General standard-bearer (heneralnyi bunchuzhnyi). A senior official in the Hetman state of the 17th and 18th centuries and member of the General Officer Staff. Formally he was responsible for safeguarding and displaying the symbol of the hetman's authority—the bunchuk, a standard consisting of a staff topped by an orb or spearhead and decorated with a horsetail or tassels—during ceremonies and military campaigns. He carried out various military, diplomatic, and judicial tasks assigned to him by the hetman.


Encyclopedia of Ukraine