On August 23, 1991, the yellow-and-blue flag was ceremoniously brought into the chamber of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. It was this event that laid the foundation for the celebration of Ukraine’s National Flag Day. On January 28, 1992, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine officially adopted it as the National Flag of Ukraine. Today, the Ukrainian flag is known and respected throughout the world. It unites society, serves as a reminder of our historical journey, and remains a symbol of the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people. On the occasion of Ukraine’s National Flag Day, we invite you to recall the most remarkable chapters in the history of this national symbol in the Donetsk region.
Over the years of independence, Ukrainian national flags created in the Donetsk region have repeatedly set national records. On August 23, 2007, in Donetsk, to mark Ukraine’s National Flag Day, the largest flag at that time—measuring 1,350 square meters (30 by 45 meters) and weighing 110 kilograms—was ceremoniously unfurled. The flag was sewn by hand by Maria Belyatkova, a Donetsk resident and miner’s widow, at the request of representatives of the Union of Creative Youth of Donbas. After the celebrations, the flag embarked on a nationwide relay: in the fall of 2007, it was unfurled in all of Ukraine’s regional capitals, and on October 28, it was unfurled on the country’s highest peak, Mount Hoverla. The flag sewn by Maria Belyatkova was unfurled for the last time in the Donetsk region on April 17, 2014, during a rally for a united Ukraine. After the April rally, when the situation in the city escalated, activists from the Union of Creative Youth of Donbas managed to secretly remove the flag from Donetsk. Maria Belyatkova’s flag has gone down in history as the primary symbol of Ukrainian resistance in Donetsk.
In Donetsk, during a rally on April 17, 2014, a flag measuring 1,350 square meters was unfurled
Ukraine’s national record for the largest flying flag was set in 2013 in the city of Myrnohrad. On a field near the “Kapitalna” mine, Ukrainian and European Union flags with a total area of just over 600 square meters were raised to a height of more than 50 meters using kites. They were specially sewn in Lithuania, where the practice of raising flags using kites originated. To set Ukraine’s national record, experts in flying flags from Lithuania were also invited to the city.
With the start of Ukraine’s War of Independence, the Ukrainian flag took on new meaning. It has become a symbol of the struggle for freedom and the restoration of Ukrainian statehood in the liberated territories. Consequently, the blue-and-yellow flag has become an integral part of all mass events, as if to emphasize each time: Donetsk Oblast is Ukraine.
Record-breaking flag in the sky above Avdiivka, 2018. Photo by the Joint Forces Operation
In 2018, on the occasion of Ukraine’s National Flag Day, another record-breaking flag was raised in the sky above Avdiivka. Volunteers launched a 120-square-meter yellow-and-blue flag attached to balloons toward the occupied territories. The flag was raised to a height of 6 kilometers using helium-filled balloons. It became the largest flag ever raised into the Ukrainian sky using balloons. This record has been entered into the National Book of Records. The flag for this event was sewn by volunteer Angelina Shostak.
Two years earlier, a flag made by Ms. Angelina was also entered into the Ukrainian Book of Records as the largest embroidered flag. The flag measured 4.5 by 3 meters. On it, the artisan embroidered the text from Article 5 of the Constitution of Ukraine: “The people are the sole source of power in Ukraine.” The flag was displayed in the lobby of the Bakhmut City Council until Russian troops destroyed the building.
In Mariupol in 2020, on the occasion of Ukraine’s National Flag Day, a 100-meter-long flag was carried through the city streets. The procession marched along Myru Avenue from Vyzvolennia Square to Teatralnyi Square. Musicians from the military band of the National Guard of Ukraine led the procession. The flag was carried by distinguished Mariupol residents, city council scholarship recipients, winners of international academic competitions, outstanding athletes, law enforcement officers, and representatives of all branches of the military stationed in and around the city. The flag was sewn at the “Marito” factory in Mariupol.
Unfurling of a 128-meter flag in Mariupol, 2021. Photo courtesy of the press service of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade
Just one year later, servicemen of the 128th Separate Transcarpathian Mountain Assault Brigade broke the record: to mark the anniversary of the unit’s formation, the soldiers unfurled a 128-meter-long Ukrainian national flag in Mariupol. More than 400 service members took part in the event, setting a Ukrainian record for the largest number of service members to unfurl the national flag.
To mark the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, the largest flagpole in the Donetsk region was unveiled in Kramatorsk. An 80-meter-tall structure, manufactured at the Kramatorsk Heavy Machine-Tool Plant, was installed in Yuvileiny Park. The flagpole is now the third tallest in Ukraine. The 16-by-24-meter Ukrainian national flag was solemnly raised on it. The ceremony to raise the National Flag of Ukraine took place simultaneously across all regions of the country, becoming a symbol of Ukraine’s unity.
Today, this flag is one of the most recognizable symbols of Donetsk Oblast’s resilience. In May 2026, Russian troops deliberately attacked it several times using FPV drones. The damaged flag was promptly replaced each time, and in the summer of 2026, the city of Kyiv presented Kramatorsk with a new flag in exchange for the damaged one as a sign of support and gratitude.
The National Flag of Ukraine remains one of the most important symbols for the region. From the first record-breaking flag in Donetsk to the flags flying over liberated cities and at combat positions, it embodies the resilience of the people of Donetsk Oblast and their belief that the blue-and-yellow flag will once again fly over all of Ukraine.