Order of the Red Star

The Order of the Red Star was awarded to soldiers of the Soviet Army, Navy, border and internal security forces, employees of the State Security Committee of the USSR, as well as NCOs and officers of the bodies of internal affairs; to units, warships, associations, enterprises, institutions and organisations; as well as to military personnel of foreign countries: == Long service award ==

The Order of the Red Star was also used as a long service award from 1944 to 1958 to mark fifteen years of service in the military, state security, or police. Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 14 September 1957 emphasised the devaluation of certain Soviet high military Orders used as long service awards instead of their originally intended criteria. This led to the joint 25 January 1958 decree of the Ministers of Defence, of Internal Affairs and of the Chairman of the Committee on State Security of the USSR establishing the Medal "For Impeccable Service" putting an end to the practice. == Award description ==

The Order of the Red Star is a red enamelled 47mm to 50mm wide (depending on the variant) silver five pointed star. In the centre of the obverse, an oxydised silver shield bearing the image of an erect soldier wearing an overcoat and carrying a rifle, along the shield's entire circumference, a narrow band bearing the Communist motto in relief, "Workers of the world, unite!" (), the band below the soldier bore the relief inscription "USSR" (). Below the shield, the hammer and sickle also of oxydised silver. The otherwise plain reverse bore the maker's mark and the award serial number. The Order was attached to clothing by a threaded stud and screw attachment. When the order wasn't worn, a ribbon could be worn in its stead on the ribbon bar on the left side of the chest. The ribbon of the Order of the red Star was a 24mm wide silk moiré dark red with a 5mm wide central silver stripe. == Noteworthy recipients (partial list) ==

The Order of the Red Star was awarded 6 times to 5 people, 5 times to more than 15 people, four times to more than 150 people, three times to more than 1,000 people. Below is a short partial list of such multiple recipients: Six times • Colonel Philip Petrovich Onoprienko • Colonel Peter Petrovich Panchenko • Lieutenant Colonel Vasily Vasilevich Silantyev Five times • Colonel Konstantin Ivanovich Malkhasyan • Major General Ivan Nikiforovich Stepanenko • Colonel Alexey Petrovich Yakimov Four times • Lieutenant General Galaktion Alpaidze • Colonel General Georgy Baydukov • Colonel General Alexander Ivanovich Babaev • Colonel Valentin Gavrilov • General Gaysin, V.B. Three times • Captain Zelig Fisher • Lieutenant Colonel Naum Shusterman • Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Lebed • Lieutenant Colonel Korolev Alexey Denisovich • Army General Alexei Yepishev • Army General Gennady Ivanovich Obaturov • Captain (navy) Asaf Abdrakhmanov • Lieutenant General Alexander Vasilyevich Belyakov • Rear Admiral Aksel Berg • Admiral Nikolai Sergeyev • Aviator Olga Yamshchikova • Major Marina Chechneva • Major Samuil Kovner • Major General Лукашев, Василий Васильевич • Skarzhinsky, Nikolai Vladimirovich a Soviet serviceman, who served in the Soviet 327th anti-tank battalion of the 253rd Rifle Division Twice • Marshal of the Soviet Union Sergey Akhromeyev • Marshal of the Soviet Union Nikolai Bulganin • Major General Hazi Aslanov • Major General Georgy Beregovoy • Colonel General Igor Rodionov • Sergey Ilyushin • Semyon Nomokonov • Colonel Ivan Kozhedub • Colonel Dmitry Loza • Marshal of Aviation Alexander Pokryshkin • Marshal of the Soviet Union Boris Shaposhnikov • Senior Sergeant Yakov Pavlov • Admiral Arseniy Golovko • Rear Admiral Vladimir Konovalov • Admiral Gordey Levchenko • Admiral Ivan Stepanovich Yumashev • Army General Ivan Yefimovich Petrov • Colonel Semyon Zelensky • War photographer Robert Diament Singles • Major General Isaak Zaltsman • Admiral Nikolay Gerasimovich Kuznetsov • Astronaut Vladimir Komarov • Ivan Gevorkian, famous Soviet Armenian surgeon and scientist. • Pavel Sukhoi • Natalya Kovshova, Red Army sniper. First Woman to receive the Red Star. • Andrei Tupolev • Astronaut Andriyan Nikolayev • Astronaut Pavel Popovich • Philosopher Grigori Pomerants • Major General Valery Bykovsky • Major Pavel Belyayev • Major General Alexei Leonov • Senior Lieutenant Simon Alexandrovich Marcus • Mikhail Mil • Heydar Aliyev • Evdokia Zavaliy • Astronaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov • Pilot Khiuaz Dospanova • Major Yakov Drob • Lieutenant General Alexander Lebed • Vasily Degtyaryov • Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasily Chuikov • Physicist Georgy Mihailovich Kondratiev • Manhattan Project spy Harry Gold (secret) • World War II Soviet spy Elizabeth Bentley (secret) • Cold War Nuclear Submariner, Seaman Sergei Preminin • Guards Sergeant Mariya Borovichenko • Vice Admiral Vasily Arkhipov • Tamara Pamyatnykh, female fighter pilot • Ants Laaneots • • Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn commander of a sound-ranging battery in the Red Army and Nobel laureate for literature. • Aleksandra Shlyakhova • Mikhail Konstantinovich Kudryavtsev • Colonel Nikolai Petrov, Deputy head of Moscow Anti-Aircraft Defences • Olga Avilova, surgeon • Ilya Devin, writer • Lieutenant Mikhail Golobokov • Victor Stern • Senior Lieutenant Алишев Ахан • Cosmonaut Valentin Bondarenko, who died as the result of burns sustained in a fire during a 15-day low-pressure endurance experiment as a part of the Soviet space programme. • Lieutenant Charles Thau Units • Alexandrov Ensemble • 89th Rifle Division • 9th Infantry Division • 80th Airmobile Regiment • 8th Army Corps • 7th Guards Airborne Division • 10th Guards Motor Rifle Division • 35th Guards Motor Rifle Division In 2015 the Order of the Red Star award awarded to Ukrainian army units were removed as part of a removal of Soviet awards and decorations from Ukrainian military units. ==References==