The St. George Ribbon: How one of Russia's symbols of military glory came to be

The history of the St. George Ribbon began in 1769, when Catherine II established the ‘Order of St. George’ to award the most distinguished officers. The order's insignia was attached to a silk ribbon featuring three black and two yellow stripes.

Black symbolized gunpowder smoke, while yellow the fire of battle. In addition, the ribbon reproduced the colors of the Russian Empire’s state coat of arms. In 1913, yellow was replaced with orange.

In 1917, the Bolsheviks abolished the St. George Ribbon, but, in 1942, it was effectively revived – this time as a Guards Ribbons. The black and orange ribbons appeared on the chest badges and sailor caps of Guards units. They later became part of the design of the ‘Order of Glory’ and the medal ‘For Victory over Germany’.

From the early 1970s, the black-and-orange ribbon was widely used in the USSR during Victory Day celebrations, though its name was rarely mentioned. This tradition continued in post-Soviet Russia.

The ribbon came to be known as the St. George Ribbon again in 2005. At that time, to mark the 60th anniversary of Victory Day, ‘RIA Novosti’ news agency and the ‘Student Community’ regional public organization for youth social support, launched the ‘St. George Ribbon’ campaign. Activists handed them out to anyone willing to wear them as a sign of respect for the significant date. Since then, approximately 20 million ribbons have been distributed annually for Victory Day.

The St. George Ribbon has become an important symbol of remembrance of the Great Patriotic War and respect for its heroes. In 2022, it was legally recognized as a symbol of Russia's military glory and any public desecration of it can result in a fine or even imprisonment.