The Ribbon of Saint George is presented as a symbol of victory in World War II, but this ribbon in that period was banned, starting with 1917. Therefore, the history of this symbol is relatively recent as it was brought back into use and insistently promoted since 2005, when it was celebrated the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II and was promoted by the Russian administration in a move to substitute the red color, which was associated with the Communist Party. Such opinions were stated by historian Octavian Ticu in the public debate “Ribbon of Saint George that unites and divides: motives and solutions” that was staged by IPN News Agency in concert with Radio Moldova.
Octavian Ticu said this ribbon has a relatively recent history that was built on the basis of the imperial plans of the Russian Federation. “Since 1917 until 1992, it had been banned. It has nothing to do with the symbols of the victory in World War II. This ribbon’s history dates from 2005, when it was celebrated the 60th anniversary of the end of the war. It was designed to make a connection between the old Russia and the new one. The ribbon didn’t include the red color, which represented the Communist Party. It was an internal matter and was used by the new regime to cultivate the people’s dedication to World War II. It could have been even Putin’s underpants. It didn’t matter. A symbol was needed to reunite this territory. The Ribbon of Saint George was used mainly to unify Russian society,” he stated.
Octavian Ticu noted that the Ribbon of Saint George is important for that part of Moldovan society that came here after the war with the intention of creating a new republic. “These people’s justification is that this republic belongs to them too. This element should be taken into account in the conditions in which the Party of Socialists has the largest number of supporters,” he said.
He added that this problem will not have a solution until there is a confrontation between the East and the West. This post-Soviet area must be an area of reconciliation between Russia and the West. As to the situation in Ukraine, where the separatists struggle under this ribbon, the historian said it depends on the Moldovan politicians whether we learn the Ukrainian lesson or not.
The public debate “Ribbon of Saint George that unites and divides: motives and solutions” is the 38th of the series of debates “Developing political culture through public debates”, organized by IPN with support from the German foundation “Hanns Seidel”.
