The Russian Navy Code of Signals is a collection of flaghoist signals

Flag signals

Flag signals can mean any of various methods of using flags or pennants to send signals. Flags may have individual significance as signals, or two or more flags may be manipulated so that their relative positions convey symbols...

, which is used together with semaphore alphabet for the transmission of information between the ships of the Russian Navy and also with the shore. Its use resembles that of the signals of other navies

Naval flag signalling

Naval flag signalling covers various forms of flag signalling, such as semaphore or flaghoist, used by various navies; distinguished from maritime flag signalling by merchant or other non-naval vessels or flags used for identification.-History:...

 but it is only used within the Russian fleet. For communication with foreign or civilian vessels the International Code of Signals

International Code of Signals

The International Code of Signals is an international system of signals and codes for use by vessels to communicate important messages regarding safety of navigation and related matters. Signals can be sent by flaghoist, signal lamp , flag semaphore, radiotelegraphy, and radiotelephony...

 is used.

The Russian Navy Code of Signals originates from a similar code of signals used by the Imperial Russian Navy

Imperial Russian Navy

The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...

. It was used by the Soviet Navy

Soviet Navy

The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...

 and with mostly insignificant changes remains in use by the Naval fleet of the Russian Federation.

The complete set of flags consists of 59 flags: 32 flags correspond to the letters of Russian alphabet

Russian alphabet

The Russian alphabet is a form of the Cyrillic script, developed in the First Bulgarian Empire during the 10th century AD at the Preslav Literary School...

, 10 flags correspond to numbers

Numerical digit

A digit is a symbol used in combinations to represent numbers in positional numeral systems. The name "digit" comes from the fact that the 10 digits of the hands correspond to the 10 symbols of the common base 10 number system, i.e...

, 4 flags are substitutes and 13 have special value.

The flag used by the Soviet Navy for the third substitute was based on the jack of the Imperial Russian Navy. Now that the Russian Federation is again using the old imperial jack, a new flag design is used for the third substitute.

The 32 Letters

Flag Name	Transliteration	Meaning	Description	International Use
А, Аз	Az	Negative Answer	red swallowtail with white rectangle vertically centered at the hoist
Б, Буки	Buki	“To be removed from the anchor”, “to give complete motion”	white pennant with red disk	ICS Number 1
В, Веди	Vedi	“The course of ... to the danger”	red pennant with blue white-fimbriated triangle set to the hoist
Г, Глаголь	Glagolʹ	“Are discovered the ships of enemy”	blue pennant
Д, Добро	Dobro		yellow flag.	ICS "Quebec"
Е, Есть	Estʹ	Positive answer, “to act independently or according to instruction”	blue pennant with yellow triangle set to the hoist.	ICS first substitute
Ж, Живете	Živete	“To give half speed”	white flag with red lozenge	ICS "Foxtrot"
З, Земля	Zemlâ	“To give backward motion”	checkered blue and white flag. Identical to the	ICS "November"
И, Иже	Iže	“Anxiety”, “the alert”	yellow over red horizontal bicolor pennant	ICS Number 7
Й, И краткое	I Kratkoe	It “revealed mine”	white swallowtail flag with black disc
K, Ка	Ka	“I go out of order”, “I cannot be governed”	blue over red horizontal bicolor flag	ICS "Echo"
Л, Люди	Lûdi	“I turn to the left”	white flag with red cross throughout	England
M, Мыслете	Myslete	“To give slow speed”	checkered red and white flag
Н, Наш	Naš	I " conduct fire”, I " load ammunition”	red swallowtail	ICS "Bravo"
O, Он	On	“To follow me”, “I please permission…”	yellow pennant with vertical red stripe	ICS Number 0
П, Покой	Pokoj	“To turn to the right”	yellow and blue vertical bicolor	ICS "Kilo"
Р, Рцы	Rcy		horizontal triband of blue, white and blue	ICS "Juliet"
С, Слово	Slovo	“The feet of machine”	blue flag with white saltire	ICS "Mike"
T, Твердо	Tverdo	“To have a motion… of units”	yellow and black quartered flag	ICS "Lima"
У, Ухо	Uho	I " suffer calamity”	red pennant with two white vertical stripes	ICS answering pennant
Ф, Ферт	Fert	“Cancellation”	yellow flag with black disc	ICS "India"
Х, Ха	Ha	“The end of the study”	white flag with red couped cross	Red Cross
Ц, Цепочка	Cepočka	“To return to its connection”	red, yellow and blue horizontal triband
Ч, Червь	Červʹ	“Persons outboard”	blue flag with small yellow lozenge
Ш, Шапка	Šapka	“To give complete motion”	white flag with five blue rectangles, spaced evenly and set per saltire
Щ, Ща	Ŝa		white pennant with red Scandinavian cross throughout	ICS Number 8
Ъ, Твердый знак	Tverdyj Znak		black over white triangular flag, divided horizontally in two equal parts.	ICS Number 6
Ы, Еры	Ery		black flag with white ascending diagonal stripe
Ь, Мягкий знак	Mâgkij Znak		blue and white pennant, divided vertically	ICS second substitute
Э, Э оборотное	È Oborotnoe		flag with five horizontal stripes, of blue, white, red, white and blue.	ICS "Charlie"
Ю, Юла	Ûla		white flag with red saltire	ICS "Victor"
Я, Яко	Âko	“To give dead slow”	red flag with yellow cross	ICS "Romeo"

The 10 Digits

Flag Name	Transliteration	Meaning	Description	International Use
1 единица	edinica	Decimal Digit 1	White beside blue vertical swallowtail bicolor.	ICS "Alpha"
2 двойка	dvojka	Decimal Digit 2	Blue triangular pennant with white disk	ICS Number 2
3 тройка	trojka	Decimal Digit 3	Pennant divided vertically into red/white/blue.	ICS Number 3
4 четверка	četverka	Decimal Digit 4	Red pennant with white Scandinavian cross.	ICS Number 4
5 пятёрка	pâtërka	Decimal Digit 5	Pennant divided vertically into yellow beside blue.	ICS Number 5
6 шестёрка	šestërka	Decimal Digit 6	Red over yellow divided per bend dexter (from top-left to bottom-right)	ICS "Oscar"
7 семерка	semërka	Decimal Digit 7	Red/white/blue vertical triband	ICS "Tango"
8 восьмёрка	vosʹmërka	Decimal Digit 8	Red/White counterchanged quarters per cross	ICS "Uniform"
9 девятка	devâtka	Decimal Digit 9	White with blue cross	ICS "X-ray"
0 ноль	nolʹ	Decimal Digit 0	Four colors divided per saltire consisting of yellow/blue/red/black	ICS "Zulu"

The 4 Substitutes and 13 Special Flags

Flag Name	Transliteration	Meaning	Description	International Use
1-ый дополнительный	1-yj dopolnitelʹnyj	1st substitute	red rectangle with the white border against the dark-blue background	ICS "Whiskey"
2-ой дополнительный	2-оj dopolnitelʹnyj	2nd substitute	red slanting strips against a yellow background	ICS "Yankee"
3-ий дополнительный	3-ij dopolnitelʹnyj	3rd substitute (Soviet era)	Russian navy jack with white border
3-ий дополнительный	3-ij dopolnitelʹnyj	3rd substitute (modern)	white over black flag divided per bend dexter (from top-left to bottom-right)
4-ый дополнительный	4-yj dopolnitelʹnyj	4th substitute	Pennant quartered white, black, red and yellow.	ICS Number 9
Гюйс	Gûjs	Soviet Navy Jack	red flag with white hammer and sickle surrounded by white outline of a star
Газ	Gaz	poison gases	black flag with the white-bordered red triangle
Дым	Dym	smoke screen	white pennant with the black horizontal stripe	ICS 3rd Substitute
Телеграфный	Telegrafnyj	telegraphic code	yellow and blue vertical strips	ICS "Golf"
Шлюпочный	Šlûločnyj	lower boats	dark-blue flag with the white rectangle in the center	ICS "Papa"
Воздушный	Vozdušnyj	airplanes	white flag with the blue rectangle in the center	ICS "Sierra"
Норд	Nord	North	white flag with red inverted triangle
Зюйд	Zûjd	South	white flag with black triangle
Ост	Ost	East	white flag with black lozenge
Вест	Vest	West	Red/white quarters divided per saltire
Вопросительный	Voprostelʹnyj	interrogative flag	yellow, blue and yellow horizontal stripes	ICS "Delta"
Ответный	Otvestnyj	reciprocal flag. Raised to half mast when a signal is noticed. Raised the rest of the way up when the signal is deciphered.	red pennant with white disk
Исполнительный	Ispolnitelʹnyj	executive	vertical bicolor white and red	ICS "Hotel"

External links

• Russian Centre of Vexillology and Heraldry (in Russian)
• Russian Navy News Website (in Russian)