Russia Bans Ukrainian Resistance Movement Yellow Ribbon, Labels It ‘Extremist’
Russia’s Supreme Court has designated Yellow Ribbon, a Ukrainian resistance movement, as an extremist organization and banned its activities in Russia. The court held proceedings behind closed doors and accused the group of operating under Ukrainian intelligence supervision with foreign funding. Founded in occupied Kherson in April 2022, Yellow Ribbon became known for peaceful acts of resistance…
On November 12, Russia's Supreme Court declared the Ukrainian civic resistance movement Yellow Ribbon an extremist organization and banned its activities within the country, according to Russian state news agencies. The ruling came after the Ukrainian Prosecutor General, Alexander Gutsan, filed a lawsuit against the movement, with the hearing taking place on Nov.
12 in a closed-door session, reported Interfax Russia. The court's decision was based on allegations that Yellow Ribbon operates under the supervision of Ukrainian intelligence services and receives financial backing from unfriendly countries, as stated by the Russian Legal and Judicial Information Agency (RAPSI). The court argued that the organization threatens Russia's territorial integrity, constitutional order, and public security.
The decision is effective immediately, as per the court's press service. Yellow Ribbon originated in April 2022 in Kherson, then under Russian occupation, as a peaceful resistance movement opposing Moscow's invasion and annexation of Ukrainian territory. Its members employed symbolic resistance acts, such as tying yellow ribbons to trees and street signs, displaying Ukrainian flags, distributing pro-Ukrainian leaflets, and creating graffiti.
The movement expanded its presence beyond Kherson to other Russian-occupied Ukrainian cities, including Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. In November 2023, Yellow Ribbon launched the "Elon We Are Here!" campaign in response to billionaire Elon Musk's claim that there was no significant resistance in Russian-occupied Ukraine.
Activists photographed messages asserting Ukrainian identity in locations across Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, and Yalta. In November 2022, Yellow Ribbon received the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament, an annual award given to individuals who uphold human rights and freedom in Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Since 2022, Russia has claimed sovereignty over Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, which were occupied and annexed by force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his allies, including the United States, have rejected these claims. The recent discussions in Abu Dhabi saw Russia's chief negotiator reaffirming Russia's intention to reclaim all of the land under its control.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
