Victory Banner

The Victory Banner or Banner of Victory (Russian: Знамя Победы, romanized: Znamya Pobedy) was the banner raised by Red Army soldiers on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 1 May 1945, the day after Adolf Hitler committed suicide. This particular banner was raised by three Soviet soldiers: Alexei Berest, Mikhail Yegorov, and Meliton Kantaria, but it was not the only one Soviet banner on the Reichstag at that time, see Raising a Flag over the Reichstag for details. The Victory Banner, made under battlefield conditions, is the official symbol of the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany during the Second World War. It is also one of the national treasures of Russia. The Cyrillic inscription reads: 150 стр. ордена Кутузова II ст. идрицк. див. 79 С. К. 3 У. А. 1 Б. Ф. Translated and with abbreviations changed to their referents, the flag's writing means: 150th Rifle Order of Kutuzov 2nd class Idritsa Division 79th Rifle Corps 3rd Shock Army 1st Belorussian Front Although this flag was not the only one to be hoisted on the Reichstag, it was the only survivor of all the "official" flags specially prepared to be raised there. According to the Law of the Russian Federation, the Banner of Victory is to be stored forever in a place which provides its safety and public availability.