This is the 18025th most frequent Russian word.
фланг
Flank; the side of something.
The term 'фланг' here refers to the side or wing in a sports context.
Игрок мчался по правому флангу, обгоняя защитников.
The player dashed down the right flank, outpacing the defenders.
In this sentence, 'фланги' signifies the sides of a military formation.
Военные укрепили свои фланги перед битвой.
The military reinforced their flanks before the battle.
Here, 'флангов' describes the lateral sides of a structure.