Russian parliament’s lower chamber, the State Duma, has approved the final reading of a bill criminalizing the desecration of the St. George ribbon, which was banned in Ukraine as a symbol of Russian aggression in 2017.
According to the bill that was approved on December 20, the desecration of the St. George ribbon may be punished by a 5 million ruble ($74,500) fine or up to five years in prison.
The move comes as the Kremlin looks to quell dissent and control the narrative during its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Parliament’s upper chamber, the Federation Council, must still approve the bill before President Vladimir Putin signs it into law.
The ribbon dates back to 1769, when Russian empress Catherine the Great established the Order of St. George. The medal was attached to a ribbon of black and yellow — later orange.
In 1945, the Soviet Union resurrected the orange-and-black for a medal to celebrate victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
The colors then became part of annual May 9 Victory Day celebrations in the Soviet Union and then in Russia, and they were handed out en masse in Russia starting in 2005.
Nearly a decade later, activists supporting Russia’s 2014 seizure of Ukraine’s Crimea and involvement in a war in eastern Ukraine began using the ribbon as a symbol, and it is now widely associated with the Russian aggression