Awards and decorations of the Soviet Union are decorations from the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

that recognised achievements and personal accomplishments, both military and civilian. Some of the awards, decorations, and orders were discontinued after the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

, while others are still issued by the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

as of 2021. Many of the awards were simply reworked in the Russian Federation, such as the transition of

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

Hero of the Russian Federation Hero of the Russian Federation (russian: Герой Российской Федерации, Geroy Rossiyskoy Federatsii), also unofficially Hero of Russia (russian: link=no, Герой России, Geroy Rossii), is the highest honorary title ...

, and

Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour (russian: links=no, Герой Социалистического Труда, Geroy Sotsialisticheskogo Truda) was an honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It repre ...

Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation (russian: Герой Труда Российской Федерации) is a state award of Russia. The title is awarded to citizens of Russia for special services in labour to the state and its people asso ...

. A wide range of Soviet awards and decorations cover the extensive and diverse period of history from 1917 to 1991.

Honorary titles

Orders

Military orders

Military and civil orders

Civil orders

Military medals

General

Campaign medals

Second World War defensive campaign medals

Second World War offensive campaign medals

Civilian medals

Development/restoration campaigns

Maternity medals

Commemorative medals

Soviet Armed Forces jubilees

Second World War jubilees

Other commemorative medals

''Note: Several Soviet decorations were worn in full, so a

ribbon bar A medal ribbon, service ribbon or ribbon bar is a small ribbon, mounted on a small metal bar equipped with an attaching device, which is generally issued for wear in place of a medal when it is not appropriate to wear the actual medal. Each cou ...

was not created. However, since the fall of the USSR, some medals have had ribbon bars created for them. An asterisk, *, denotes these medals. Awards not showing a ribbon are worn in full at all times.''

References

Sources

* Paul D. McDaniel, Paul J. Schmitt (1997). ''The Comprehensive Guide to Soviet Orders and Medals''. . * V.D. Krivchov (2003). ''AVERS No. 6 Definitive Catalog of Soviet Orders and Medals''. Moscow. * V.D. Krivchov (2008). ''AVERS No. 8 Definitive Catalog of Soviet Badges and Jetons 1917–1980''. Moscow.

External links

Mondvor Narod
��A very detailed site on the topic of Soviet Orders and Medals
www.soviet-medals-orders.com
��A personal website by a collector from Switzerland, Oldrich Andrysek, presenting extensive collection of Soviet, Transdniestrian, Eastern European and some Mongolian awards with descriptions, images, news, reference materials of interest to phalerists and collections of soviet memorabilia. Well-illustrated, with exchange section and info on fraud. {{Decorations by country Soviet Union-related lists