The St. George’s Ribbon, with orange and black stripes, is a symbol of the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II or the “Great Patriotic War” as it is nicknamed in Russia. If it has been released at each commemoration for ten years, this ribbon has known a particular patriotic fervor since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine by the troops of Vladimir Putin, report our colleagues from Point.
A sign of solidarity with pro-Russian separatists
A campaign to distribute the St. George’s Ribbon was organized this year in Russia by the public information agency Rossia Segodnia and financed directly by the Kremlin. And for good reason, as star presenter Dmitry Kiselev explained, beyond patriotism, it is also about showing support for the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine who also display this ribbon.
“Do we stand in solidarity with these people in eastern Ukraine who are today forced to defend this ribbon […] weapon in hand? Yes, we are,” said the presenter.
Alternatives to this ribbon in Ukraine and Belarus
Faced with this speech, neighboring countries of Russia and former Soviet republics that also participated in the victory over Nazi Germany, decided to use another symbol to remember this moment. Thus, Ukrainians will display a poppy on their jackets while in Belarus, the inhabitants sported a red and green ribbon.
In Russia, no one knows exactly the proportion of people who wear the ribbon of Saint George as a sign of remembrance of this victory or those who do so more out of patriotism in the current context.
