The coat of arms of the Bryansk Oblast (russian: Герб Брянской области, ''Gerb Brjanskoj oblasti'') was approved by the Bryansk Oblast Duma on November 5, 1998. According to the official description provided by the legislature of the oblast, the arms of the

Bryansk Oblast Bryansk Oblast (russian: Бря́нская о́бласть, ''Bryanskaya oblast''), also known as Bryanshchina (russian: Брянщина, ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Bryansk. As of th ...

"reflect the characteristic features of the area and its inhabitants: industry and patriotism. The escutcheon of the Bryansk Oblast is an azure French shield, which represents

Pan-Slavism Pan-Slavism, a movement which crystallized in the mid-19th century, is the political ideology concerned with the advancement of integrity and unity for the Slavic people. Its main impact occurred in the Balkans, where non-Slavic empires had rule ...

. In the upper part of the shield is a three-tiered spruce, which stands for the forests of Bryansk. The tree itself is defaced by an

inescutcheon In heraldry, an escutcheon () is a shield that forms the main or focal element in an achievement of arms. The word can be used in two related senses. In the first sense, an escutcheon is the shield upon which a coat of arms is displayed. In the s ...

with the arms of

Bryansk Bryansk ( rus, Брянск, p=brʲansk) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna (river), River Desna, southwest of Moscow. Population: Geography Urban la ...

, the oblast's capital. At the bottom of the escutcheon is a

golden Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall * Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershi ...

pall Pall may refer to: * Pall (funeral), a cloth used to cover a coffin * Pall (heraldry), a Y-shaped heraldic charge * Pall (liturgy), a piece of stiffened linen used to cover the chalice at the Eucharist * Pall Corporation, a global business * Pall. ...

, whose three beams symbolise the unity of three East Slavic countries:

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

, and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. Geographically, the Bryansk Oblast is located where all three states neighbour each other. Around the escutcheon is an oak wreath, an ornament used by all governorates in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

and most oblasts in the modern

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. It thus symbolizes Bryansk Oblast's status as a Russian federal subject. The wreath is entwined with ribbons belonging to two state decorations awarded to the oblast, dating from the

Soviet era The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...

: the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration ...

and the Partisan of the Patriotic War Medal. Likewise, the arms' crest is the Soviet hammer and sickle: outside of its usual proletarian symbolism, it represents the fact that the oblast in its current state was formed in the USSR. The laws of the Bryansk Oblast allow three versions of the regional arms to be used. The greater coat of arms (or the "parade arms", as per the terminology used in the oblast's laws) includes every element of the blazon, while the lesser coat of arms omits the crest and the oak wreath (while retaining the ribbons, which are placed below the escutcheon). The coat of arms of Bryansk Oblast did not pass the examination of the

Heraldic Council of the President of the Russian Federation The Heraldic Council of the President of the Russian Federation (translated various ways), Russian: ''Геральдический совет при Президенте Российской Федерации'', is a part of the Russian Presidenti ...

. Among the many reasons, it is said that the emblem "fancifully combines elements of imperial and socialist symbols", and the fact that the hammer and sickle, even if they are allowed to be used, are not in place (should not be in the crown), and that the use of the wreath frame contradicts the status of the Bryansk region as a full-fledged subject of the Russian Federation, and the fact that the coat of arms of Bryansk is illegally placed ("usurped") into the coat of arms of the region. Also, the coat of arms is criticized by the heraldists of the Bryansk region.

References

Bryansk Oblast Symbols introduced in 1998

{{Heraldry-stub

See also

References