Uproar on US social media as users spot Russian flag elements in Pentagon's Flag Day post 

(Left) The image shared by the Pentagon on X and (right) the Russian flag. (Image credit: Pentagon, @ShinmenTakezou/X)

A recent Flag Day message from the US Department of Defence's official X page has caught the eye of social media users. They claim to have spotted parts of the Russian flag within the image, leading to a bit of a stir online. The post, shared on Saturday, asked Americans to honour "the emblem of our nation and the stars and stripes that unite us all."

The Pentagon's message read, "As we display our nation's flag and reflect on the values it represents, let’s celebrate the freedom, courage and resilience that makes our country great." But soon, users started pointing out that some red and white stripes near the stars in the picture looked like the Russian flag. This happened because a gap was left between the stripes which, against the blue background, gave the impression of the Russian tricolour.

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*Looks at the flags*R... Russia... https://t.co/CpvBhTgiQf pic.twitter.com/weaKA7o9yB Polling USA (@USA_Polling) June 14, 2025

It's worth noting that the Pentagon's Flag Day posts from previous years didn't include any design elements like this.

"Quite appropriate for the Kremlin-backed Trump regime in the United States, the Department of Defense displays two flags of the Russian Federation and one crumpled up Stars and Stripes. The status of the American Oblast of the Russian Federation could not be more obvious." X user Michael MacKay (@mhmck) commented. "First, Secretary Marco Rubio congratulates Russia on celebrating Russian Day and now you see this administration proudly displaying the Russian flag beside ours. Make no mistake. America has fallen to Russia," added Dede Watson (@Dede_Watson).

Id like to believe leadership at DoD is just so imbecilic that they didnt realise they put two Russian flags in this tweet. Then again, its hard to discern whats accidental and whats intentional anymore. https://t.co/AHvycYhejT Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) June 14, 2025

What is the significance of US Flag Day?

Flag Day is an important day in the United States, celebrated every year to remember when the country's flag was first adopted. The original decision to create the flag was made 248 years ago, on June 14, 1777, by the Continental Congress. They decided the flag should have "13 stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."

Even though the flag's design was set in the 1700s, Flag Day itself wasn't observed until much later.

Schoolteachers across the US started celebrating it in the late 1800s. It was US President Woodrow Wilson who first officially declared June 14 as Flag Day in May 1916. Later, in 1949, President Harry Truman signed it into law as a national holiday. On this day, Americans show their patriotism by carrying the flag in parades, displaying it outside their homes, and holding other patriotic events.