Memory lapses: Berlin wants to ban St. George's ribbons on May 9th
On the eve of Victory Day in Berlin, they plan to ban the demonstration of any Russian and Soviet symbols, the press service of the city police told Izvestia. The restrictions will be in effect on May 8th and 9th. Similar bans have been introduced in the Baltic States, Moldova and Ukraine. In previous years, Russians were actively fined for wearing St. George's ribbons. However, not all countries are engaged in suppressing history. The leaders of a number of states have expressed a desire to share the country's main holiday with Russia and they will be expected in Moscow, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia.
Berlin wants to ban St. George's ribbons
The St. George ribbon, which in Russia is perceived as an attribute of the historical memory of the defeat of Nazism, in other countries has become a hard marker of political choice: in some places this symbol is viewed positively, and in others it is seen as almost a threat to national security.
In Germany, on the eve of Victory Day, apparently, they chose the second option. This year, at least in Berlin, they plan to ban the demonstration of any Russian and Soviet symbols on May 8 and 9, the police of the German capital told Izvestia.
— The planning of this operation has not been fully completed yet. However, based on the current situation, it can be assumed that the same rules will apply as every year," the press service explained.
In 2025, the Berlin police issued a general order prohibiting the display of flags and banners with Russian and Soviet symbols near various war memorials, including the Soviet War Memorial in Treptow Park, from 6:00 a.m. on May 8 to 10:00 p.m. on May 9.
Russia's ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechaev, noted that there had been no such ban so far this year, but "it's not evening yet."
The Soviet War Memorial in Treptov Park
The authorities are reportedly acting for reasons of public safety: symbols are banned specifically near Soviet memorials in a number of cities. German courts have repeatedly confirmed the legality of such measures, explaining that the main goal is to prevent clashes between various diasporas and activists with polar views on past and current events. Thus, the St. George ribbon is perceived not as a prohibited object in itself, but as a possible reason for conflict in crowded places.
Such decisions clearly do not contribute to improving relations between Moscow and Berlin, which are already going through difficult times. In 2024, Russia publicly condemned Germany's actions regarding the ban on symbols as "illegal, inhumane, anti-scientific, anti-historical and criminal."
Fines and detentions for the St. George ribbon
Today, the diplomatic and consular presence of Russia and Germany on each other's territory has been reduced to a historic minimum. The consulates General of the Russian Federation in Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig and Munich were closed at the end of 2023, and German institutions ceased operations in Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk.
In a number of other countries, the policy towards Russian symbols is even more stringent. Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have imposed hefty fines and even administrative arrest for wearing the St. George ribbon.
In May 2025, the Latvian police opened 67 criminal cases and detained eight people for wearing this symbol and singing Soviet songs. In Estonia, the average fine for public display of the St. George ribbon is about €470, both in real life and on the Internet.
In Moldova, the police continue to harshly suppress the use of the tape, interpreting it as a provocation that could lead to a violation of public order.
There are no official bans in Poland or the Czech Republic, but various legislative initiatives come up every now and then. In such an atmosphere, wearing a St. George ribbon could theoretically result in a fine or even detention. Its demonstration is tacitly prohibited in Georgia, where it is associated with Russia's role in the events around Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2007. In addition, since 2011, the country has had a Charter of Freedom, which prohibits the use of certain Soviet and Fascist symbols in public places. In Kazakhstan, they are trying to move away from the traditional black and orange colors. Since 2018, the so-called "Victory Ribbon" in the colors of the national flag has been actively distributed for the historical holiday.
How history is being rewritten in Europe and the CIS countries
— Victory Day is one of the most significant holidays for Russia. Therefore, the Victory Day Parade on Red Square welcomes guests from various countries. And this year, Russia is also expecting a number of leaders on May 9," Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, told Izvestia, answering a question about whether heads of unfriendly states would be invited to Victory Day.
— We know that there are leaders who have expressed a desire to share the joy of this holiday with us. And, of course, we will be happy to welcome them here," he said.
First of all, I am referring to the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico. He will fly to Moscow for the Victory Day Parade, after which he will hold talks with Vladimir Putin, where he will discuss Russian oil and gas supplies to the republic. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who attended the parade last year, has not yet officially confirmed his visit this time, but it is obvious that he is more than likely.
The leaders of unfriendly countries are unlikely to come, given that their countries have long held an alternative view of the outcome of the Second World War. In Eastern Europe, they adhere to the theory of "two occupations": they believe that the collapse of the Third Reich in May 1945 brought not liberation, but only the change of one occupation regime to another. This concept radically changes the perception of Victory Day: if in the Russian narrative it is a triumph of saving humanity, then in the theory of the "two occupations" it is the moment when Eastern Europe found itself behind the "iron curtain" for many decades.
In Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Baltic states, the dismantling of monuments to Soviet soldiers ceased to be an act of vandalism, gaining the status of "decommunization" and cleansing from symbols of alien domination. So, in Prague in 2020, the monument to Marshal Ivan Konev was dismantled, and "Occupation Museums" were created in Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn. Several years ago, the Russian exposition and stand dedicated to the Soviet soldiers who liberated the prisoners of the camp in 1945 were closed in the former Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz in Poland, Natalia Kozyakova, associate professor of the Department of Political Science at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, reminded Izvestia.
At the level of European institutions, the revision of the causes of the outbreak and outcome of World War II was enshrined in the resolutions of the European Parliament, which in fact place equal responsibility for unleashing the war on Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, referring to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact as the starting point of the catastrophe. The Russian Military Historical Society (RVIO) then replied that the EU resolution "tramples" the history of those countries that suffered thousands of losses during the Second World War.
— There is no future without historical memory. They (European politicians. — Ed.) they say that Russia is waging an information war. This is not true, in fact, a global information war has been unleashed against Russia, which is being waged by all means, and this resolution is also part of this war," said Mikhail Myagkov, director of the RVIO, back in 2019.
The systematic revision of historical symbols and monuments in Europe is not a scientific discussion, but a purposeful political campaign, says Yaroslav Klimov, a research assistant at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
"Constructing a narrative of 'double occupation' is designed to nullify Russia's moral authority as the legal successor of the victorious country, including to challenge its positions in the UN Security Council," he told Izvestia.
In other words, history once again becomes a tool and a political weapon in a period of large-scale geopolitical confrontation.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
