TacHel

Instituted on 10 February 1996 by decree of the President of the Russian Federation. Awarded for naval service if previously decorated with a state award and faultless service on ships or as part of a Naval Aviation crew for 10 years, or in other parts of the navy for 20 years, to naval veterans of the Great Patriotic War, naval researchers and members of expeditionary fleets who were awarded state awards and worked flawlessly for 15 years or more, designers, developers, managers of design offices, research institutions and organizations, educational institutions, heads of the central government shipbuilding industries, any major professions directly involved in the construction and repair of ships and vessels, heads of research institutes, marine academic institutions, who were awarded state awards and worked flawlessly for more than 20 years.

Award document.

Instituted on 10 October 2005 by decree of the Minister for Emergency Situations. Awarded to soldiers, officers and employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, to Russian citizens, for being actively engaged in promoting the activities of civil defense, for protection of the population and territories from emergencies, for disseminating best response practices when faced with accidents and disasters.

Award document.

Instituted on 27 June 2006 by decree of the Minister for Emergency Situations. This commemorative medal is awarded to soldiers, officers and employees of the St. Petersburg University for the State Fire Service of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Russia for proficiency during more than 10 years, or to soldiers, officers and employees of the State Fire Service of the MES of Russia, as well as veterans of the university staff who made a significant contribution to the development of emergency procedures and disaster management.

Commemorative medal instituted on 5 June 2002 by decree of the Interior Minister. Awarded to military and civilian personnel of the ministry or to retired officers or civilian personnel of the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation who served faultlessly for 20 years or more. The official stamp on the accompanying award document is from the Interior Troops (National Guard).

Award document.

Instituted on 24 January 2001 by decree of the Minister of Internal Affairs. Awarded to civilian members and military personnel of the ministry for services in strengthening the Brotherhood of Arms and military cooperation, and in some cases to other citizens of the Russian Federation or foreign citizens for assisting in the performance of the tasks assigned to the ministerial troops.

I agree 100%. The design leaves a lot to be desired and has no relation to the military. For such a crude design to be used for such an esteemed military leader is beyond me. Especially for a high Order. The date of institution being so early following the creation of the Federation, it is quite possible that some malcontent in the wood pile reached into the waste basket of rejected designs and slapped the poor marshal's face on it simply for expediency's sake. Anyway, it sure looks that way. And Rick is right on the money, this looks like it's right out of the FSB/KGB design bureau... When you look at Russian Federation awards, the early ones that came out under president Yeltsin seem rather crude and quickly thrown together, like previously mentioned, most probably for expediency's sake. A governmental heraldry service was created in early 2000 and since them the designs of awards have greatly improved. Many state symbols have also been completely redone, including many military emblems.

Award document (from the Defense Ministry).

Established by decree of the Minister of Defense on 27 March 1995, adopted the same day by the Federal Agency for Government Communication and Information (FAPSI), and also adopted by the Federal Border Service on 5 July 1995. Awarded to military and civilian personnel of the Russian Federation's Armed Forces, and in some cases, ordinary citizens of Russia or foreign citizens for merit in strengthening the brotherhood of arms and fostering military cooperation with friendly nations. The medal shown is from the Defense Ministry. All 3 services use the same ribbon and design on the obverse, only the reverse inscription changes identifying the ministry or department. Reverse inscriptions: Defense Ministry: ?МИНИСТЕРСТВО ОБОРОНЫ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ? (Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation) as shown on picture below. Federal Border Service: ?ФЕДЕРАЛЬНАЯ ПОГРАНИЧНАЯ СЛУЖБА РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ? (Federal Border Service Russian Federation) FAPSI: "ФАПСИ" (FAPSI)

Award document and front cover.

Instituted on 16 May 2003 by decree of the Minister of Defense. Awarded to sailors of the Baltic Fleet who faithfully performed their official duties for 10 years or more as of 18 May 2003; to civilian personnel of the Baltic Fleet who faithfully performed their official duties for 25 years or more as of 18 May 2003; to other persons providing assistance in carrying out the assigned tasks of the Baltic Fleet.

Instituted on 24 January 2001 by decree of the Minister of Internal Affairs. Awarded to members of the Interior Ministry of the Russian Federation for excellent operational performance of duties; for active work in the protection of public order and combating crime; for courage, dedication and achievements displayed during service in the Interior Ministry. Award document with stamp of the Ministry (MVD).

Award document.

Instituted by decree of the Defense Minister on 18 June 2000. Awarded to members of the Armed Forces for special distinction and exemplary execution of engineering tasks and activities; for merit demonstrated in the design and engineering of weapons and their successful exploitation, for initiative, diligence and hard work in performance aimed at enhancing the combat readiness of engineering troops.

Instituted on 25 March 1998 by decree of the Minister for Emergency Situations. It is awarded to soldiers and civilian employees of the ministry for diligence, effectiveness and work of the highest quality in their official duties and operational tasks for at least 2 years. Worn on the right side of the chest.

The picture below is a great study of Interior Troops. This veteran officer displays an array or decorations that clearly identify him as a "reserve" officer of the Russian National Guard (Interior troops, also called troops of the Interior Ministry). The Russian abbreviation for Interior Troops (as marked on his breast badge for distinguished service first class) is BB MVD. Russian Federation soldiers are not allowed to wear medals of different ministries, when a soldier does wear medals from different ministries, he can only be a member of the reserves. The medals on his left chest: #1 Order of courage (2nd highest combat award) #2 Medal for bravery (combat award) #3 Medal for bravery (combat award) #4 Medal Of The Order Of Service To The Fatherland 2nd Class (without swords, so NOT bestowed for military duty) #5 Medal Of Zhukov (combat bravery award) #6 Medal for Valour in Silver of the Justice Ministry #7 Medal for the 200th Anniversary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (received for service in Interior Troops) #8 Medal for Service 3rd Class (10 years) of the Justice Ministry This amalgam of medals from different ministries is only possible in Interior Troops. #6 and #8 (and most probably also #4) clearly identify him as an employee of the Justice Ministry. #7 was earned as a soldier of the Interior Ministry. The others were earned in combat in the Caucasus. The medals on his right chest: #9 Breast Badge of Interior Troops "For Distinguished Service" 1st class (main theme of this thread) #10 Cross 1st Class for Service in the Caucasus 1994-2004 #11 Unknown (possibly a sniper qualification badge) #12 Unknown

Copy of the award document for a 2nd class. And a recently found colour one for the 1st class.

Instituted on 27 January 1995 by decree of the Interior Minister. The Distinguished Service Badge (Cross) is awarded to soldiers of the Interior Ministry of Russia for initiative, diligence and distinction displayed in the discharge of official duties. This gilt example is the 1st class badge, the 2nd class is simply unfinished (bare metal). As is customary for Interior Ministry awards, the swords point down. This award is worn on the right chest.

Yes. According to the medal specifications contained in the official presidential decree of 20 March 1992, they are composed of 21.5 grams of gold. The brooch and attachment loops are only gold plated though and their gold contents is not included in the 21.5 grams.

The ONLY other official (governmental) award bestowed for the Caucasus is from the Ministry of the Interior in the form of the Medal for Combat Service in the North Caucasus 1994-2004. It comes in 2 variants. The early design had no date on the obverse, the post 2004 design has the years 1994-2004 on the obverse. Both have identical reverses consisting of "No" and a space to enter a number. Note: a bogus 10th anniversary medal is easily found on the market. It has an identical obverse as the dated version but has a reverse inscription mentioning the 10th anniversary of the end of the conflict (10 лет). This medal is completely bogus (unofficial), it hangs from the same ribbon which is flipped to reverse the national colours at its center.

These are some of the semi official or otherwise completely bogus (unofficial++) awards previously bestowed by units, or by civilian or veterans' organizations. Even the 2 fine looking medals are 100% bogus.

Award documents for the 1st and 2nd class crosses.

Instituted by order of the Defense Minister in August 2001. Awarded to personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for service in anti-terrorist operations in the North Caucasus. It is aimed at replacing the very many official, semi official and unit awards bestowed for military service in the Caucasus between 1994 and 2004. It comes in 2 classes, gold and silver, gold being the higher class. Gold class is for officers and warrant officers. Silver class is for other ranks. Even though the cross bears the logo of the Defense Ministry at its center, all troops from the Russian Federation regardless of ministerial affiliation are eligible for this award. Note: the crosses are also available for purchase in green or red. Supposedly, the green crosses are for border troops and the red crosses are for the legal branch. I have seen both colours advertised for sale from Russian medal makers on Russian web sites but have yet to find any official documentation supporting this. Nor have I found any pictures suggesting these were ever issued.