The edge of memory: before May 9, the demand for patriotic paraphernalia increased sharply

On the eve of Victory Day, the number of orders for patriotic paraphernalia in Russia increased by 24% compared to the same period last year, analysts said. Flags, St. George ribbons, artificial carnations, soldiers' caps and military uniforms have become the most popular products. On marketplaces, sales of some products increased up to eight times. And the lawyers reminded that it is important to understand the line between the respectful use of symbols and actions that can be regarded as an insult to them — for this you can face a fine and even criminal punishment.

What Russians are buying before May 9th

Since the beginning of April, Russians have spent 175 million rubles on online purchases of Victory Day paraphernalia, analysts at First Data told Izvestia. The number of orders increased by 24% compared to the same period last year, but people spent 29% less money.

Flags, St. George ribbons, artificial carnations, soldiers' caps and military suits became the most popular products in terms of the number of purchases. Flags were purchased by 9% more than last year, St. George ribbons — by two, and carnations — by four times more.

"Patriotic paraphernalia remains in demand, but the nature of demand has changed," said Alexander Starostin, CEO and co—founder of First Data. — The number of purchases is growing, and the total amount of spending is falling — people are not abandoning symbols, but are looking for more affordable options. This correlates with the general trend for savings, which we record in a wide variety of categories, from food to household goods.

So, this year flags are bought for an average of 290 rubles, which is 10% less than a year earlier, the St. George ribbon costs 211 rubles (-20%), artificial carnations — 260 rubles (-44%), a soldier's cap — 209 rubles, which is almost twice as cheap, and a military suit — 1,895 rubles. (-8%).

"Thus, Russians have switched to more budget—friendly products in this category, as well as shifted demand towards the most inexpensive accessories - ribbons, flags and carnations," the analysts emphasized.

The high interest in the attributes of Victory Day celebrations was also confirmed by the press service of Wildberries & Russ. From April 22 to May 5, the turnover of such products on the marketplace increased 3.5 times compared to the previous two weeks.

"The leaders in turnover are various badges, brooches with holiday symbols, as well as St. George's ribbons — in physical terms, the increase was 275%. In second place are products from the "Interior Items" category, in this case we are talking about stickers and decor for the holiday, where the growth in physical terms exceeded 300%," they added.

Sales of military uniforms increased fivefold before the holiday. Various tripwires and garlands are very popular, and the demand for them has increased by 250%. But holiday flags became the leader in terms of dynamics — 343% in pieces. Postcards, mugs and key rings with symbols showed a growth rate of 50-75%, and in terms of sales they are significantly inferior to the leading categories.

According to Ozon, from May 1 to May 5, the demand for brooches with patriotic symbols increased almost eight times, for St. George ribbons — four times, for artificial carnations and caps — more than 1.6 times.

"The main driver of this demand is residents of small towns and villages: in the regions, orders for festive goods are growing noticeably faster than in megacities," they said.

What is the risk for incorrect handling of attributes?

It is important to understand the line between the respectful use of state and commemorative symbols dedicated to Victory Day and actions that can be regarded as an insult to them, said Alexey Gavrishev, lawyer and managing partner of AVG Legal.

"The St. George ribbon in Russia is officially recognized as a symbol of military glory," he said. — Accordingly, demonstrative disrespectful treatment of her, damage or use in a humiliating context may entail both administrative and, in some cases, criminal liability. A similar approach is applied to the national flag of Russia, especially when it comes to public abuse of it. This is already Article 329 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Imprisonment for a year").

It is generally acceptable to place flags and holiday symbols on balconies, windows, cars, private homes and in public places, Alexey Gavrishev said. Restrictions arise where the use begins to violate the norms on state symbols, safety rules or public order.

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"For example, questions may arise about the placement of symbols in a damaged, contaminated form, their use in questionable advertising, or a combination with prohibited symbols," the lawyer emphasized. — Stylization is a separate problem. In practice, people sometimes use elements that visually resemble banned extremist symbols without realizing the consequences. In such cases, liability under Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation is already possible.

In addition, it is important for motorists to remember that excessive decoration of cars with flags or structures should not restrict visibility, obscure license plates or pose a threat to traffic safety.

"Otherwise, in addition to questions about the symbols, there may be complaints from the traffic police," he said. — In general, the state is traditionally quite loyal to the use of festive attributes for Victory Day, if it is a question of a memorable and respectful format.

According to him, the main risks arise not from the very fact of placing a flag or ribbon, but from the form of presentation, context and demonstratively disrespectful treatment.

What schemes did the scammers come up with?

On the eve of the holiday, there is an increase in the number of phishing sites using this topic, said the CEO of Secure-T (Solar Group) Khariton Nikishkin.

"One of the most dangerous tricks is phishing sites that promise to arrange a Victory Day payment for veterans or relatives of participants in their military operations on behalf of government platforms or foundations," he said. — On one of these sites, for example, they promise to pay 50-200 thousand rubles. However, if you enter your username, phone number, and text message code, instead of receiving a payment, the user will give the scammers access to their confidential data, which the attackers are happy to use against the victims.

Offers with huge discounts or sudden charity collections before the holidays can also be a hoax, Khariton Nikishkin warned. The attackers are also actively distributing malicious greeting cards.

—Such congratulations with the file can come in messengers and mail, but inside the postcard there is a virus that can steal data from the user's device, including passwords and access to banking applications," the expert added. — We recommend that you do not open suspicious files with type extensions.gift or no preview, even if they came from someone you know, it's better to call the person personally and ask if they really sent something.

To protect yourself from such fraudulent schemes, you should check payment information only on the official websites of government services by entering the address manually, do not click on links and do not download files from suspicious messages.