12th Century Icons of St. Georgiy, Yurev Monastery, Novgorod
Saint Georgiy (Geórgios, "George", a saint from Imperial Roman times) was a popular military and agricultural saint in Rus lands. "Georgiy" was difficult to pronounce in east Slavic languages, so variants were often used like Yuri, Yurev, Egor, and Egoriy the Brave. St. Georgiy slaying the dragon was a beloved story in Rus lands, with icons, paintings, and coins being made on this subject in later centuries. These pictured icons were looted in 1570 when Ivan the Terrifying and his Oprichniki sacked Novgorod for alleged treason.
St. Georgiy symbolism would later be used in Russian Imperial military awards, and even the atheistic USSR would reuse part of the symbology, although without reference to the saint. St. Georgiy military awards would be revived by the Russian Federation after the fall of the Soviet Union.