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Republic of Serbian Krajina 1991-1995 (Croatia)

image by Željko Heimer

Overview
Flag of Krajina
"War Flag" of Krajina
Symbols of Krajina
Flags in Use
Coat of arms of RSK
"Istocnja Slavonia (Serbian state of Eastern Slavonia.)"

See also:

Overview

Other names of Serb 'states' in Croatia: Serb Autonomous Region of Krayina (Srpska Autonomna Oblast Krajina) 1991, Serb Region of Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem (Srpska Oblast Slavonija, Baranja i Zapadni Srem) 1991, Serb Autonomous Region of Western Slavonia (Srpska Autonomna Oblast Zapadna Slavonija) 1991, Region of Srijem and Baranja 1995-1996 (Sremsko-baranjska Oblast), Region of Srijem, Baranja and Eastern Slavonia 1996 (Oblast Srema, Baranje i Istocne Slavonije).
While the official flag was the simple Serb tricolour only, in practice many variations of the flag defaced with various central emblems. Various sources claim that some of those flags are are for specific use only or that they are of limited purpose, but in most cases there was no diferentiation among them nor the emblemless flag and they could have been intechanged at whim of the user.
Željko Heimer

Flag of Krajina

Such a flag was used in RSK, and is still used by Bosnian Serbs together with many other variations. I don't think there is really an official version, and all are treated the same. This flag is, in fact, used by Serbs all over the world, not the official flag of Serbia - that is red blue white without the arms (note the difference Serbs - ethnicaly # Serbians - those that live in Serbia).
Željko Heimer, 27 November 1995

Official flag was plain tricolor (cf. Srpska in B&H).
Željko Heimer, 16 September 1999

The Croatian military magazine "Hrvatski vojnik" brings short articles on items from the Croatian Military Museum. The last issue includes an article about the flag captured from the office of Milan Martic in 1995. Milan (or Mile) Martic was leader of the Serb rebel forces in Croatia, held various positions in the self proclaimed Republic of Srpska Krajina (president, minister of defense, minister of internal affairs etc.), since February 1994 being President of RSK until its break down after the Croatian offensive and retaking of Knin (the capital of RSK) on 5 August 1995.
The article describes the flag, explaining the date inscribed on it - 17.08.1990, it is considered the beginning of the so called "Log Revolution", that was proclaimed by the RSK authorities for the date of the "Serb People Uprising Day" in 1992. The flag was captured in the Martic's office during the libration action "Storm" in August 1995.
As far as I am aware, this was not any kind of officially adopted presidential flag, simply a decorated version of the "national" flag, of which many variations were in use. The only flag that was officially adopted in RSK is the simple Serb tricolour.
Željko Heimer, 3 August 2009

"War Flag" of Krajina

image by Ivan Sache

I have seen a representation of a supposed Krajina flag which was like that of Serbia in that it was a red-blue-white tricolour. In the middle were two crossed yellow swords.
Stuart Notholt, 23 August 1995

"Krajina (State of Serbian Croatia) - War flag" - Serbian tricolor charged with two golden crossed swords.
This flag is listed under number 41 at the chart Flags of Aspirant Peoples [eba94].
Ivan Sache, 10 September 1999

I still haven't found out what this flag exactly was for sure, but war flag it could easily be.English name here "Serbian Croatia" is rather contradictory (and nither Serbs nor Croats would use it
Željko Heimer, 16 September 1999

Symbols of Krajina

In the last number of Limes (an Italian magazine about geopolitics) is enclosed a reproduction of the "official map of Serbian Republic of Krajina" (don't have it here so I cannot quote the original title in Serbian). On the top there are:

the coat-of-arms of the Republic

the coat-of-arms of the Army

the flag of Serbia

The coats-of-arms are typically Serbain (gules, a cross argent between four "C" argent, over all a two-headed eagle argent; I will send details in a future message) and just presented as coats-of-arms of the Republic and Army; the flag is not presented at all, only shown so I am not totally sure that it is the official flag. If it is the official flag it confirms the will to join Serbia.
Giuseppe Bottasini, 10 August 1995

I have seen a representation of a supposed Krajina flag which was like that of Serbia (no surprise there!) in that it was a red-blue-white tricolour. In the middle were two crossed yellow swords. The other, perhaps more likely alternative, for Krajina is the flag used by the Bosnian Serbs. This is the tricolour with a white (sometimes yellow) cross in the middle. In each quarter a 'C' facing outwards. The four 'Cs' (actually, they are Cyrillic 'Ss' stand for 'Only Unity Saves the Serbs' in Serbian - a slogan used by supporters of greater Serbia.
Stuart Notholt, 23 August 1995

The Croatian state never recognized any Serb state in Croatia, so it didn't recognize any flag or currency. The fact is that while it was occupied there were several "Serb Krayina" flags in use, all based on the Serbian flag: horizontal tricolour red, blue, white with some symbols in the middle. From the beginning of the rebelion the usual design was a yellow cross streching both up into the red and down into the white stripes, with four letters C (beeing letter S in cyrillic) two of them flipped vertically:

        |
      ) | C
     ---+---
      ) | C
        |

This is a simplification of the serbian coat of arms. Letters C are in fact the lights used to hang before an icon, but they are long ago interpreted also as abbreviation for: Samo sloga Srbina spasava - Only concord saves the Serbs. Sometimes this flag is interpreted as a flag of the Serbian orthodox church.
After they proclamed the "Republic of Serbian Krajina", they took a coat-of arms slightly different from the Serbian: A two headed white eagle holding a blue shield with white cross and four Cs (in fact beeing a light to hang before an icon). Beneath the word "KRAJINA". That coat of arms was then used as a symbol in the middle of the flag. Design was quite changable. On the stamps from 1993 of "Republic of Serbian Krajina" the shield is red (as it is in proper Serbian coat of arms.)
They were using money printed in Belgrade the same in design as the money used by Bosnian Serbs, except the name of the state. The coat of arms seen there has the same design without the word Krajina, and with two fleurs-de-lis between the eagle's legs. On some of banknotes there is a crown above. (by the way the biggest nomination I heve seen on this money is 50 000 000 000 i.e. 5E+10).
After the breakdown of the "state" only the Croatian flag and currency are used. In the part of Croatia still occupied, Eastern Slavonia and Baranya, they still use similar Serb flags, as I have seen on TV. If they are using any currency other than "Yugoslav" dinars, I don't now.
Željko Heimer, 7 September 1995

In news from TV Vukovar (Croatian town in far east of the country, last 5 years held by Serbs) there was a comment on recent peace negotiations. On the table beside the journalist there was a flag (of size as it is usual on tables or hotel receptions) of, I suppose, Republic of Serb Krajina, I am not sure of how do they call the remaining occupied teritories of Croatia (some 4.6%). The flag was, as one could expect, a red blue white horizontal tricolour, with a golden eagle in the middle. I am going to describe the eagle, since this is the first like this I saw here. It was a golden two headed eagle bearing no escutcheon, and it was on a transparent shield bordered gold.
I don't know if this is an official flag, but since it was in main news, on a comment on the future of the "state", one can supose it is.
Željko Heimer, 27 November 1995

Flags in Use

with Serb cross in the middle

image by Željko Heimer

with Serb cross in the hoist

image by Željko Heimer

with white eagle

image by Željko Heimer

with swords (see also "War Flag" of Krajina)

image by Željko Heimer

with coat of arms

image by Željko Heimer

Another version of flag of Republic of Serbian Krajina, nearly the same as above, but the Coat of Arms is closer to the flag pole. This picture was published in party-newspaper of Bavarian CSU "Bayernkurier" on 25. July 2009 with the underline "Vukovar in the year of 2009: Election day in the ruins of the city".
J. Patrick Fischer, 11 September 2009

I very much doubt that this photo has anything to do with the 2009 elections! Even I think it must have been taken from some photo archives and was taken prior to 1995, or at least 1997, while RSK was still functioning there.
Although there is still much to be done in regarding of rebuilding of the city, the city is far from "amidst the ruins". Moreover, the Serb community flag that would have been used would be the simple tricolour Serb flag, which is the official flag of Serbs in Croatia and it would have been displayed probably together with the Croatian national flag nearby (grantedly, this might be out of the photo scope, but anyway...) Such RSK flag as on this photo would have provoked much journalists sensation if it was displayed on an election site in 2009, I am sure, and I have not noticed any such sensation during the July elections.
Also, one might site in Vukovar these days the flag of Serbia proper, since there is the consulate there, but the ordinary Serbian state flag would certainly be used.
So, this photo may serve us only as example of (yet an other) variation of the unofiicial RSK flag - which was indeed produced in numerous variations - this one may indeed be among the most popular, I would guess. As we know, the official RSK flag was the simple tricolour, although the defaced variations were apparently much more in use (also, in ceremonial occasions often both undefaced and one or more of defaced versions would have been displayed).
Željko Heimer, 11 September 2009

Coat of arms of RSK

This one is scanned from the card of Minister of physical culture and sport of Republic of Serbian Krajina (a trophy from the "Storm" operation of a friend of mine). But there is nothing to distinguish it from the arms of Serbia, unless it is its colour. This one was blue (as was everything on the card), and I saw sometimes the blue shield insead of a red one to be coat of RSK.
Željko Heimer, 27 November 1995

Istocnja Slavonia (Serbian state of Eastern Slavonia)

According to the chart: "Flags of Aspirant Peoples" :
"Istocnja Slavonia (Serbian state of Eastern Slavonia.)" - Plain Serbian tricolor.
IMHO Probably used when Eastern Slavonia was annexed by Serbia. Was it really a "separate" state as Krajina or Republika Srpska?
This flag is listed under number 42 at the chart Flags of Aspirant Peoples [eba94].
Ivan Sache, 16 September 1999

Eastern Slavonia was part of Krajina. However, it was formed somewhat before karjina proper, so during some short time it might have been considered as such (there would be some more such short lived Serb entities in Croatia and B&H, of no major vex- importance). But, after the western part of Krajina (Krajina was made of two unconnected parts of Croatian territory) 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 was plain Serb tricolour. One of most often used flags (as far as I have noticed) was tricolour with blue shield with white eagle. As the situation was so fluent, especially in the beggining (ca. 1990- 91) and end (1995-97) of the Serb proclaimed states.
Željko Heimer, 16 September 1999

Slavonia is NOT in Slovenia but it is the upper east part of Croatia.
Romain Darbellay, 4 October 1999