On May 5, 2020, a 66-year old resident of Kryvyi Rih was detained by Ukrainian police for sticking self-made celebratory posters with VE-Day greetings, just before the holiday. The leaflets, drawn with a flow marker and a stencil, contained symbols that are forbidden in Ukraine, which is black and orange St.George ribbon and slogans from the Soviet times, “Glory to the Red Army” and “Glory to Russian soldier”.
Such behavior angered some local “patriots” who detained the old man “at the crime scene” in Sotsgorod region and called the police, who seized about two dozens of leaflets from the man, dedicated to the forthcoming date of May 9.
A criminal case was opened against the man under Part 1 of Article 436-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on the “Production, distribution of Communist, Nazi symbols and the propaganda of the Communist and National-Socialist regimes”. Now, the retired man is facing up to five years in prison and seizure of property.
In April 2015, Ukraine adopted the law “On the Condemnation of the Communist and Nazi Regimes” that prohibits the propaganda of Soviet symbols.
