--- title: "Russian military vehicles are flying Soviet hammer and sickle flags in Ukraine" description: "The past seems to be present as new footage shows a Russian armored personnel carrier flying the red banner of the Soviet Union into Ukraine." date: "2022-03-09" modified: "2022-03-09" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "YouTube Writer/Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/russia-invasion-soviet-union-flag-ukraine/" categories: - "Around the World" - "News" - "Russia" - "Tactics" - "Tech & Tactics" - "Ukraine" - "Warfare" --- # Russian military vehicles are flying Soviet hammer and sickle flags in Ukraine ![]() *A photo posted to Twitter appearing to show a Russian tank in Ukraine flying the flag of the Soviet Union. (Twitter.)* The past seems to be present as new footage posted to social media appears to show a Russian armored personnel carrier flying the red banner of the Soviet Union during the invasion of Ukraine. The minute-long video, [attributed to Russia’s Ministry of Defense](), shows a column of tanks, armored personnel carriers, mobile missile launchers, and jeeps moving on a rural road in Ukraine. One BMP-2, an infantry fighting vehicle, seen early in the clip flies the scarlet red banner of the Soviet Union, the continent-spanning state that collapsed under political and economic unrest in 1991 and gave way to the modern-day Russian Federation. https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1501469696150880256?s=20&t=fe9QRDffwsqShIxSGHMk8g Other photos shared on Twitter also appear to show a Russian tank and armored personnel carrier flying the Soviet flag in Ukraine. https://twitter.com/r2d2251/status/1501589752725839875?s=20&t=nPmk-pvRFL2IFAR0keFIGg https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1502383491694186507 Though the Soviet Union is known in the U.S. for its harsh authoritarian regime, human rights violations, and poor economic conditions, there is a wave of nostalgia among many Russians for the global power of the old empire. “A majority of Russians continue to say the collapse of the Soviet Union has been a bad thing for their country,” wrote the Pew Research Center in a[ 2017 analysis](). Some of that nostalgia may stem from “current frustration over social policy and economic hardship,”[ wrote]() the BBC in 2019. The BBC interviewed sociologist Karina Pipiya, who found that the nostalgia extended not only towards the Soviet Union but also to one of its most infamous leaders, Joseph Stalin. “Stalin is seen as the main figure who defeated fascism, who gets the honors for victory in the Great Patriotic War,” Pipiya told the BBC, referring to the phrase many Russians use to refer to their fight against Nazi Germany during World War II. “And that war victory is a symbol of national pride for all Russians, even for those born in the post-Soviet period." Like other aspects of the Soviet Union, Stalin is not a beloved figure in the U.S. and much of Europe, where he is best remembered for instigating wide-scale human rights violations such as [genocide](), [mass executions](), and [famines](). But as Pipiya pointed out, in Russia, he is remembered for defeating Nazi Germany and laying the foundation for the colossus of the Soviet Union to rival the United States as a superpower. That perception is particularly strong among young Russians from age 18 to 30, Pipiya noted. "Their perception of Stalin is based on myth, fed by older generations," she told the BBC. The nostalgia for the USSR also comes amid a surge in patriotism among some Russians, who have taken to [sporting “Zs”]() in reference to the white markings that dotted Russian military vehicles at the outset of the invasion of Ukraine. “It is not a surprising development in light of Moscow’s intense propaganda effort to justify the war and generate support for it among Russia’s citizens,” Ian Brzezinski, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Europe and NATO policy, [told Task & Purpose](). “Symbols have a power of their own and Moscow’s propagandists surely recognize this.” Perhaps the most important Russian citizen to buy into, and promote, the nostalgia of the Soviet Union is the one leading the country: President Vladimir Putin. A former agent of the KGB, the Soviet spy agency, Putin said[ in 2005]() that the collapse of the Soviet Union was “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century” which is a strong statement considering the 20th century also hosted World War II and many other bloody nightmares. Putin has repeatedly used the past to try to enforce his present claim to power, noted journalist Shaun Walker in a profile of the president for[ History.com](). “Putin’s use of the Second World War has been augmented with other, secondary historical figures and victories, as Putin has tried to weave a narrative of Russian glory, starting with the 10th-century Prince Vladimir, founder of Kievan Rus—and ending with the Vladimir currently residing inside the Kremlin,” Walker wrote. Today, some of the old empire seems to be coming back in the form of a scarlet banner flying into a former satellite state of the Soviet Union. How long it will remain there, and whether it will appear over other nearby countries in the near future, remains to be seen. ## What’s new on Task & Purpose - **What we know about the** [**Russian general killed in Ukraine**]() - [**Where is the Russian air force?**]() **Experts break down why they might be hiding** - **Meet Army Col. Daniel Blackman,** [**the accidental face of romance scams around the world**]() - [**An urban warfare expert offers Ukrainians tips on battling Russians**]() **in close combat** - [**How the US can beat Russia in Ukraine without firing a shot**]() **Want to write for Task & Purpose?** [**Click here**]()**. Or check out the latest stories on** [**our homepage.**]() ## Author David Roza writes scripts about military news for the Task & Purpose YouTube channel, and he also writes articles about military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and other personnel topics on a freelance basis. Roza previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025. In the course of that reporting, he has set off a ‘Hollywood explosion’ with Air Force bomb techs, turned the (unarmed) keys of a nuclear missile bunker, hovered over the Nevada desert on an Air Force rescue helicopter, and got the best sleep of his life on the floor of a C-17 over the central Pacific. Share tips and story ideas with David at [david.roza@teamrecurrent.io]()