Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"
| Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" | |
|---|---|
|
Star and Badge of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" | |
Awarded by  Russian Federation | |
| Type | Four grade order |
| Eligibility | Russian citizens |
| Awarded for | Outstanding contributions to the state |
| Status | Active |
| Statistics | |
| Established | March 2, 1994[1] |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of St. George |
| Next (lower) | Order of Saint Catherine[2] |
| Related | Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" |
 Ribbon of the Order 1st class  Ribbon of the Order 2nd class  Ribbon of the Order 3rd class  Ribbon of the Order 4th class | |
The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (Russian: Орден «За заслуги перед Отечеством») is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on March 2, 1994 by Presidential Decree 442.[1] Until the re-establishment of the Order of St. Andrew in 1998, it was the highest Order of the Russian Federation, though it is still the highest Civilian decoration of the state. The Order of St. Andrew decoration is given to Military personnel only. The statute of the Order was modified on January 6, 1999 by Presidential Decree 19[3] and again on September 7, 2010 by Presidential Decree 1099.[4]
Statute of the Order
The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" is a mixed civilian and military order created in four classes. It is awarded for outstanding contributions to the state associated with the development of Russian statehood, advances in labour, peace, friendship and cooperation between nations, or for significant contributions to the defence of the Fatherland.[5]
The highest of the four classes is the Order I class, the lowest being the Order IV class. These classes are awarded sequentially from the IV to the I class. Persons awarded the Order For Service to the Fatherland IV class should have already been awarded another Order of the Russian Federation and the Medal of the Order For Service to the Fatherland I class. For especially meritorious service to the State, the Order For Service to the Fatherland IV class may be conferred without previous award of the Medal of the Order For Service to the Fatherland I class if previously awarded the title "Hero of the Russian Federation", "Hero of the Soviet Union" or "Hero of Socialist Labor", as well as if previously awarded the Order of St. George, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the Order of Suvorov, the Order of Ushakov, the Order of Zhukov, the Order of Kutuzov, the Order of Nakhimov, the Order For Courage, or who were awarded an honorary title of the Russian Federation. In exceptional cases, the President of the Russian Federation may decide to award the Order For Service to the Fatherland to persons not previously awarded state awards of the Russian Federation.[5]
Soldiers receiving the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" for distinction in combat will receive the Order with Swords. Although previously awarded to foreign dignitaries and heads of state such as to French President Jacques Chirac, the 2010 decree abolished this practice making Russian Federation citizens the only possible recipients.[4]
Award description
The order has a collar and four classes. The collar is the unique insignia of the President of the Russian Federation. The four classes of the Order are individually identified by the size and manner of wearing the two principal insignia of the Order, the cross and the star.[5]
- Cross: Is a silver-gilt ruby-enamelled cross pattée bearing the gilt state emblem of the Russian Federation on its obverse. On the reverse of the cross is a circular medallion surrounded by the motto "BENEFIT, HONOUR, GLORY" (Russian: "ПОЛЬЗА, ЧЕСТЬ И СЛАВА"). In the center of the medallion, the year of the establishment of the Order "1994". On the reverse of the lower arm of the cross, laurel leaves and the serial number of the Order. The cross for the Order I class measures 60mm across and is affixed to a 100mm wide red sash worn over the right shoulder. The cross of the II and III classes measures 50mm across and is worn on a 45mm wide red neck ribbon for the II class, the III class ribbon is 24mm wide. The cross for the IV class measures 40mm across and hangs from a standard pentagonal mount covered by a red 24mm wide ribbon.[5]
- Star: The star of the Order is eight pointed. 82mm across and of highly polished silver. At its center on the obverse if a circular medallion bearing the embossed gilt state emblem of the Russian Federation. Around the medallion, a red enameled band with the motto of the Order "BENEFIT, HONOUR, GLORY" (Russian: "ПОЛЬЗА, ЧЕСТЬ И СЛАВА"). The reverse has the serial number of the Order engraved on the lower arm.[5]
Order I class
Sash and Star
Order II class
Star and Neck Cross
Order III class
Neck Cross
Order IV class
Breast Cross
Full cavaliers of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (partial list)
A "cavalier" (Russian: кавалер) of an order is an individual who as received a grade of an order, it is synonymous to a "knight" of a western order. A "full cavalier" (Russian: полный кавалер) of an order is an individual who has sequentially earned every class of that order. The individuals listed below are among those who have been so honoured:[6]
Russian prime minister (1992–1998) Viktor Chernomyrdin
Russian prime minister (2007–2008) Viktor Zubkov.jpg)
Senior official, Chief of the Presidential Administration of Russia Sergei Ivanov
Diplomat, Foreign minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov
Politician, Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko
President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev
Mayor of Moscow (1992–2010) Yury Luzhkov
Political and state security figure Nikolai Patrushev
Russian official, Director of the FSB Alexander Bortnikov
Former governor of the Oryol Oblast Yegor Stroyev
Former governor of the Sverdlovsk Oblast Eduard Rossel
Nobel prize winner, physicist and academician Zhores Alferov
Artist Ilya Glazunov
Ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaya
Filmmaker, actor Nikita Mikhalkov
Georgian-Russian painter, sculptor and architect Zurab Tsereteli.jpg)
Сonductor Yuri Temirkanov
Actor Oleg Tabakov
Theater and film director Mark Zakharov
Soprano opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya
Actor Leonid Bronevoy
Stand-up comedian Gennady Khazanov
Theatre and cinema actor Vladimir Zeldin
See also
References
- 1 2 "Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of March 2, 1994 No. 442" (in Russian). Commission under the President of the Russian Federation on state awards. December 15, 1999. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
- ↑ "Подписан Указ «Об учреждении ордена Святой великомученицы Екатерины и знака отличия «За благодеяние»". http://kremlin.ru (in Russian). President of Russia. May 3, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2012. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ "Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of January 6, 1999 No. 19" (in Russian). Commission under the President of the Russian Federation on state awards. December 15, 1999. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
- 1 2 "Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 7, 2010 No 1099" (in Russian). Russian Gazette. September 7, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Statute of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"" (in Russian). Commission under the President of the Russian Federation on state awards. September 7, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
- ↑ "Compiled from the site of the President of the Russian Federation" (in Russian). Kremlin News. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
