On November 5th 1990 the Government of RSFSR came to the decision to
create State Emblem and National banner of RSFSR. The special governmental
commission was established to organize this work. After thorough discussion
commission has proposed to recommend for Government the white-blue-red banner
and golden double-headed eagle on red background as National Emblem. Final
reinstatement of these historical symbols took place in 1993, when by the decree of
President B.N.Yeltsin they were approved as State Banner and Emblem.
The golden double-headed eagle upon red background maintains historical tradition
of chromatic gamut of the coats of arms of the fifteenth-seventeenth centuries. The
image of the eagle can be traced back to the pictures of the epoch of Peter the Great.
Above the heads of the eagle there are presented three historical crowns of Peter the
Great as symbols of the sovereignty under new circumstances both in Russian Federation
as a whole and in its parts, so called subjects of Federation. In its slaws the eagle
has sceptre and orb as embodiment of State power and united state; on its breast there
is a rider striking a dragon with his lance. This is one of the oldest symbols of the
struggle of good against evil, light against gloom, the symbol of defense of fatherland.
The reinstatement of double-headed eagle of National Emblem of Russia signifies
continuity of national history. Contemporary National Emblem of Russia is a new
emblem, but its main elements are absolutely traditional; it reflects different periods of
Russian history and develops them on the eve of the new millenium.