diff --git a/VERSION.md b/VERSION.md
index 3c9f9e9..b2e21b7 100644
--- a/VERSION.md
+++ b/VERSION.md
@@ -9,10 +9,17 @@
 
 ## Current Version
 
-**v1.2.3** — 2026-08-04
+**v1.2.4** — 2026-08-05
 
 ## Changelog
 
+### v1.2.4 — 2026-08-05
+- **fix**: missing `shop_district_` / `shop_subcategory_` callback handlers — Back button in empty categories now works (handleDistrictBack)
+- **fix**: state.location pipe-delimited (encodeURIComponent) — multi-word names (Saint Petersburg) no longer break navigation
+- **fix**: answerCallbackQuery moved to start of callback handling — no stuck "clock" spinner on buttons
+- **fix**: empty city fallback in "Select district in :" (district_unknown)
+- **fix**: guard against stale underscore-format state.location in handleDistrictBack
+
 ### v1.2.3 — 2026-08-04
 - **fix**: empty category menus — districts with no in-stock products show "No products available in this district" (getCategoriesWithProductsByLocationId filters by real stock/mono)
 - **fix**: duplicate "Select your country" messages on rapid Products tap — 1200ms main-menu debounce in routes.js
diff --git a/src/admin/views/partials/app-sidebar.ejs b/src/admin/views/partials/app-sidebar.ejs
index af91c4a..93bd029 100644
--- a/src/admin/views/partials/app-sidebar.ejs
+++ b/src/admin/views/partials/app-sidebar.ejs
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
             <svg class="sa-icon sa-thin">
                 <use href="/icons/sprite.svg#tag"></use>
             </svg>
-            <span class="fs-xs opacity-70">v1.2.3</span>
+            <span class="fs-xs opacity-70">v1.2.4</span>
         </div>
     </div>
 </aside>
@@ -43,10 +43,10 @@
             </div>
             <div class="modal-body">
                 <div class="alert alert-info mb-3">
-                    <strong>Current:</strong> v1.2.3 &middot; 2026-08-04
+                    <strong>Current:</strong> v1.2.4 &middot; 2026-08-05
                 </div>
 
-                <h6 class="fw-bold mb-2">v1.2.3 <span class="text-muted fs-sm">&mdash; 2026-08-04</span></h6>
+                <h6 class="fw-bold mb-2">v1.2.4 <span class="text-muted fs-sm">&mdash; 2026-08-05</span></h6>
                 <ul class="small mb-3">
                     <li><span class="badge bg-info">refactor</span> Removed deposit amount-selection step; deposit_wallet_ now goes directly to Mercuryo instructions</li>
                     <li><span class="badge bg-primary">feat</span> Updated Mercuryo button text to include VISA/Mastercard branding in all locales</li>
diff --git a/src/handlers/userHandlers/userProductHandler.js b/src/handlers/userHandlers/userProductHandler.js
index dd7cbaf..ceaa591 100644
--- a/src/handlers/userHandlers/userProductHandler.js
+++ b/src/handlers/userHandlers/userProductHandler.js
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ export default class UserProductHandler {
             };
 
             await bot.editMessageText(
-                t('products.select_district', { city }),
+                t('products.select_district', { city: city || t('products.district_unknown') }),
                 {
                     chat_id: chatId,
                     message_id: messageId,
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ export default class UserProductHandler {
             }
     
             await userStates.set(chatId, {
-                location: `${location.country}_${location.city}_${location.district}`,
+                location: `${encodeURIComponent(location.country)}|${encodeURIComponent(location.city)}|${encodeURIComponent(location.district)}`,
                 locationId: location.id
             });
     
@@ -259,6 +259,56 @@ export default class UserProductHandler {
         }
     }
 
+    static async handleDistrictBack(callbackQuery) {
+        const chatId = callbackQuery.message.chat.id;
+        const messageId = callbackQuery.message.message_id;
+
+        try {
+            const telegramId = callbackQuery.from.id;
+            const user = await UserService.getUserByTelegramId(telegramId);
+            const lang = user?.language || 'en';
+            const t = tForUser(lang);
+
+            const state = await userStates.get(chatId);
+            if (!state?.location || !state.location.includes('|')) {
+                await bot.editMessageText(t('products.error_loading_districts'), {
+                    chat_id: chatId,
+                    message_id: messageId
+                });
+                return;
+            }
+
+            const [country, city] = state.location.split('|').map(decodeURIComponent);
+            const locations = await LocationService.getLocationsByCountryAndCity(country, city);
+
+            const keyboard = {
+                inline_keyboard: [
+                    ...locations.map(loc => [{
+                        text: loc.district || loc.city,
+                        callback_data: `shop_loc_${loc.id}`
+                    }]),
+                    [{ text: t('products.back_to_cities'), callback_data: `shop_country_${encodeURIComponent(country)}` }]
+                ]
+            };
+
+            await bot.editMessageText(
+                t('products.select_district', { city: city || t('products.district_unknown') }),
+                {
+                    chat_id: chatId,
+                    message_id: messageId,
+                    reply_markup: keyboard
+                }
+            );
+        } catch (error) {
+            logger.error({ err: error }, 'Error in handleDistrictBack');
+            const telegramId = callbackQuery.from.id;
+            const user = await UserService.getUserByTelegramId(telegramId).catch(() => null);
+            const lang = user?.language || 'en';
+            const t = tForUser(lang);
+            await bot.sendMessage(chatId, t('products.error_loading_districts'));
+        }
+    }
+
     static async handleCategorySelection(callbackQuery) {
         const chatId = callbackQuery.message.chat.id;
         const messageId = callbackQuery.message.message_id;
diff --git a/src/i18n/locales/de.json b/src/i18n/locales/de.json
index 38a7b59..f6dbd7f 100644
--- a/src/i18n/locales/de.json
+++ b/src/i18n/locales/de.json
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@
     "mono_product": "📦 Digitales Produkt",
     "infinite_stock": "∞ Immer verfügbar",
     "no_description": "Keine Beschreibung",
-    "no_photo": "Kein Foto verfügbar"
+    "no_photo": "Kein Foto verfügbar",
+    "district_unknown": "Unbekannt"
   },
   "purchase": {
     "summary": "🛒 Kaufübersicht:",
diff --git a/src/i18n/locales/en.json b/src/i18n/locales/en.json
index 4d5ccf5..41fc399 100644
--- a/src/i18n/locales/en.json
+++ b/src/i18n/locales/en.json
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@
     "mono_product": "📦 Digital Product",
     "infinite_stock": "∞ Always available",
     "no_description": "No description provided",
-    "no_photo": "No photo available"
+    "no_photo": "No photo available",
+    "district_unknown": "Unknown"
   },
   "purchase": {
     "summary": "🛒 Purchase Summary:",
diff --git a/src/i18n/locales/es.json b/src/i18n/locales/es.json
index 7716032..82b64d6 100644
--- a/src/i18n/locales/es.json
+++ b/src/i18n/locales/es.json
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@
     "mono_product": "📦 Producto Digital",
     "infinite_stock": "∞ Siempre disponible",
     "no_description": "Sin descripción",
-    "no_photo": "Sin foto disponible"
+    "no_photo": "Sin foto disponible",
+    "district_unknown": "Desconocido"
   },
   "purchase": {
     "summary": "🛒 Resumen de compra:",
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index dd8559b..adff053 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -72,15 +72,10 @@ if (bot && botAvailable) {
             await bot.answerCallbackQuery(callbackQuery.id, { text: '⏳' }).catch(() => {});
             return;
         }
-        let answered = false;
+        await bot.answerCallbackQuery(callbackQuery.id).catch(() => {});
         try {
             await callbackRouter.dispatch(callbackQuery);
-            await bot.answerCallbackQuery(callbackQuery.id);
-            answered = true;
         } catch (error) {
-            if (!answered) {
-                await bot.answerCallbackQuery(callbackQuery.id).catch(() => {});
-            }
             await ErrorHandler.handleError(bot, callbackQuery.message.chat.id, error, 'callback query');
         }
     });
diff --git a/src/router/routes.js b/src/router/routes.js
index 4a8e94c..eb5a616 100644
--- a/src/router/routes.js
+++ b/src/router/routes.js
@@ -237,10 +237,18 @@ export function registerRoutes() {
         logDebug(cq.data, 'handleDistrictSelection');
         await userProductHandler.handleDistrictSelection(cq);
     });
+    callbackRouter.registerPrefix('shop_district_', async (cq) => {
+        logDebug(cq.data, 'handleDistrictBack');
+        await userProductHandler.handleDistrictBack(cq);
+    });
     callbackRouter.registerPrefix('shop_category_', async (cq) => {
         logDebug(cq.data, 'handleCategorySelection');
         await userProductHandler.handleCategorySelection(cq);
     });
+    callbackRouter.registerPrefix('shop_subcategory_', async (cq) => {
+        logDebug(cq.data, 'handleSubcategorySelection');
+        await userProductHandler.handleSubcategorySelection(cq);
+    });
     callbackRouter.registerPrefix('shop_product_', async (cq) => {
         logDebug(cq.data, 'handleProductSelection');
         await userProductHandler.handleProductSelection(cq);