Participants of hostilities in Chechnya
In 1996 Ivan graduated from the Ulyanovsk high school and enrolled in an agricultural technical school with a degree in agricultural mechanization.
After graduating from a technical school in 2000, Ivan was immediately drafted into the army. By distribution, he served in the city of Samara in the internal troops. After serving for six months, under a contract, he went to the Chechen Republic, the city of Gudermes, at that time the second Chechen counter-terrorist operation was underway.
Returned to unit. In 2002, he again got into a hot spot. During all this time he was a driver of military vehicles. Has three insignia for service in the Caucasus.
In 2003 he returned home.
He served in the Marine Corps on the Rybachii Peninsula, on the border with Norway.
He ended up in Chechnya in the first Chechen war with the rank of senior sergeant.
I had to fight for three months, then I was taken prisoner. Demobilized in 1995.
He was drafted into the army in 1999. He served in the Moscow Military District as an artilleryman. Came to Chechnya on June 30, 2000, served 1.3 years. It is difficult to remember the service in hot spots and the most difficult thing is to lose friends in the war.
Their mother Tyukhalkina Galina Petrovna waited for her sons to be healthy and unharmed. But how she did it and what she experienced, only she knows.
Born in 1985. He was drafted into the internal troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2004. From September 2005 to April 2006 he was in a "hot spot" on the territory of the Republic of Chechnya. In the rank of sergeant, the commander of the reconnaissance group as part of the special forces "Peresvet" participated in the hostilities.
He was awarded the medal "Participant in combat operations in the North Caucasus".
born September 29, 1979 in the village. Lopanino. In 1996 he graduated from the Lopatinskaya secondary school and entered the Nizhny Novgorod technical school. railway transport who graduated in 1999.
The beginning of the service and training in military affairs, Private Mishutkin took place in the city of Vladikavkaz and in the city of Astrakhan.
On December 26, 2000, he was sent for further service to the Chechen Republic in the region of the city of Usur-Martan. Here he is promoted from private to senior sergeant and holds the position of commander of an anti-aircraft crew.
Senior Sergeant D. P. Mishutkin participated in counter-terrorist operations in the North Caucasus. At the same time, for 38 days he participated in hostilities against illegal gangs. Dmitry Petrovich repeatedly went on a combat mission to participate in special operations to clear the territory of the Urus-Martan region from militants.
Mishutkin D.P. enjoyed well-deserved prestige among the fighters and unit commanders. Thanks were given to him. Parents were sent a letter of thanks.
Born on May 30, 1974 in the village of Merlinovka, Lukoyanovsky district, Gorky region.
From the 1st to the 5th grade, he studied at the Merlinovskaya eight-year school, then at the Lukoyanovskaya evening school.
After graduating from school, he came to work at the Pobeda collective farm as a laborer.
Then in 1992 he was drafted into the ranks of the Russian Army for Baltic Fleet. When the war began in the Chechen Republic, he was sent to further service in the city of Grozny. Participated in the defense of Grozny. Awarded with the medal "For Courage".
Born April 5, 1984 in the village. Bolshaya Arya, Lukoyanovsky District.
On May 21, 2002, he was called up by the Lukoyanovsky RVC to military service. He served in Chechnya, was seriously wounded. On December 22, 2004, he was issued a "Veteran of Combat Operations" certificate.
Born on September 18, 1976 in the village of Skorodumovka, Lukoyanovsky District, Nizhny Novgorod Region.
He received his basic education at the Merlin eight-year school. He continued his studies at the Lukoyanovsky vocational school and received a civilian specialty - a cook.
In November 1994 he was called up for military service in Russian Army in the Airborne Forces.
He took part in the fighting on the territory of the Chechen Republic as part of military unit 40515 from May 7, 1995 to May 31, 1986 as a driver. Dismissed to the reserve with the rank of corporal in 1996.
Born October 28, 1968 with. Elfimovo. In 1974 he went to school. In 1982 he entered the VSHT. In 1986 he went to serve in the army, he served in the Kalakhum region in Tajikistan in the border zone in the Pamirs.
August 12, 1991 came to work in the police, in the company special purpose patrol regiment. Two years later, on September 3, 1993, Alexander transferred to the OMON at the Central Internal Affairs Directorate of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. Working in the riot police is not easy: frequent business trips to "hot" spots, guarding facilities, escorting cargo and persons. It was in Chechnya, back in the first Chechen war, that Alexander received his first government award.
In August 1996, during a business trip to the city of Grozny, Alexander's unit served to protect the building of the coordination center. At that time, the militants were forced out into the mountainous regions, but small groups still hunted in the city, mining roads, shelling positions Russian troops. During the service, a small detachment under the command of Alexander was attacked. Eight special forces surrounded in the building took up all-round defense and took an unequal battle. At this time, the city was occupied by militants, and the encircled had to rely only on their own forces. For two weeks a small detachment fought off the attacking militants, and only at the dawn of the fourteenth day, employees of the Saratov RUBOP came to the aid of the encircled ... For this battle, Alexander received the medal "For Courage". Then another fight with the bandits followed, and the Order of Courage adorned the hero's chest.
In 1996, for another business trip to Chechnya, Alexander received the medal "For the Protection of Public Order", and three years later, on January 4, 1999, he came to work at the State Inspectorate.
He served in the first battalion of the SP DPS.
In 2013, he retired for health reasons with the rank of captain.
Two days later, the hour "H" came for us. Prepared weapons, equipment, received a "back" (ammunition). The commanders were given maps - old ones, of course, but in principle quite detailed. Tellingly, before bringing our battalion into battle, General Rokhlin assigned tasks personally to each company commander.
We moved into the city. The impression, to be sure, is stunning. Stalingrad in the pictures in books about the Great Patriotic War is one thing. But when you see such a picture of the ruined city with your own eyes, it becomes gloomy. Burnt panel houses, the remains of broken equipment, corpses everywhere.
We had no particular illusions about our future. The fact is that the principle of war in the city provides for a phased advancement. First comes the first company, it takes control of the first quarter, then the second one passes through its battle formations, it takes control, for example, of the next quarter. And the third one ends up in the very depths of the enemy defense, face to face with the enemy.
First fight. I remember him to the smallest detail. The smallest little things. My platoon was to take the L-shaped two-story house near the stadium. There, on the one hand, there was a road junction, on the other, an extensive private sector The house dominated the area, a certain number of militants settled in it on the second floor. I divided the platoon into three groups - fire, capture and reserve. Here I was a little confused - where, in which group should I, as a commander, be? At the military school, they clearly explained to us: the commander is obliged to lead the battle, and not participate directly in it. The commander must have binoculars, a map and a pistol with one cartridge in order to shoot himself (just kidding, of course). But when it came to the real deal, it wasn't that easy. That's right, I have to lead the fight. However, if I'm sending people to their deaths, can I stay away? And how will my subordinates look at me then? Fortunately, I had very intelligent sergeants. The capture group was led by my deputy platoon commander - Sergeant Ivan Antufiev.
The fight was extremely tense. The militants "sneaked" very tightly. Under this fire, ours had to cross the road. They began to act like this - the fire group suppresses enemy fire, at this time one or two fighters of the capture group cross the road. We hit the windows and breaches with all the trunks, literally - heavy fire. No matter where, the main thing is that the enemy could not stick his head out. Meanwhile, my guys from the capture group moved to the other side of the road.
My sailors managed to break into the second floor. The house was on fire by that time, and the fighters found themselves between the fire and the fighters. It's like between a hammer and an anvil... Bullets are flying on one side, and fire is on the other!
I will never forget the picture - fighters in burning jackets jump out of the windows of the second floor into the snow, put out the fire on themselves, and then rush into battle again !!!
The frenzy in that battle reached its extreme - the shooting was carried out from a distance of seven meters, almost point-blank. Chechens on one side of the building, ours on the other. It was necessary to do something urgently, as the enemy held on stubbornly. We figured out how to resolve the situation. The sappers dragged several powerful KZ-4 shaped charges through the neighboring entrance. They overlaid the passage from below, connecting both parts of the building, and blew it up. This ended the battle - some of the militants managed to escape, some fell down. On the ruins on the surface, the bodies of three were found, and even lower, under the ruins, who knows how many of them were there?
Then I noted with joy for myself that my first fight ended without loss. For any commander the main idea- do not lose people! But in other platoons there were losses. Our battalion then went through almost all the "sights" of Grozny: the Main Post Office, the Puppet Theater, the building of the Council of Ministers. The second company, commanded by Captain Shulyak, had a particularly hard time. She took the Council of Ministers, the Dudaevites clung to this building with all their might. Needless to say - there was just a meat grinder.
TO DUDAYEV'S PALACE WE WENT BY ACCIDENTAL...
And besides the Council of Ministers, there were enough losses. Sometimes it's just stupid. One of the nights, our company advanced along the street to the next captured object. Suddenly, the column stood up - either they got lost, or something else. The sergeants (fortunately, mine were not there) gathered to confer. This must have been noticed by the enemy spotter. Be that as it may, an enemy mortar shell landed just where the sergeants were conferring. The explosion killed someone, wounded someone, But this could have been avoided.
Although, in a war, you never know how things will turn out. The case here is everything. For example, our unit took Dudayev's palace, on the one hand, quite by accident! Although, on the other hand, not quite ... To make everything clear, I'll tell you in order.
From the very beginning, a fierce struggle unfolded for the Dudayev Palace. The area in front of him was littered with corpses, remnants of equipment, nearby - several tanks dug into the ground, rows of trenches, barricades. The huge building was all mutilated by the fire of our artillery, but it was expected that the same serious struggle would unfold for the palace as for the building of the Council of Ministers.
When our battalion made its way to the center of Grozny, battalion commander Colonel Boris Sokushev appointed me commander of the reconnaissance group. There are eleven people with me. Our task was to go to the dilapidated building of the hotel "Kavkaz" and "drag" our company behind us. That is, if no enemy was found in the "Kavkaz", a company was supposed to go there, and from there to start an attack on the palace.
By that time, many units had come to the center, so before leaving it turned out that we were not the only ones: similar reconnaissance groups from airborne paratroopers and motorized riflemen.
They "pulled out" their units. All three units were supposed to go to the "Caucasus" along a common route, and then disperse in different directions, each to its own line.
After midnight we moved on. Walking around the city of Grozny at night, along the neutral zone, among the destroyed houses is not an occupation for the faint of heart. Illuminating rockets are constantly taking off, hundreds of tracers are flying in the air. Any careless movement, any noise, and so much will fly over your soul that it will not seem enough. I had to move literally by touch, pressing into the remains of the walls, sometimes running, sometimes crawling. It costs nothing to lose orientation in such an environment and wander towards the enemy.
Finally, they came to the building, which, as they believed, was the desired "Caucasus". Only this turned out not to be the case: the hotel looked like brick, but here it was all reinforced concrete. Where are we then? The three of us gathered - the commanders of the paratroopers, motorized riflemen and myself. They covered themselves with a cape, illuminated the map with a flashlight, began to hold advice - where are we? Then one of the fighters crawls up to us and says:
Looks like "Caucasus" on the left.
Then another lighting rocket took off nearby, and for sure - in its light we see that the Kavkaz is on the left, behind the square. And we are right under the walls of the palace! It turns out that our groups managed to get to him without meeting any resistance. Similarly, larger units can pass through here. On the clock - three nights, there is still time before dawn. They contacted the headquarters and reported about their "discovery". From there they gave the command - reconnaissance groups of paratroopers and motorized riflemen to return to their original position. I, along with my scouts, were ordered to “follow” to the building adjacent to the square, in which the airborne assault battalion held the defense marines, the same as ours, only from the Baltic. We were about to move, but then it turned out that there was no radio communication with the Baltic battalion. They cannot be warned about our approach. The Baltics are on the defensive. Snipers are constantly firing at them from the darkness, they are constantly waiting for an attack. And here we are. What will they do?.. It's a shame if they kill their own - the Marines.
Once again, the Russian mate came to the rescue. When my reconnaissance group approached the Baltics, at first we “shouted” with them. The conversation went something like this:
Baltic! E..!!! Do not shoot!
And who are you, b...?!
We are from Sputnik, nah ..!!!
While they were yelling, we agreed that one of us would come out to them. Like in the movies - alone and without weapons. I became one of us. I was well aware that at that moment more than a dozen guns were aimed at me, and each step could become the final one in my short biography. But it worked out. One of the Baltic officers came out to meet me. We talked, I explained the situation. My scouts were allowed to pass.
"SPUTNIK", MARINES-95"
The Baltics gave us compote to drink. At the same time, enemy snipers, who had settled in the ruins of buildings that surrounded the palace square, were constantly hitting the building. While drinking compote, one of the Baltic sailors was killed by a sniper. Right next to us. The bullet hit right in the head. But by that time we had already seen enough of everything. The brain ceased to fix what was happening as a tragedy. He only noted everything that was happening and forced the body to act at the level of instincts. Get down! crawl away! Hide!
Meanwhile, the troops around the palace began to move. Everything around stirred. In the Baltics, we moved towards the palace. Secretly approached the wall of the building. There is no movement inside. The first to enter was Colonel Chernov with four fighters. I followed him with my group.
Inside, right at the entrance, we stumbled upon the tail of an exploding rocket. The enemy was nowhere to be seen, only up to a dozen corpses were lying on the floor. They searched the whole building - no one. Apparently, the militants left through the underground passages, which abounded in the building of the palace.
It was necessary to indicate that we had captured the building. I sent Sergeant Major Gennady Azarychev for the flag. At that moment, it began to lighten up, and snipers became more active. Despite their shooting, the foreman ran over to the Baltics, and soon returned with the St. Andrew's flag. They wanted to raise it above the roof, but the flights of stairs were destroyed by artillery fire at the level of the sixth floor. I had to hang a flag through the window.
I then wanted to leave something of my own in the palace I had taken. I pulled off my vest and hung it on the armature sticking out above the main entrance of the palace - there were huge doorways. This vest had its own history - my father fought in it back in Afghanistan. Now it fluttered in Grozny, over the former residence of Dudayev. Nearby, the guys and I scrawled the inscription: "Satellite". Marine Corps-95".
At that moment, for some reason, it seemed that everything was the end of the war. But it was a deceiving feeling. Everything was just beginning...
THEY WERE PREPARED BY PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEIR BUSINESS...
For the next two days, our company was in the Kavkaz Hotel. Under it, too, there were many underground passages. Suddenly, militants began to appear from there. Such a figure will crawl out of the hole, fire a couple of times back and forth, and - rather back. When our sappers blew up the underground passages, the attacks stopped.
After the capture of the palace, the fighting continued with increasing force. Day after day, we moved forward, clearing the enemy of the enemy from a huge collection of ruined ruins. Our task was the same - to always be ahead. We storm the building, we pass it Internal Troops or motorized riflemen, let's move on. And so day after day.
There were also pleasant moments. For example, a bath. Every week we were taken to Severny, where our base was located. There they washed, received a brand new, unworn uniform. I must say that the command of the fleet took care of us better than ever. Compared to the rest of the troops, we lived quite freely. Once every two weeks, the commander of the Northern Fleet brought his plane to the Northern Fleet, stuffed with everything necessary. We had the best food - up to red fish every day, the best supply of ammunition and weapons. If you want "hills" - get it, if you want new sniper rifles - please. Just fight like Marines should! We fought - as expected.
Day by day it became more difficult to act. Now we and the enemy have studied each other's tactics quite well. The Chechens were dominated by the classic guerrilla tactics - a swoop-withdrawal. They acted in small groups of three to five people. Part of the group carried out demonstrative actions, lured our fighters into fire traps. They jumped out, fired randomly and quickly retreated. The main thing was to make more noise. The fire was usually not aimed. Many militants fired from machine guns with stocks removed or from makeshift Borz submachine guns. If ours started the pursuit, they came under fire from snipers or machine guns.
It should be rightly noted that the enemy had very good preparation. It was felt that it was prepared by very professional military men who knew their job well. For example, we encountered the fact that many militants wore Soviet-style soldier's overcoats. The fact is that those overcoats had a special impregnation that made them invisible at night in night vision devices. Russian-style overcoats did not have such impregnation. It means that someone knew and took into account, and this "someone" was very competent. Our strong point there was a technical advantage. This was especially true in night battles. Therefore, we tried to impose on the enemy night fighting.
SHARE A SECOND
Sometimes the war brought very unpleasant surprises. One day I was at the checkpoint of my platoon. It's already dusk. Senior Lieutenant Zhenya Chubrikov, the commander of a neighboring platoon, and I stood under the cover of a reinforced concrete fence and talked about something. Suddenly, five jump over the fence and run towards us. On all "Afghans", and in the hands of machine guns. Who are they?! Each has a white band on the left sleeve. Despite the twilight, I was able to see that the features of the liya of the unexpected guests were clearly Caucasian.
What are you doing here? We answer;
We are standing here.
Where are the feds?
There are moments in life when the count goes not for seconds, but for their few fractions. Who is faster, like in a lousy American movie about cowboys.
This time we were faster. Zhenya threw up his machine gun and from three meters in one burst he put down three. The two survivors rushed to the fence. But from the checkpoint they managed to see what was happening. Someone from a machine gun put a portion of lead into the fleeing. What can I say - at that time we were very lucky and they were very unlucky.
The Order is a special honorary distinction. It is awarded by the state to those people who have personal merit in a particular area. From this article we will learn a little more about such an award as the Order of Courage.
Predecessor of the insignia
He is rightfully considered the successor of such an award as the Order "For Personal Courage", since there is much in common in their status. This is the last order that was established before the collapse of the USSR. This sign was intended to reward citizens for their courage and heroism. "For personal courage" was approved by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1988, on December 28. In 1992, the symbolism of the USSR was removed from it. This order, in fact, was the only military award Russian Federation up until 1994.
When was the Order of Courage established?
In 1994, on March 2, in the Russian Federation, by the Decree of the then President B. Yeltsin, the Order of Courage was approved - a new state award. Along with it, others were established:
- "For services to the Fatherland."
- "For Military Merit"
- "Friendship" and some others.
Who invented and developed the Order of Courage?
When developing the draft sketch, the militia cross of 1812 served as the basis. It was the idea of G. Vilinbakhov, the State King of Arms of the Russian Federation. The artist Ukhnalev proposed another option: an overlaid gilded double-headed eagle, which is much larger than the cross. But this proposal was not approved. P. Kornakov, a candidate of historical sciences, took part in the creation of the sketch. He also did the sculpting. Subsequently, the Order of Courage began to be made at the Moscow Mint.
Why are they awarded the Order of Courage?
This state award is given to people who have shown courage:
- rescuing people during natural disasters, catastrophes, fires, etc.;
- keeping order;
- in the fight against the elements and crime.
The Order of Courage is awarded for:
- Courage and courage.
- Selfless act.
- Actions that are committed in the performance of official, military or civil duty in dangerous conditions.
Rewarding can be both individual and group, for example, a company or the entire crew of a ship or submarine. The honorary award may be awarded posthumously. Re-awarding is also possible.
Receiving three Orders of Courage for heroic deeds plus another selfless act is the basis for conferring the title of Hero of Russia. In our country, there are holders of the Order of Courage, who received four state awards. Basically, they marked military personnel for participating in hostilities in the North Caucasus. There are more than 80,000 holders of the Order of Courage in Russia. Foreign citizens may also be awarded.
Description
What is the badge of the Order of Courage? This is an equal-ended silver cross with rounded ends. The distance between the opposite parts is 40 mm. The edges of the award are bordered with a relief border. In the center, the Order of Courage has an image of the State Emblem of the Russian Federation. Relief rays evenly diverge from it. On the reverse side of the order there is a horizontal inscription - "Courage". The relief inscription is made in stylized letters. The number is right there.
The sign of the order is connected by means of a ring and an eyelet with a block of a pentagonal shape. It is covered with a silk moiré red ribbon, the edges of which are depicted with white stripes. The width of the braid is 2.4 cm, the stripes are 0.2 cm. This is what the Order of Courage looks like. The photo of the award, which is in the article, will help to visually verify this.
How is the Order of Courage worn?
When wearing the ribbon of the order on uniform, a special bar 0.8 cm high is used. The width of the ribbon is 2.4 cm. A miniature image of the order made of silver metal is attached to it in the form of a rosette, the diameter of which is 15 mm. As expected, those awarded the Order of Courage wear a state award on the left side of the chest. If there are other awards of the Russian Federation, then “For Courage” is usually placed behind the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland”, 4th degree. For possible everyday wear and special occasions, a small copy of the badge of the Order of Courage is provided.
Who was the first recipient of this distinction?
The first Decree by the President of the Russian Federation B. Yeltsin was signed in November 1994. Pilots V. Ostapchuk and V. Afanasiev were included in the first list of the Orders of Courage. They were awarded an honorary state badge for their selfless courage in rescuing people from the Yakhroma motor ship. Then he was in distress while in the Barents Sea.
In the same year, the first mass awarding of the Order of Courage took place. This award was awarded by the Decree of President B. Yeltsin to 17 military personnel for the heroism they showed in clearing the area and disarming explosive objects.
Knights of the Order of Courage
The main number of awards with the Order of Courage falls on merits during the conduct of military operations on the territory of the Chechen Republic, the North Caucasus, and also in Tajikistan. Many persons are presented for the award, who test military and civilian equipment. In addition, heroes and participants in the events of past years are awarded. For example, the liquidators of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Posthumously awarded the Order of Courage to 98 crew members of the Soviet submarine K-129, which suffered a disaster in 1968 off the coast of Hawaii. The entire crew of the nuclear submarine K-19, which died in 1961 in the North Atlantic, was also posthumously awarded the Order of Courage. Then the sailors-submariners managed to accomplish a heroic feat. They managed to silence the nuclear power plant submarine and save the nuclear-powered ship by bringing the ship into a safe radiation state.
Heroes can be awarded the Order of Courage several times, as mentioned above. official data about complete list awarded and the number of repeated holders of the order is not.
According to 2003 data, 716 people were awarded the Order of Courage, more than once. Twice - 682 people. There are 35 of them posthumously. Three times were awarded an honorary award - 35 people, three of them posthumously. One person was awarded four awards of the Order of Courage. For more than ten years, new awards have been carried out, respectively, and there are more holders of the Order of Courage.
Wheelchair users - holders of the Order of Courage - received their award for having traveled in wheelchairs from St. Petersburg to Alma-Ata. They made this route in order to develop and strengthen friendly ties between the peoples of the Baltics and the CIS. The youngest recipient of such an honorary state badge was a seven-year-old boy Evgeny Tabakov. He was awarded this award by the Decree of the then President D. Medvedev. Unfortunately, Zhenya was presented to the order posthumously. In 2008, he tried to protect his older 12-year-old sister from a rapist. He saved her, and he himself died from the knife of a criminal.
Are there any benefits for persons awarded the Order of Courage?
Unfortunately, for people who have such an outstanding order for personal courage, no benefits are due. Although the Order of Courage itself does not confer any privileges, some personal payments may still be specified in the award order. But this happens very rarely.
Benefits for gentlemen may be established by legislation in the region. In this case, they can be exempted from utility bills. Free travel in city and public transport is also possible.
For such categories of citizens as employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, liquidators of the Chernobyl accident, military personnel, the presence of a state award may become an addition to the basis for payments. For example, the presence of such a sign as the Order of Courage. Benefits in most cases are not provided, but when processing documents it would be better to indicate that such an award is available. The exception is employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In the presence of the Order of Courage, current employees are entitled to a 10% salary increase.
The Order of Courage gives the right to confer the title of "Veteran of Labor", if there is sufficient work experience and corresponding length of service. But this rule does not apply in all regions of Russia, but only in Moscow and some regions. The widows and children of the deceased holders of the Order currently do not have any privileges or benefits either.
The Order of Courage is the most massive award of the Russian Federation. To date, it can be said with confidence that more than 100 thousand people have been awarded this distinction.
On March 2, 1994, in the Russian Federation, on the basis of a presidential decree, a new state award was approved - the Order of Courage. The Order of Courage can be awarded to citizens of Russia for courage, selflessness and bravery that were shown in the protection of public order, in the fight against crime, saving people during natural disasters, catastrophes, fires and other emergencies, as well as for decisive and courageous actions during performance of military, official or civil duty, which were associated with a risk to life.
At the same time, not only citizens of the Russian Federation, but also foreigners can be awarded the order. Foreign citizens are awarded this order for courage, selflessness and courage in rescuing Russian citizens during fires, catastrophes, natural disasters and in other emergencies occurring outside of Russia. The Order of Courage can be awarded posthumously.
The Order of Courage can be awarded more than once. Today in our country there are three people - Colonel Andrei Volovikov (military pilot), Colonel Sergei Militsky (Department "A" (Alpha) of the FSB of Russia) and Colonel Alexei Novgorodov (police), who are holders of 4 Orders of Courage. In 2011, an important addition was made to the statute of the order by a presidential decree. Since 2011, persons awarded three Orders of Courage, when committing another selfless or courageous act, can be presented to the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
When developing the order, the militia cross of 1812 was taken as a basis. During the approval of the sketch of the order by the artist E. I. Ukhnalev, a variant with an overlaid double-headed eagle (gilded), large in size, was proposed. But this option was not approved. P. K. Kornakov, Candidate of Historical Sciences, leading specialist of the State Heraldry, took part in the creation of the sketch of the Order of Courage. He, on the basis of the assignment of the Commission for State Awards and the State Heraldry, completed the molding of the order. The author of the idea of the Order of Courage was G. V. Vilinbakhov, the State King of Arms of the Russian Federation. The Order of Courage was made at the Moscow Mint.
The badge of the order is an equilateral cross with rounded ends, embossed rays and a embossed rim around the edge. The distance between the ends of the cross is 40 mm. The award is made of silver. In the center of the cross is the State Emblem of the Russian Federation, the image is made in relief. On the reverse side The order has a relief inscription: "Courage". This inscription is made in stylized letters horizontally. Also on the reverse side is the order number. With the help of a ring and an eye, the order is attached to a standard pentagonal block. The block is covered with a red silk ribbon, along the edges of which there are white stripes. The width of the moire ribbon is 24 mm, the width of the white stripes is 2 mm.
The first decree on awarding the Order of Courage was signed by Russian President Boris Yeltsin on November 11, 1994. The Orders of Courage were awarded to the deputy commander of the flight detachment V.E. Ostapchuk and the commander of the helicopter V.P. Afanasiev for courage and bravery that were shown in rescuing people from the ship Yakhroma, which was in distress in the Barents Sea. The first mass awarding of the Order of Courage took place on November 25 of the same year. On this day, the President of the Russian Federation signed a decree on awarding 17 servicemen. All of them were awarded for the courage and bravery shown by them in the neutralization of explosive ordnance and demining the area.
The overwhelming number of awards with the Order of Courage falls on military operations in the North Caucasus, on the territory of the Chechen Republic (first and second campaigns). Among those who received this award on the battlefields are the commander of the 58th Army, Lieutenant General V. Shamanov; Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Colonel-General A. L. Shkirko. In 1995, 39-year-old Colonel V. Selivanov was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage. Selivanov was the head of the information group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Airborne Forces. The paratrooper, who successfully fought for 2 years in Afghanistan, took part in 57 combat operations, since December 14, 1994 was in Chechnya as part of an operational group. He died in Grozny on January 1, 1995.
On August 22, 1996, by presidential decree, for heroism, courage and steadfastness, the crew of the civil Il-76 aircraft, consisting of 5 people, was awarded the Order of Courage. The crew of the plane was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan, but managed to escape from captivity.
The Order of Courage in Russia was also awarded to participants in the events of the distant past. So, on May 9, 2004, Soviet sailors, crew members of the K-19 nuclear submarine, which crashed while in the northern part of the Atlantic, in July 1961, were awarded. Then the sailors managed the almost impossible: they managed to save the nuclear-powered ship and shut down the nuclear power plant of the boat, bringing the ship into a safe radiation state.
The youngest Russian citizen who was awarded the Order of Courage is a 7-year-old boy, Zhenya Tabakov. He was presented to the order posthumously. On November 28, 2008, a 2nd grade student died while trying to protect his own 12-year-old sister from a rapist.
The Order of Courage is the most massive award of the Russian Federation. According to rough estimates, as of July 1, 2006, more than 80,000 awards of the Order of Courage were made. It is safe to say that at the moment the number of awards has exceeded 100 thousand.
According to free sources
