Serb rebels in Croatia, held various positions in the RSK (President, Minister of Defense, Minister of the Interior etc.); he was President of the Republic from February 1994 until its breakdown after the Croatian offensive and seizure of Knin, the capital of the Republic, on 5 August 1995.
The Croatian military magazine Hrvatski vojnik, July 2009, (article) presents a flag (photo) captured from the office of Milan Martić in August 1995 and kept today in the Croatian Military Museum. According to the article, the date inscribed on the flag, "17.08.1990", is considered as the beginning of the so-called "Log Revolution", which was proclaimed the "Serb People Uprising Day" in 1992 by the authorities of the Republic. The flag was not any kind of officially adopted presidential flag, simply a decorated version of the RSK flag.

Željko Heimer, 3 August 2009

War flag

Two reported war flags of the RSK - Images by Ivan Sache, 10 September 1999, and Željko Heimer, 7 September 1995, respectively

A red-blue-white tricolor flag with two crossed yellow swords in the middle is listed under No. 41 on the Flags of Aspirant Peoples chart [eba94], as "Krajina (State of Serbian Croatia) / War flag".
What this flag exactly was for is not known, but it could easily have been a war flag. "Serbian Croatia" is rather contradictory; neither Serbs nor Croats would use these words.

A flag featuring in the middle a white shield charged with the two swords surmounted by the Serbian coat of arms was also reported as a possible war flag.

Ivan Sache & Željko Heimer, 16 September 1999

Flags with the Serbian cross

Flags with the Serbian cross - Images by Željko Heimer, 7 September 1995

From the beginning of the Serb rebellion, flags were usually charged with a yellow cross streching both up into the red and down into the white stripes, with in each quarter a "C" facing outwards. This emblem is a simplification of the Serbian coat of arms featuring four firesteels (ocila).

Željko Heimer, 7 September 1995

Flags with the coat of arms

Flags with the coat of arms - Images by Željko Heimer, 7 September 1995

The Serbian coat of arms was often used in the middle of the flag.

Željko Heimer, 7 September 1995

Flags with the coat of arms - Image by Željko Heimer, 23 December 2013

A flag with the blue shield placed near the hoist is seen on a photo published on 25 July 2009 (but the photo must have been taken years earlier) in Bayernkurier, the newspaper of the political party CSU.

Jean-Patrick Fischer, 11 September 2009

Eastern Slavonia (Istocnja Slavonia)

Flag of Eastern Slavonia - Image by Željko Heimer, 16 September 1999

A red-blue-white tricolor flag is listed under No. 42 on the Flags of Aspirant Peoples chart [eba94], as "Istocnja Slavonia (Serbian state of Eastern Slavonia)".

Ivan Sache, 16 September 1999

Eastern Slavonia was part of the RSK. However, it was formed somewhat before the RSK, so during some short time it might have been considered as a "state". After the western part of the RSK was returned under Croatian rule in 1995, the eastern part remained officially under UN mandate, and internally the "state" changed the name (something that was universally reflected in stamps) to Sremsko-Baranjska Oblast or Oblast Istocne Slavonije, Baranje i Zapadnog Srema. The official flag remained the plain Serb tricolour. One of most often used flags, as far as I have noticed, was tricolour with a blue shield with white eagle.

In news from TV Vukovar, there was a comment on the recent peace negotiations. Beside the journalist was a table flag probably representing the RSK, or, at least, the remaining Serb-occupied territories of Croatia (some 4.6%). The flag was a red-blue-white horizontal tricolour, with a double-headed golden eagle in the middle, bearing no escutcheon and placed on a transparent shield bordered gold.

Željko Heimer, 16 September 1999