Russia’s Parliament has passed new legislation that punishes with fines of up to 70,000 euros and prison terms of up to five years anyone who dishonors the St. George military ribbon, a symbol of the invasion of Ukraine.
«St. George’s ribbon is one of the symbols of Russia’s military glory,» reads the bill submitted to Parliament on Tuesday.
According to deputy Andrei Kartapolov, it was necessary to pass this new rule because in Ukraine people are «tortured and even killed» for wearing the orange and black colors of the military ribbon.
The St. George ribbon has historically been used as a reminder of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, although in the Ukrainian context it has been used by Russian sympathizers after the 2014 Crimean War.
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, several former Soviet republics have pushed through legislation to prohibit them from being displayed in public. Among the banned Russian symbology are also the letters ‘V’ and ‘Z’, drawn on some Russian tanks.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
