| Order For Merit to the Fatherland | |
|---|---|
Star and Badge of the Order For Merit to the Fatherland |
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| Awarded by |
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| 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] |
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 |
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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. The statute of the Order was modified on January 6, 1991 by Presidential Decree 19[3] and again on September 7, 2010 by Presidential Decree 1099.[4]
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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]
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]
A "Cavalier" (Russian: Кавалеры) 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" of an order is an individual who as sequentially earned every class of that order. The individuals listed below have been so honoured:[6]
Political and State Security figure Nikolai Patrushev
Ex Governor of the Oryol Oblast Yegor Stroyev
Ex Governor of the Sverdlovsk Oblast Eduard Rossel
Nobel Prize winner, Physicist and Academician Zhores Alferov
Russian Prime Minister 1992 - 1998 Viktor Chernomyrdin
Artist Ilya Glazunov
Ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaya
The Medal of the Order For Merit to the Fatherland was established on March 2, 1994 by Presidential Decree 442.[1] Its award criteria were modified on January 6, 1991 by Presidential Decree 19 [3] and again on September 7, 2010 by Presidential Decree 1099.[4] The medal of the Order is divided into two classes, the first and the second, it is further divided into a civilian and a military division, the medal of the military division is awarded "with swords" and its criteria differ from those of the civilian division.[7]
The Medal of the Order For Merit to the Fatherland is 32mm in diameter and made of silver, the medal first class is gold plated. The obverse bears a likeness of the Order, a crowned double headed eagle over a red enamelled cross pattée. On the reverse, the motto of the Order "BENEFIT, HONOUR, GLORY" (Russian: "ПОЛЬЗА, ЧЕСТЬ И СЛАВА"). At the bottom, laurel leaves, the year of establishment "1994" and the award serial number. In the case of the military division, the sword device is added between the medal suspension ring and the pentagonal mount. The medal hangs from a standard Russian pentagonal mount covered by an overlapping scarlet ribbon. [7]
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