RIA Novosti) - Russia's upper house voted unanimously Friday to retain a Red Army banner for ceremonies like Victory parades. The Federation Council approved a law, which retains the red banner with the hammer and sickle - the world | "Our fathers and grandfathers fought with the red banner with the hammer and sickle. It was hoisted on the Reichstag, and the symbol of Victory must be preserved." |
The State Duma, the lower house of parliament, proposed red banners with white five-pointed stars for ceremonies to commemorate the victory in a bill adopted April 6, overriding the upper chamber's veto. The Duma, dominated by the Kremlin-backed United Russia party, adopted an amended bill April 25 after President Vladimir Putin rejected the original version. "Our fathers and grandfathers fought with the red banner with the hammer and sickle," Nikolai Ryzhkov, a Federation Council member, said. "It was hoisted on the Reichstag, and the symbol of Victory must be preserved."
Long live the neo-Soviet Union!