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 and of the Medal 1st and 2nd 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 with Swords

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 honored:[6]

See also

References

  1. 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.
  2. "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)
  3. "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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. "Compiled from the site of the President of the Russian Federation" (in Russian). Kremlin News. Retrieved February 7, 2012.

External links

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