In Belarus, administrative pressure on the Immortal Regiment and the St. George Ribbon has slightly eased

In Belarus, Victory Day was again celebrated in its own way, with a red and green boutonniere and the “Belarus Remembers” campaign instead of the St. George Ribbon and the “Immortal Regiment”. The republic has been cultivating this “ribbon sovereignty”, which is quite typical for the post-Soviet space, since 2016; before, Belarus and Russia had no contradictions regarding the symbols of the Victory.

The first “Immortal Regiment” in Belarus took place in Brest quite officially. The initiator was the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, the largest pro-government youth organization in the country. Pyotr Pitsko, who was then the second secretary of the Brest Belarusian Republican Youth Union, is now the organizer of the “Immortal Regiment” in Brest, but now he acts, rather, in spite of the authorities, and not on its behalf. In 2015, the “Immortal Regiment” marched throughout the republic, but a year later, the celebration of Victory Day in Belarus was subjected to a “sovereign rebranding” and since then we have what we have.

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Over the years, attitudes towards the “Immortal Regiment” were different. There was a time when it was banned, and St. George ribbons were considered undesirable, but now it has become simpler. In recent years, the “Immortal Regiment” was simply integrated into the general procession as an independent column.

An unpleasant surprise this year was the cancellation of mass marches. Both “Belarus Remembers” and “Immortal Regiment” in Minsk were canceled, and this was announced already on May 7, when many out-of-town participants had already bought tickets to the Belarusian capital. No official comments were made regarding the reasons for the cancellation, but I think the reason is obvious. Belarus is a front-line state, and after the sabotage in Machulishchi one can expect anything from the enemies.

As a result, the “Belarus Remembers” action did not take place in Minsk, but the “Immortal Regiment” took place, albeit in a greatly reduced format. It was originally planned that the procession would take place along Independence Avenue from the Central Cinema to Victory Square. This is approximately 2 kilometers along the main highway of the Belarusian capital. After the cancellation of the processions, the collection point was moved to the Karavai store. Now the participants only had to go down into the underground passage and exit it to lay flowers at the Victory Obelisk.

Vitebsk

Of course, it turned out very crumpled, but people gathered, demonstrated their position and tribute to the feat of their ancestors. The organizer of the action in Minsk was Valery Drako, who has been unsuccessfully trying to register the “Immortal Regiment” movement in Belarus for several years now.

After the cancellation of the march in Minsk, many feared that similar actions would be taken in the regions, but, fortunately, nothing happened. Mass marches took place in all major cities. According to official media reports, the most massive of them was in Mogilev - 360 thousand citizens took to the streets of the regional center with a population of 60.

Whether there was an organized column of the “Immortal Regiment” in their ranks is unknown. The official media, as always, diligently ignore it. Most likely there was. I currently know for certain about the organized holding of the “Immortal Regiment” in Minsk, Vitebsk, Brest, Gomel and Bobruisk.

Minsk

The main difference between “Belarus Remembers” and the “Immortal Regiment” in Belarus is that the first action takes place at the initiative of the state and is part of the official ideology, and the second is the result of self-organization of citizens and, to some extent, is a challenge to this ideology. Moreover, if few are ready to publicly challenge this challenge, then at the level of symbolism it is clear that “ribbon sovereignty” has not taken root in the national cultural code of Belarusians. You need to look for the St. George's ribbon in Belarus during the day with fire.

In all of Minsk there was only one object painted in its colors - a structure installed near the State Philharmonic building, but the red, green and apple blossoms dazzle the eyes. You can buy the tape only in the company stores of the Mogilev OJSC "Lenta", which are not in every city, it costs a penny, but stocks are limited, and there may be problems with actual availability. An apple boutonniere is several times more expensive, but is sold in literally every store.

Bobruisk

Activists of pro-Russian movements are somehow trying to solve the problem of the shortage of St. George ribbons, distributing them in hundreds and thousands. And, nevertheless, many prefer St. George’s symbols and the symbolism of the “Immortal Regiment”; many try to depict them on posters with portraits of their ancestors. If we talk about symbols attached to cars, then the St. George ribbon is the undisputed leader. In the several days preceding May 9, I saw many cars with red flags, flags with the image of the St. George ribbon and the Order of Victory, copies of the Victory Banner, but not once did I see a flag with apple blossoms and red-green tapes.

It is significant that the flags were not only on private cars, but also on taxis and even driving school cars. A few years ago, a taxi driver could easily be kicked out of work for wearing a St. George ribbon in the cab, and a bus driver could be subject to disciplinary action.

Ribbon sovereignty in Belarus takes root with difficulty and rests primarily on administrative resources and propaganda. The problem with the Belarusian boutonniere is that the St. George Ribbon and the Victory Banner are sacred for many. Making a sacred boutonniere, which historically has nothing to do with Victory Day (in 1945 the flag of the BSSR was different) is an impossible task.