PARIS, May 7 (RIA Novosti) - Ahead of events marking the 64th anniversary of victory in WWII, St. George ribbons have been distributed in Paris through a Russian food store chain.

The annual St. George Ribbon campaign, commemorating the heroes of the Eastern Front of WWII, was held in France for the first time last year. The campaign is carried out by the Russian-French association Perspectives in Marseilles.

During the campaign, which was launched in France on April 28, the Gastronome food stores have so far handed out more than 1,000 St. George ribbons with black and orange stripes.

Orange and black are the traditional colors of Soviet and Russian awards for achievements in combat. The black and orange stripes symbolize smoke and fire.

The ribbons will be also distributed in Russia's consulate general in Marseilles. Information concerning the St. George Ribbon campaign is available on http://gl.9may.ru.

In Russia, the campaign will be run for a fifth year. It was started by RIA Novosti and the Student Community youth organization. More than 45 million ribbons are distributed throughout the world, including in Ukraine, Estonia, Germany, Britain, the United States and China.