The Medal of Nesterov (russian: Медаль «Нестерова») is a

state decoration A state decoration is an object, such as a medal or the insignia of an order, that is awarded by a sovereign state to honor the recipient. The term includes: *Civil awards and decorations *Military awards and decorations Military awards and d ...

of the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia North Asia or Northern Asia, also referred to as Siberia, is the northern region of Asia, which is defined in geographic ...

named in honour of Pyotr Nikolayevich Nesterov, an early pioneer of Russian military aviation and World War I fighter pilot.

Award History

The Medal of Nesterov was established to fill a gap in the Russian Federation award system following the formation of an independent

Russian Air Force "Air March" , mascot = , anniversaries = 12 August , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = , decorations = , batt ...

. It is the aviation equivalent of the naval Medal of Ushakov and the

Medal of Suvorov The "Medal of Suvorov" (russian: «Медаль Суворова») is a state decoration of the Russian Federation awarded to ground troops for courage in combat. It is named in honour of Russian field marshal Count Alexander Suvorov (1729� ...

for ground troops. It was established by

Presidential Decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used f ...

№ 442 of March 2, 1994 and first awarded the following year. Its statute was amended on two occasions, by presidential decrees № 19 of January 6, 1999, and № 1099 of September 7, 2010.

Award Statute

The Medal of Nesterov is awarded to soldiers of the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ar ...

, of other air arms of the

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...

, of the

Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...

and to troops of the

Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD; russian: Министерство внутренних дел (МВД), ''Ministerstvo vnutrennikh del'') is the interior ministry of Russia. The MVD is responsible for law enfor ...

, to aircrews of civil aviation and of the aviation industry for bravery and personal courage displayed in defending the Fatherland and state interests of the Russian Federation, during the performance of combat duties, in exercises and manoeuvres; for excellent performance in combat training and in maintaining readiness of aerial assets, for special merit in the development, operation and maintenance of aircraft, professional excellence in piloting skills, for excellent performance in combat training and air combat training. The Medal of Nesterov is to be worn on the left breast with other medals immediately after the

Medal of Zhukov The Medal of Zhukov (russian: медаль Жукова) is a state award of the Russian Federation initially awarded to veterans of the Great Patriotic War but now awarded to serving members of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It ...

Award Description

The Medal of Nesterov is a 32mm diameter circular silver medal with a raised rim on both the

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ...

and reverse. On the obverse is the forward-facing bust of Pyotr Nesterov in military uniform wearing tunic, peaked cap and medals, over two laurel branches. Above his head, the inscription in relief "PETER NESTEROV" (Russian: «ПЕТР НЕСТЕРОВ»). On the reverse, in the upper half, a triple crowned, double-headed eagle with its wings spread out horizontally clutching in its talons a propeller crossing a sword under a flaming grenade. In the lower half, a letter "N" with an horizontal line reserved for the award serial number. Below the line, a maker's mark. The medal hangs from a standard Russian pentagonal mount from a ring though the medal's suspension loop. The mount is covered with an overlapping 24mm wide blue silk moiré ribbon with 3mm yellow edge stripes.

Numbers Awarded

Numbers of the Medal of Nesterov awarded to date:Based on information from the site of the President of the Russian Federation and the legal systems of reference, "Consultant", "Guarantor", the "Code"

References

External links