In mid-June 2025, a rumor spread on social media claiming that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) shared a Flag Day post on X featuring two Russian flags. Flag Day, celebrated annually on June 14, commemorates the adoption of the American flag in 1777.
"When your Defense Department is not only run by a former Fox News host, but likely full of Russian spies and those being paid by Russia, you get tweets like this. Two russian flags, and very a basic English mistake," one X post on the topic (archived) read.
"There are two Russian flags in this official Department of Defense post," another X user wrote. "On Flag Day, our Dept of Defense posts an image with two Russian flags in it?! I thought it must be a fake but i confirmed this post and ir was the DoD. SMDH. Who was responsible for this?" one Facebook post (archived) asked.
The claim spread on multiple social media platforms, including Reddit, X, Bluesky, Threads. Russian and Ukrainian-language news websites also discussed this topic and versions of the image replacing the alleged Russian flag elements with Ukrainian flag also circulated on social media.
But while the graphic circulating on social media in mid-June 2025 was authentic and did originate from the DOD's official account, there is no evidence that it was intended to depict, reference or resemble the Russian flag. The feature in question consisted of red and white bars on a dark blue background, which at a quick glance resembled elements of the Russian flag. However, a closer look revealed that the blue was not part of an isolated tricolor pattern but rather part of a larger, shaded background design with vertical gradients. Without evidence of intent or origin pointing to a Russian flag reference, the claim that DOD posted a graphic that included Russian flags is unfounded.
We reached out to DOD to ask if the image was intended to depict or resemble the Russian flag, as well as to clarify the origin and purpose of the design used in the June 14 Flag Day post. We will update this article if we receive a response.
What the graphic actually shows
At the time of publication, the post remained publicly available on X. It made no mention of Russia, nor did it reference any foreign nation and it was clearly intended as a patriotic tribute to the American flag.
On first glance, the parts highlighted below might have appeared to resemble the flag of the Russian Federation.
(X account @DeptofDefense/Snopes Illustration)
However, a closer look revealed no evidence that the design depicted Russian flags. Rather, it consisted of white and red stripes placed on a blue background with vertical gradient stripes.
(X account @DeptofDefense/Snopes Illustration)
The Russian flag consists of three equal horizontal stripes — white on top, blue in the middle and red on the bottom. The key here is that all three stripes are of equal size and run the full width of the flag (see image below).
(Getty Images)
Therefore, in the DOD's image, the blue was used as a background color behind two isolated bars and there was no blue stripe as such.
A review of recent posts on the DOD's official X account showed no other graphics featuring a similar red-and-white stripe design, and it appeared to be a one-off design used specifically for the June 14 Flag Day post.
For reference, below is the post (archived) the DOD shared on Flag Day in 2024.
(X account @DeptofDefense)
Additionally, shown below is the DOD's Flag Day post (archived) from 2023.
(X account @DeptofDefense)
This wasn't the first time we've fact-checked a claim involving patriotic symbols. For instance, in early February 2025, we debunked a false claim that early in his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration replaced the standard 50-star U.S. flag with a nine-star flag on government websites.