The Defender of Free Russia Medal is a civil medal of the Russian Federation. Its statutes state it is to be awarded to "citizens of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens and stateless persons for their courage in defending the constitutional order during the attempted coup of August 19–21, for merit in the implementation of democratic transformation, economic and political reforms, the strengthening of Russian statehood, and for contributions to the solution of national problems".
It was first awarded to Д. Комарь, И. Кричевский and В. Усов, who died during the coup. It has also been awarded to the musicians Konstantin Kinchev (returned) and Andrey Makarevich for their participation in the "Rock on the barricades" concert.