The Soviet Banner of Victory () was the banner raised by the Red Army soldiers on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 1 May 1945, the day after Adolf Hitler committed suicide. It was raised by three Soviet soldiers: Alexei Berest, Mikhail Yegorov, and Meliton Kantaria. 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:<ref>Донесение командующего 3-й ударной армией начальнику главного политического управления Красной Армии о бое за Рейхстаг и водружении над ним знамени Победы // militera.lib.ru (in Russian)</ref> Although this flag was not the only one to be hoisted on the Reichstag, it was the first and 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. Origin The origin of the banner comes from the report of the commander of the 3rd assault army to the head of political administration of The Red Army about the fight for Reichstag and placing the Victory Banner on it, dated 2 July 1945: Neutral, non-communist Victory Banner There is a variation of the Victory Banner, without the communist symbols red star, hammer and sickle, to which president Boris Yeltsin gave a status similar to that of the national flag, on 5 April 1996. President Vladimir Putin also adopted the Victory Banner as the official flag of the Russian Army. This flag was named after the flag raised on the Reichstag, but it is also called Victory Flag. Today this variation is no longer an official symbol.Федеральный закон Российской Федерации «О знамени Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации, знамени Военно-Морского Флота, знаменах иных видов Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации и знаменах других войск» The flags to be used for celebrations of the Soviet Victory Day were defined by a federal law. Status in certain countries Belarus By decree of President Alexander Lukashenko on 6 May 1995, a duplicate of the Victory Banner was issued for duties on 9 May, 23 February and 3 July. The Flag of the USSR also holds an equivalent status. In 2011, Russia presented Belarus with one of the official copies of the Victory Banner, being kept at the Belarusian