Today, the St. George's Ribbon is perceived more as a modern fashion accessory on certain May days, which does not stand up to criticism. But few people know the history of the symbol of Victory and courage, courage and perseverance. The history of the origin of the color of the ribbon is even less familiar. And why is the ribbon called St. George's?
What you need to know about the St. George's Ribbon - we offer you a selection of 10 most important facts.
No. 1. Slogan
People started talking about the St. George's Ribbon, as a symbol of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, in the mid-2000s.
In 2005, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Victory, a non-political action began under the well-known slogans:
“Grandfather’s Victory is my Victory”, “Tie it up. If you remember!”, “I remember! I’m proud!”, “We are the heirs of the Great Victory!”, “Thank you grandfather for the victory!”
No. 2. Author of the idea
The idea of the action came from a group of journalists from the Russian International Information Agency RIA Novosti.
No. 3. Code of the St. George's Ribbon promotion
The St. George Ribbon Code consists of 10 points:
- Promotion "St. George's Ribbon" - not commercial and not political.
- The purpose of the action is creation of a holiday symbol - Victory Day .
- This symbol is an expression of our respect for veterans, a tribute to the memory of those who fell on the battlefield, gratitude to the people who gave everything for the front. To all those thanks to whom we won in 1945.
- "George Ribbon" is not a heraldic symbol . This is a symbolic ribbon, a replica of the traditional bicolor St. George ribbon.
- The use of original St. George's or Guards ribbons in the promotion is not allowed. "St. George's Ribbon" is a symbol, not a reward.
- "George Ribbon" cannot be the object of purchase and sale .
- "George Ribbon" cannot serve to promote goods and services. The use of tape as an accompanying product or element of product packaging is not allowed.
- "George Ribbon" distributed free of charge. It is not permitted to issue a ribbon to a visitor to a retail establishment in exchange for a purchase.
- Not allowed usage"St. George's Ribbon" for political purposes any parties or movements.
- The “St. George Ribbon” has one or two inscriptions: the name of the city/state where the ribbon was produced. Other inscriptions on the ribbon are not allowed.
- This is a symbol of the unbroken spirit of the people who fought and defeated Nazism in the Great Patriotic War.
Naturally, like any code in the Russian Federation, it is also not observed by every citizen. From 2005 to 2017, paragraph 7 of the code is considered the most violated. On the eve of the holiday, enterprising businessmen do whatever they can with impunity: manicures, vodka, beer, dogs, wet wipes, ice cream, mayonnaise, and even toilets- madness at its finest:
This is such speculation on the topic of war and victory... Petty, low, mean, disgusting...
No. 4. On banknotes
The St. George's ribbon is depicted on the commemorative banknotes of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic issued by the Central Bank of Transnistria to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
No. 5. Correspondence
The St. George ribbon in appearance and color combination corresponds to the ribbon that covers the order block for the medal “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.”
Medal "For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" Medal "For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" became the most popular medal. As of January 1, 1995, approximately 14,933,000 people have been awarded the medal.
Among the recipients are 120 thousand soldiers of the Bulgarian army who took part in hostilities against the German army and its allies.
No. 6. "Georgievskaya" or "Gvardeyskaya"
The ribbons distributed as part of this event are called St. George's ribbons, although critics argue that in fact they correspond to the Guards, since they mean a symbol of victory in the Great Patriotic War and have orange stripes, not yellow. The fact is that since the fall of 1941, units, formations and ships, for the courage and heroism of their personnel, which they showed in defending the Fatherland, were awarded the honorary title “Gvardeyskaya”, “Gvardeysky”, and not “Georgievsky” or “Georgievskaya”.
In fact, everything is simple - the guards ribbon is characteristic of the Soviet era of rule, while the St. George ribbon is characteristic of the Tsarist era. And they differed slightly - in color and width of the stripes. The Bolsheviks, who abolished the award system in 1917, only copied the tsar's award in 1941, changing the color slightly.
Guards ribbon in the USSR. Postcard. By the way, according to a common version, the term “guard” appeared in Italy in the 12th century and designated a selected detachment for guarding the state banner. In Russia, the first guard detachments were created in 1565 by decree of Ivan the Terrible - they were all part of his personal guard. Today they are called bodyguards, and in the times of Ivan the Terrible - guardsmen. The basis of the tsar’s personal guard were the “best” representatives of the most noble families and descendants of appanage princes... The guardsmen had to stand out from the crowd, and like monks, who were easy to distinguish by their black robes, special black clothes were invented for the tsar’s guard. This fact, by the way, explains the color of the clothes of modern bodyguards...
Paradoxically, the Bolsheviks, hating everything tsarist, overthrew the term “Georgievsky”, returned in 1941 another tsarist term “Guards”, but called it their own, Soviet...
No. 7. When first appeared
The St. George Ribbon appeared on November 26 (December 7) 1769. under Catherine II, along with the Order of St. George - the highest military award of the Russian Empire. The motto of the order was: “For service and bravery.”
Catherine II with the Order of St. George, 1st degree. F. Rokotov, 1770 The first holder of the order was the Empress herself - on the occasion of its establishment... And “For service and courage” - Fyodor Ivanovich Fabritsian - Russian general, hero of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774.
Under his command, a special detachment of Jaeger battalions and part of the 1st Grenadier Regiment, numbering 1,600 people, completely defeated a Turkish detachment of 7,000 people and occupied the city of Galati. For this feat, on December 8, 1769, Fabritian was the first in history to be awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd degree.
And the first full holder of the Order of St. George was the outstanding Russian commander, commander-in-chief of the Russian army during the Patriotic War of 1812, student and comrade-in-arms of A.V. Suvorov - Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov.
The last lifetime portrait of M. I. Kutuzov, R. M. Volkov, 1813. In the portrait, the Badge of the Order of St. George, 1st degree (cross) on the St. George ribbon (behind the hilt of the sword) and its quadrangular star (2nd from the top) . No. 8. Ribbon color
The ribbon was worn depending on the class of the gentleman: either in the buttonhole, or around the neck, or over the right shoulder. The ribbon came with a lifelong salary. After the death of the owner, it was inherited, but due to the commission of a shameful offense it could be confiscated from the owner. The Order Statute of 1769 contained the following description of the ribbon: “Silk ribbon with three black and two yellow stripes.”
However, as the images show, in practice, not so much yellow as orange was initially used in practice (from a heraldic point of view, both orange and yellow are just variants of displaying gold).
The traditional interpretation of the colors of the St. George's ribbon states that black means smoke, orange means flame . Chief Chamberlain Count Litta wrote in 1833: “the immortal legislator who founded this order believed that the ribbon connects it color of gunpowder and color of fire ».
However, a prominent specialist in Russian faleristics, Serge Andolenko, points out that black and yellow colors, in fact, only reproduce the colors of the state emblem: a black double-headed eagle on a gold background.
The image of George both on the state emblem and on the cross (award) itself had the same colors: on a white horse, white George in a yellow cloak killing a black snake with a spear, respectively, a white cross with a yellow-black ribbon.
“The Miracle of George on the Dragon” (icon, late 14th century) No. 9. Why is it named after St. George the Victorious?
This saint has become extremely popular since early Christianity. In the Roman Empire, starting from the 4th century, churches dedicated to George began to appear, first in Syria and Palestine, then throughout the East. In the West of the empire, Saint George was considered the patron saint of chivalry and participants in the crusades; he is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. In Rus' since ancient times, St. George was revered under the name Yuri or Yegory.
According to one version, the cult of St. George, as often happened with Christian saints, was put forward as opposed to the pagan cult of Dionysus , temples were built on the site of the former sanctuaries of Dionysus, and holidays were celebrated in his honor on the days of Dionysius.
The name George comes from the Greek. γεωργός - farmer. In the popular consciousness they coexist two images of the saint: one of them is close to the church cult of St. George - a serpent fighter and a Christ-loving warrior, another, very different from the first, to the cult of the cattle breeder and tiller, the owner of the land, the patron of livestock, who opens the spring field work
Saint George, together with the Mother of God, is considered the heavenly patron of Georgia and is the most revered saint among Georgians. According to local legends, George was a relative of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, the enlightener of Georgia. And the Cross of St. George is present on the flag of the Georgian church. It first appeared on Georgian banners under Queen Tamara.
This is interesting:
It is well known that the St. George Ribbon appeared along with the Order of St. George. So, since St. George was considered a Christian saint, how should Muslim defenders be rewarded? Thus, for non-believers, a version of the order was provided, in which, instead of St. George, the coat of arms of Russia, a double-headed eagle, was depicted. The model of the order with an eagle was approved by Nicholas I on August 29, 1844 during the Caucasian War, and Major Dzhamov-bek Kaitagsky was the first to receive the new badge. In this regard, in memoirs and fiction there are moments when officers, immigrants from the Caucasus, are perplexed:
“Why did they give me a cross with a bird, and not with a horseman?”
Badge of the Order of the 3rd class. for officers of non-Christian faith, since 1844 No. 10. Restoration of the Order of St. George
Once abolished by the Bolsheviks, the Order of St. George has today been restored, and by Decree of the President of Russia No. 1463 of August 8, 2000, it serves as the highest military award in Russia. The restored Order of St. George has the same external features as in tsarist times. Unlike the previous order, the order of awarding has been slightly changed: not only the 3rd and 4th degrees, but all degrees are given sequentially. An annual pension is not provided for holders of the order, whereas under Catherine II a pension was provided - it was received throughout life. After the death of the gentleman, his widow received a pension for him for another year.
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The St. George's ribbon is a symbol of the Second World War. The black and orange ribbon has become the main attribute of modern Victory Day. But as statistics show, unfortunately, not all citizens of the Russian Federation know its history, what it means, and how to wear it.
St. George's Ribbon: what it means, its colors, history
The St. George's ribbon, bicolor orange and black, appeared simultaneously with the soldier's Order of St. George the Victorious, which was established on November 26, 1769 by Empress Catherine II. This award was given only for feats in battle in the form of encouraging loyalty and courage for the benefit of the Russian Empire. Along with it, the recipient received a considerable lifelong allowance.
There are several versions of color decoding. According to the first, black symbolizes smoke or gunpowder, and orange symbolizes fire. According to another version, the colors were taken from the old coat of arms of Russia. Historians also say that black and orange were the imperial and state colors, this is a symbol of a black double-headed eagle and a yellow field.
The first to receive the Order of St. George were the participants in the naval battle in Chesme Bay. Medals on the St. George ribbon were first awarded in August 1787, when Suvorov’s army defeated the Turks.
The ribbon changed slightly and during the Soviet era began to be called the “Guards Ribbon.”
During the Great Patriotic War, the block of the very honorable “soldier’s” Order of Glory was covered with it.
How to wear the St. George's ribbon?
For 13 years in a row, on the eve of May 9, the “St. George Ribbon” campaign has started, during which volunteers hand out ribbons and tell people how to wear it correctly.
Nowadays, there is a tradition of decorating clothes with the St. George Ribbon as a sign of respect, memory and solidarity with Russian soldiers. However, there are currently no official rules for wearing it. It is important to remember that this is not a fashion accessory, but a sign of respect for fallen soldiers. Therefore, the St. George Ribbon must be treated with care and respect.
It is recommended to wear the St. George ribbon on the left side near the heart - as a sign that the feat of the ancestors will forever remain in it. You can attach it in the form of different shapes using a pin. You should not use the ribbon as a decoration on the head, below the waist, on a bag, or on the body of a car (including on the car’s antenna). It would be indecent to use it as shoelaces or lacing for a corset. If the St. George ribbon has deteriorated, it is best to remove it.
There are several ways to tie a St. George's ribbon so that it looks beautiful and meets the bounds of decency. To do this, the main thing is to use your imagination, or use the Internet, where you can find step-by-step instructions.
The standard and easiest way is a loop. To do this, the ribbon is folded crosswise and attached with a pin.
Lightning or zigzag. The tape will need to be folded in the form of the English letter “N”.
A simple bow is most often used to tie a ribbon in kindergartens and schools.
A person with a St. George's ribbon tied in a tie will look elegant. It will need to be wrapped around the neck so that the ends are of different lengths. Afterwards you need to cross them and thread the right one around the left one to make a loop. Next, you need to pull the end out of the loop and thread it through the eyelet.
Tenman N.A. and Loktenko L.
During the Soviet era, the St. George Ribbon was not forgotten. It entered the award system with minor changes and acquired the name "Guards Ribbon".
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St. George Ribbonis a combination of black and orange colors. These colors symbolize dark smoke and bright flames. Its history dates back to the autumn of 1769. Then Empress Catherine II introduced the soldier's Order of St. George the Victorious. A two-color ribbon became its component.
The order was awarded to military personnel who showed courage in battles for their homeland. The Order of St. George consists of 4 degrees. The ribbon, which has three black and two orange stripes, was part of the 1st class of this award. It was worn under the uniform, thrown over the right shoulder. A striped ribbon called"Georgievskaya" , not only used in this way. Later, its use was expanded and began to be included in the decoration of clothing items: standards, buttonholes.
St. George's ribbon during the USSR
During the Soviet era, the St. George Ribbon was not forgotten. It entered the award system with minor changes and acquired the name"Guards Ribbon". On November 8, 1943, a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was issued. It said that the St. George ribbon became part of the Order of Glory. It was used to cover the block of this honorary badge. This event was a great chance to use it as a sign of respect for all soldiers.
The Order of Glory was awarded to heroes who performed the feats specified in the list. Among the wide list, one could find points that capturing the enemy’s banner, helping the wounded under enemy bullets during several battles, saving the banner of one’s unit, being the first to penetrate the enemy’s hideout and eliminate his garrison could be considered a feat. Heroes who received this badge of honor were immediately promoted.
In 1992 St. George Ribbongot a new start. Then the ribbon itself and the Order of St. George were approved as signs of military courage and courage.
St. George's ribbon today
Project "St. George Ribbon"started in 2005. Then the sixtieth anniversary of the Victory was celebrated. Every year it was just gaining momentum and had already become a good tradition. The action was recognized as one of the largest in scale in Russia.
People taking part in the program attachSt. George Ribbonfor clothes, handbags, car mirrors. This is a kind of embodiment of gratitude, a tribute to those who died in battle. The great history of the St. George ribbon deserves to have its colors signify Victory.
ADDITION
The St. George Ribbon - a symbol of military glory, courage, courage, a symbol of Victory - in recent years has increasingly become a symbol of memory of great history and its heroes.
The St. George Ribbon appeared under Catherine II along with the Order of St. George, the highest military award of the Russian Empire.
At first it was yellow and black - the colors of gunpowder and fire, but later the yellow stripes were replaced with orange. This is also symbolic: the color of fire mixed with the color of blood.
Throughout history, only 25 military leaders were awarded the St. George Ribbon, and only four of them were full holders of the Order of St. George of all four degrees - Mikhail Kutuzov, Mikhail Barclay de Tolly, Ivan Varshavsky and Ivan Dibich Zabalkansky.
Soon, a version of the order for privates and lower officers appeared - the Cross of St. George. He was also called “Soldier Georgy” or simply “Egory”. Despite the comic nickname, this award is extremely valuable in all respects. It was given only for extraordinary courage shown during hostilities. In addition to honor, it added a third to the owner’s salary and the opportunity for privates to quickly become junior officers.
By the way, it was instead of the St. George Cross that they first began to present only the ribbon from it, when the order itself could not be delivered. This happened during the defense of Sevastopol in the Crimean War of the 19th century.
During the Patriotic War of 1812 and the subsequent foreign campaign against Paris, almost 25 thousand of these awards were awarded, and in the First World War, when there were already four different degrees of orders, more than a million. For the same war, the St. George Medal was established - an award for civilians who distinguished themselves at the front. For example, for paramedics and orderlies.
The Bolsheviks abolished imperial awards, but in 1943 - at the height of the Great Patriotic War - Joseph Stalin decided to return the former attributes of military valor - first shoulder straps, and a little later the black and orange ribbon for the Order of Glory. In fact, the Order of Glory is a complete similarity to the Cross of St. George. They were awarded to privates and sergeants, and in aviation also to junior lieutenants. The order had three degrees, and 2,674 people became full holders of the order, including four women.
But the most common St. George ribbon is on the medal “For Victory over Germany.” This is the most massive military award in the USSR - almost 15 million recipients, all combatants who survived that terrible war.
In 2005, the memory of the St. George Ribbon began to be revived. By May 9, all those who remember the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, who honor history and are proud of it, put on the black and orange symbol of Victory. This is done in Russia, and in Belarus, and in Moldova, and in the Czech Republic. In footage taken in Berlin before last Victory Day, Germans are tying the St. George Ribbon to their lapels. This year in New York, during preparations for the holiday, a black and orange canvas appeared in the sky over the metropolis.
In recent weeks, more often than in other places, the St. George Ribbon can be found in the south-east of Ukraine. She has become a symbol of those who are fighting for the federalization of the country and do not agree with the authorities in Kyiv. There, this ribbon is sometimes literally a symbol of both courage and bravery; for wearing it you can get hit on the head with a club or get burned in the House of Trade Unions. But this never stopped those who wore the symbol of St. George.
It seems that not so long ago the St. George’s ribbon became an attribute of Victory Day. Meanwhile, twelve years have passed. Let us remember that the tradition was started by Moscow journalists and was picked up almost immediately throughout the country, as well as beyond its borders. They picked it up so quickly because the symbol has a long and glorious history. And Alexander Semenenko, candidate of historical sciences, reminded us of it on the eve of the next Victory Day.
The St. George Ribbon is a memory of the two-color ribbon for the Order of St. George, the St. George Cross and the St. George Medal. The award appeared at the height of the Russian-Turkish War, when Empress Catherine II established the order in honor of St. George the Victorious. “George the Victorious is considered the patron saint of the Russian army. In addition, he is depicted as a patron on the coat of arms of Moscow. And then such a long-standing tradition developed that St. George the Victorious is, first of all, a man, and then a symbol of the inflexibility of the Russian spirit. The introduction of such an order was supposed to contribute to the rise of soldiers,” says our interlocutor.
The order, as he notes, has a heraldic component attached to it, and it found its origins in existing symbols: “Black is the symbol of the eagle, and the eagle is the coat of arms of the Russian Empire. The orange field was initially yellow. I would like to note that orange and yellow are considered a type of golden field. This is the field of the Russian state emblem."
This is the true meaning of ribbon colors. But today we often hear that gamma means smoke and flame. As an option - gunpowder and flame. It sounds nice, but it's not true. And it also has a long history. In the nineteenth century, as some sources note, some nobles wrote that “the immortal legislator who founded this order believed that its ribbon connected the color of gunpowder and the color of fire.”
“The common belief that orange symbolizes fire, and black symbolizes ash or smoke, is fundamentally wrong,” says Alexander Mikhailovich. - There is classical heraldry. Such comparisons are beyond the bounds of science. The St. George ribbon is a historical image and it is better to work with explanations of classical heraldry, rather than invent something. I propose to agree with the arguments of Catherine II. Black is the heraldic color of the eagle. The double-headed eagle is now both the Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation and the Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire, which we borrowed during the era of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III, thanks also to his second wife Zoya, or Sophia Paleologus. And the yellow or orange color, as we said, is a kind of heraldic understanding of the golden color around the state emblem. George the Victorious himself became a kind of symbol of Russia. Although it is worth noting that George is close to both Muslims and some other religions, so representatives of different faiths are happy to come to our Victory Square to pay tribute to those who fought for the freedom of our Motherland.”
The image of the St. George ribbon was dear to the people even in Soviet times. During the Great Patriotic War, it became clear that it was necessary to revive national heraldic traditions. “And when the guard was born in the battle of Moscow, guards ribbons appeared, they were slightly modified, but they were based on the St. George component. Then the Order of Glory appears for soldiers and sergeants, there, too, on the order block we see the St. George ribbon. Well, when the Soviet Union won the war, a medal “For Victory over Germany” appeared, and the St. George’s ribbon was also depicted on the order block. And if we look at the anniversary medals of our veterans, the St. George format is reproduced everywhere,” explains the historian.
The chain of times, according to the interlocutor, closed when in 2005, at the celebration of the next anniversary of the Great Victory, people wanted to find some symbol that was not invented, but took into account both Russian and Soviet traditions and would be understandable to modern youth. “The St. George’s ribbon became such a symbol. She gained popularity very quickly. Twelve years have passed, and it has become clear that this is a successful designation of the holiday and involvement in it. And, of course, this is a certain belonging to the Russian world, a sign that you remember the victories of your ancestors, and these are Nevsky, Kutuzov, Bagration, Zhukov, Vasilevsky,” says Alexander Semenenko.
As we can see, we didn’t have to invent anything in order to get a bright symbol of the great holiday that was close to millions. “You just need to comprehend the traditions and carefully try to recreate everything. If it had been superficial, artificially imposed, it would probably have been rejected. The ribbon continues to live, and it continues to unite us all - the fallen, the living, and those who will come after us,” the interlocutor concludes.
Black and yellow colors reproduce the colors of the state coat of arms under Catherine II: a black double-headed eagle on a gold background. The image of George both on the state emblem and on the cross (award) itself had the same colors: on a white horse, white George in a yellow cloak, killing a black snake with a spear, respectively, a white cross with a yellow-black ribbon. This is the true meaning of ribbon colors. But today we often hear that gamma means smoke and flame. As an option - gunpowder and flame. It sounds nice, but it's not true.
Distribution of tapes began in 2005
What unites the peoples of the former empire? So that there are no meat coupons, no Gulag, no destroyed churches? Yes, a common victory over Nazism.
“Fascists of the future will call themselves anti-fascists”, - wrote Churchill. And so it happened.
The “St. George Ribbon” campaign began in 2005, in the second year of Putin’s second term, by the Russian organization “Student Community” with the support of the Moscow government and RIA Novosti. Since then, mass distribution of ribbons has been carried out annually in almost the entire territory of the former USSR. Also The tapes are sent to all Russian embassies - therefore the geography of the tapes covers almost the entire globe.
Striped Legion
In recent years, before Victory Day, many black and yellow St. George ribbons have appeared in Belarus. They are attached to cars and even to dog collars. After all, the tapes are distributed en masse - on the streets, in stores, at gas stations.
Why St. George's?
In fact, the St. George ribbon has a very indirect relation to the Second World War.
The St. George Ribbon is so called because it served as a ribbon for the Order of St. George, founded in 1769 by Catherine II. The order was the highest military award of the Russian Empire, but was abolished by the Soviets in 1917 and restored in Russia in 1992.
She returned to military awards in 1943 as a ribbon for the Order of Glory.
In 1945, the same ribbon appeared on the medal “For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.” "(almost 15 million awarded). However, the ribbon had a different name - “Guards”.
Triumphant return
The guards ribbon was used in the USSR mainly for festive decoration. It can be found on Soviet postcards from different years. But “Georgievskaya” is an open reference to imperial history - no one called it that then.
Error or not?
Even the organizers of the action cannot clearly explain why the St. George’s ribbon, not the Guards’, was “resurrected.” An employee of the Russian public campaign "St. George's Ribbon" Elena (who, unfortunately, refused to give her last name) vaguely explained that the black and gold ribbon was originally called the St. George's ribbon.
Remarks about the abolition of the Order of St. George in 1917 and the correct use of the term “Guards Ribbon” in relation to the Second World War period irritated Elena: “I am not a historian. If you need some historical facts, consult historical literature. But the Order of Victory was on the St. George ribbon.”
Elena was referring to the highest order of the USSR, “Victory,” which was awarded to marshals, generals and the generalissimo. But in reality, the ribbon of the Order of Victory was six colors, and red predominated.
But the anniversary medal “60 Years of Victory in the Second World War 1941-1945”, founded in the same year as the “St. George Ribbon” campaign, has an image of the Order of “Victory” and a guards ribbon on the edges of the red block.
However, it is unlikely that the titles of the films were unintentionally mixed up. The code of the St. George Ribbon action states that the goal of the action is “to create a symbol of the holiday - Victory Day.”
Ribbon instead of a flag
Thus, the Putin regime created a new universal symbol. It supposedly relates to the war - in which, by the way, the greatest casualties were suffered by Belarusians, Ukrainians, Poles and Jews, but at the same time it also has a reference to the times of the Russian Empire. Such a Trojan horse. Not everyone understood this idea.
They hung St. George ribbons - and hung them. Few therefore paid political significance. But then events happened in Ukraine. Russia grabbed Crimea, and now it also wants Odessa and Donetsk. And here the St. George ribbon became a symbol of identification of militants and separatists.
It went beyond the celebration of Victory Day and acquired a new meaning.
People who Deputy Rybak's stomach was opened in Gorlovka and sank him alive, wearing such ribbons. People who discovered shooting from carbines at a Ukrainian demonstration in Odessa on May 2 so did I, which ultimately killed 46 people. Ukrainian paratroopers and Alpha special forces soldiers in Slavyansk were also shot at by people with St. George ribbons.
After this the ribbon ceased to be a neutral symbol.
Kirill Khilko
More details here:
“St. George’s Ribbon”: where, to whom, for what