Nowadays, few people remember that shoulder straps in the Soviet Army were of different colors: red armored ones were for motorized riflemen (infantry), burgundy for the explosives (internal troops), black for tankers, artillery, etc., green for border guards, blue - for the Airborne Forces and Aviation, etc.
Have you ever wondered why you almost never saw discharges with red shoulder straps in civilian life? Only the airborne forces, border guards and sailors differed and were distinguished by a different form. All the others had black shoulder straps, and only the badges on the buttonholes were different?
And this was explained very simply. Almost all demobilizers from combined arms units, which spent their entire service wearing red SA shoulder straps, went to demobilization with black ones. Neither commanders nor political workers prevented them from doing this, and even, on the contrary, they made sure that everyone quit “in the dark.”
In another case, the demobilizer’s chances of getting home safely were rapidly decreasing. Our country is large, and most often a soldier had to travel several days to get home, during which, if he had red shoulder straps on his shoulders, he could almost be guaranteed to get a knife in the side in some dirty vestibule or in the back streets of a station for toilet. The thing is that the burgundy epaulets of the VV (a person with an art education would even say that it was more like a “kraplak”) differed only slightly in color from the red ones of the SA, and in a country where the majority of the population had the opportunity to come into contact with the prison system, there was a fierce hatred of the wearers the letters BB on red epaulets were significantly faster than the speed of reading letters, if it even came to that...
I can’t say that it was like this absolutely everywhere, but in most parts it was like that. Maybe somewhere in large cities in crowded places and during daylight hours it was possible to appear “in red” without taking much risk, but the majority of the population of the USSR does not live “in the center”, but where it is high from God, far from power , and in the forest the bear is the owner...
Therefore, now that the press has begun a campaign to protect Russian National Guard soldiers and police officers and members of their families, who are allegedly receiving death threats through social networks for being harsh against citizens who are detained at public events, this is hardly a surprise for our country...
First, they created a structure, subordinated it to virtually the same former Internal Troops, as a result of which many military officers refused to serve in it, because for them the very idea of being subordinate to the “guards” and using force against their own citizens turned out to be wild. Then they showed how “guardsmen”, eight to ten people per person, loaded girls, students and random passers-by into paddy wagons. Then they began to imprison for significant periods those who “touched the body armor with their hands and caused pain and suffering to the guardsmen.” Now they are surprised that the guards, to put it mildly, do not attract the love of the population.
Caught between orders from their superiors (often “oral” and not always legal) and people who do not always break the law, “law enforcement officers” are increasingly “jumping off the handle” for minor reasons, as in two cases yesterday...
Where are we going and what are we doing? Maybe, before it’s too late, not knowing what to do, we will begin to act according to the LAW, which will be the same for everyone?
P.S. This article unexpectedly received a lot of responses on social networks and online media. Thanks to EVERYONE who did not remain indifferent and contributed their part to this story.
I collected the most interesting comments here:
Vit Adams And so it was. “Black shoulder straps mean a clear conscience.”
Dmitry Shevtsov Good article. She is 99% correct about history... about explosives and the dislike of troops among ordinary people.
Bryansk Lukhari resort
I confirm the author. In 1982, my brother was demobilized from the Urals from the VV, and came home wearing a demobilization parade, but with black shoulder straps of the SA and combined arms chevrons. He said that many from afar did not make it safely, they were caught at train stations and on trains and beaten half to death, their uniforms were torn, and their money and documents were taken away.
Galley foreman
A good article, informative, with an excursion into history for comparison with the present. I fully support the premise, and I completely share the author’s point of view on this issue. Law enforcement officers must act strictly within the law when carrying out their work, especially when we are not talking about criminals, but about ordinary citizens, whose civil rights they have no right to suppress. Even with the permission of their superiors, otherwise they themselves turn into criminals. The protection of a certain group of persons (the untouchable) should not be carried out to the detriment of everyone else. That is why there is a law, and as the author correctly noted, everyone should be equal before it. Otherwise, law enforcement officers, by not observing the law themselves, encourage others to disobey it. And this is the great responsibility of the authorities.
current
He served in the 80s, in the navy. I remember these stories about VVshnikov, it happened, they changed clothes, but not everything is so terrible! It was more likely that such horror stories influenced 20-year-old soldiers than that in reality everything was so sad. But this is my private, subjective opinion.
AlexV
In the early 80s, former soldiers who served in the Far East and Siberia went to demobilization mainly by trains along the Trans-Siberian Railway. (At that time there was no asphalt on the Moscow-Vladivostok road at all and this railway, built under the Tsar, transported a huge amount cargojd/.Lying on the second shelf of the carriage, sometimes it rocked and tossed so that some drunks, and some sober ones, flew down to the floor. It was in such carriages that the “red shoulder straps” rode home. They were distinguished by their shoulder straps and even without them - from the well-fed face and well-groomed hands. It was not entirely pleasant. He also said that here and there, near the railway embankment, bodies were discovered that had “fallen” from the cars. That’s why almost everyone went home, dressed in civilian clothes, but about their They didn’t remember the “red-shouldered” service for the protection of prisoners and camps. Unless they were drunk, as a result of which there was a chance of getting a thorn in the side. The author of these lines at that time was also a soldier and wore black shoulder straps. Sometimes a train with equipment walked separately, and we We were traveling to a new place on the Trans-Siberian Express. Our hands were covered in sores and abscesses (climate, diesel fuel, lack of TB) and we were carrying backpacks, overcoats and machine guns with us. The people on the train treated us well, many even offered us a drink and a snack, and we felt that the country around us was ours, common to everyone. And then one day it all ended, because we were sent to fulfill our “international duty.”
Alexander L
They were called Vovans.
On the table there were cups on beautiful patterned saucers, small neat spoons lay nearby, and the middle of the table was occupied by a beautiful sweet berry pie that my mother had baked. Everything was already ready for the arrival of the guests, because today was a holiday, and Pochemuchka already knew about it. Today they celebrated February 23, Defender of the Fatherland Day.
And then, finally, the doorbell rang. Mom went to meet the guests. Pochemuchka also ran into the corridor and saw Uncle Sasha there.
- Hello! - Pochemuchka exclaimed joyfully and ran up to the guest.
“Hello, hello, Pochemuchka,” answered Uncle Sasha and picked up the girl in his arms.
- Uncle Sasha, you are unusual today. You have such a beautiful outfit.
- Why, this is not an outfit, this is a ceremonial military uniform, I decided to wear it in honor of the holiday.
- Very beautiful uniform, what are you wearing on your shoulders? Are these some special military decorations to make you even more beautiful?
- No, these are shoulder straps. They appeared under the Russian Tsar Peter I and were invented to make it more convenient to carry a bag with cartridges so that its strap would not slip off. After some time, shoulder straps began to be used to distinguish the rank of military personnel.
- What military ranks are there?
- There are a total of twenty steps by which you can rise from the lowest private to the highest - a marshal. These steps are ranks that are given to the military for certain merits. Let me list their names for you:
The very first ranks with which a military career begins are called private and corporal. On their field uniform, the shoulder straps do not have any insignia, but on the front uniform there are golden letters.
Junior sergeant, sergeant, senior sergeant and foreman: these ranks can be called in one word - non-commissioned officers. On their shoulder straps there are insignia in the form of stripes - these are strips or corners sewn to the shoulder strap. And on the dress uniform, in addition to the stripes, there are also metal letters.
The warrant officer and senior warrant officer have insignia on their shoulder straps in the form of stars located along the shoulder strap.
Junior lieutenant, lieutenant, senior lieutenant and captain are junior officers. On the shoulder straps of these military men there is a stripe called a gap (very often confused with stripes) and small stars. There are no stripes on field shoulder straps.
Major, lieutenant colonel and colonel are senior officers. Their shoulder straps have two clear stripes and larger stars than those of junior officers. On field uniforms they also have no clearance.
So we got to the ranks of senior officers: these are major general, lieutenant general, colonel general and army general. They do not have any clear stripes on their shoulder straps; they have large stars located vertically.
On the shoulder straps of the Marshal of the Russian Federation there is one very large star and the coat of arms of Russia.
Oh, how many ranks there are in our army, you won’t remember right away. - Why said. - But I will try and will be able to determine the military rank just by looking at the shoulder straps.
70 years ago, shoulder straps were introduced in the Soviet Union for the personnel of the Soviet Army. Shoulder straps and stripes in the navy were abolished in Soviet Russia after the October Revolution of 1917 by decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR (they were considered a symbol of inequality).
Shoulder straps appeared in the Russian army at the end of the 17th century. Initially they had a practical meaning. They were first introduced by Tsar Peter Alekseevich in 1696, then they served as a strap that kept the gun belt or cartridge pouch from slipping off the shoulder. Therefore, shoulder straps were an attribute of uniform only for lower ranks, since officers were not armed with guns. In 1762, an attempt was made to use shoulder straps as a means of distinguishing military personnel from different regiments and distinguishing soldiers and officers. To solve this problem, each regiment was given shoulder straps of different weaving from a harness cord, and to separate soldiers and officers, the weaving of shoulder straps in the same regiment was different. However, since there was no single standard, the shoulder straps performed the task of the insignia poorly.
Under Emperor Pavel Petrovich, only soldiers began to wear shoulder straps again, and again only for a practical purpose: to keep the ammunition on their shoulders. Tsar Alexander I returned the function of rank insignia to shoulder straps. However, they were not introduced in all branches of the military; in infantry regiments, shoulder straps were introduced on both shoulders, in cavalry regiments - only on the left. In addition, back then, shoulder straps did not indicate rank, but membership in a particular regiment. The number on the shoulder strap indicated the number of the regiment in the Russian Imperial Army, and the color of the shoulder strap showed the number of the regiment in the division: red indicated the first regiment, blue the second, white the third, and dark green the fourth. Yellow color indicated the army (non-guards) grenadier units, as well as the Akhtyrsky, Mitavsky Hussars and the Finnish, Primorsky, Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan and Kinburn Dragoon regiments. To distinguish lower ranks from officers, officers' shoulder straps were first lined with gold or silver braid, and a few years later epaulettes were introduced for officers.
Since 1827, officers and generals began to be designated by the number of stars on their epaulettes: warrant officers had one star each; for second lieutenants, majors and major generals - two; for lieutenants, lieutenant colonels and lieutenant generals - three; staff captains have four. Captains, colonels and full generals did not have stars on their epaulettes. In 1843, insignia were also established on the shoulder straps of lower ranks. So, the corporals got one stripe; for non-commissioned officers - two; senior non-commissioned officer - three. Sergeant majors received a transverse stripe 2.5 centimeters wide on their shoulder straps, and ensigns received exactly the same stripe, but located longitudinally.
Since 1854, instead of epaulettes, shoulder straps were introduced for officers; epaulettes were reserved only for ceremonial uniforms. Since November 1855, shoulder straps for officers became hexagonal, and for soldiers - pentagonal. Officer's shoulder straps were made by hand: pieces of gold and silver (less often) braid were sewn onto a colored base, from under which the field of the shoulder strap was visible. Stars were sewn on, gold stars on the silver shoulder strap, silver stars on the gold shoulder strap, the same size (11 mm in diameter) for all officers and generals. The field of shoulder straps showed the number of the regiment in the division or the branch of service: the first and second regiments in the division are red, the third and fourth are blue, the grenadier formations are yellow, the rifle units are crimson, etc. After this, there were no revolutionary changes until October 1917 of the year. Only in 1914, in addition to gold and silver shoulder straps, field shoulder straps were first established for the active army. The field shoulder straps were khaki (protective color), the stars on them were oxidized metal, the gaps were indicated by dark brown or yellow stripes. However, this innovation was not popular among officers who considered such shoulder straps unsightly.
It should also be noted that officials of some civil departments, in particular engineers, railway workers and the police, had shoulder straps. After the February Revolution of 1917, in the summer of 1917, black shoulder straps with white gaps appeared in shock formations.
On November 23, 1917, at a meeting of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Decree on the abolition of estates and civil ranks was approved, and shoulder straps were also abolished along with them. True, they remained in the white armies until 1920. Therefore, in Soviet propaganda, shoulder straps became a symbol of counter-revolutionary, white officers for a long period of time. The word “golden chasers” has actually become a dirty word. In the Red Army, military personnel were initially allocated only by position. For insignia, stripes were established on the sleeves in the form of geometric shapes (triangles, squares and rhombuses), as well as on the sides of the overcoat; they indicated rank and affiliation with the branch of the military. After the Civil War and until 1943, insignia in the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army remained in the form of collar buttonholes and sleeve chevrons.
In 1935, personal military ranks were established in the Red Army. Some of them corresponded to the royal ones - colonel, lieutenant colonel, captain. Others were taken from the ranks of the former Russian Imperial Navy - lieutenant and senior lieutenant. The ranks that corresponded to the previous generals were retained from the previous service categories - brigade commander (brigade commander), division commander (divisional commander), corps commander, army commander of the 2nd and 1st ranks. The rank of major, which had been abolished under Emperor Alexander III, was restored. The insignia has remained virtually unchanged in appearance compared to the 1924 models. In addition, the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union was established; it was no longer marked with diamonds, but with one large star on the collar flap. On August 5, 1937, the rank of junior lieutenant appeared in the army (he was distinguished by one kubar). On September 1, 1939, the rank of lieutenant colonel was introduced; now three sleepers corresponded to a lieutenant colonel, not a colonel. The colonel now received four sleepers.
On May 7, 1940, the ranks of general were established. The major general, as in the times of the Russian Empire, had two stars, but they were located not on the shoulder straps, but on the collar flaps. The lieutenant general was given three stars. This is where the similarity with the royal ranks ended - instead of a full general, the lieutenant general was followed by the rank of colonel general (was taken from the German army), he had four stars. Next to the colonel general, the general of the army (borrowing from the French armed forces), had five stars.
On January 6, 1943, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, shoulder straps were introduced in the Red Army. By order of the NKO of the USSR No. 25 of January 15, 1943, the decree was announced in the army. In the Navy, shoulder straps were introduced by order of the People's Commissariat of the Navy No. 51 of February 15, 1943. On February 8, 1943, shoulder straps were established in the People's Commissariats of Internal Affairs and State Security. On May 28, 1943, shoulder straps were introduced at the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs. On September 4, 1943, shoulder straps were established in the People's Commissariat of Railways, and on October 8, 1943, in the USSR Prosecutor's Office. Soviet shoulder straps were similar to the tsarist ones, but there were some differences. Thus, army officer's shoulder straps were pentagonal, not hexagonal; the colors of the gaps showed the type of troops, and not the number of the regiment in the division; the clearance was a single whole with the shoulder strap field; color edgings were introduced according to the type of troops; the stars on the shoulder straps were metal, silver and gold, they differed in size for senior and junior ranks; ranks were designated by a different number of stars than in the imperial army; shoulder straps without stars were not restored. Soviet officer shoulder straps were 5 mm wider than the tsarist ones and did not have encryption. Junior lieutenant, major and major general received one star each; lieutenant, lieutenant colonel and lieutenant general - two each; senior lieutenant, colonel and colonel general - three each; captain and general of the army - four each. For junior officers, the shoulder straps had one gap and from one to four silver-plated stars (13 mm in diameter), for senior officers, the shoulder straps had two gaps and from one to three stars (20 mm). Military doctors and lawyers had stars with a diameter of 18 mm.
Badges for junior commanders were also restored. The corporal received one stripe, the junior sergeant - two, the sergeant - three. Senior sergeants received the former wide sergeant major's badge, and senior sergeants received the so-called shoulder straps. "hammer".
Field and everyday shoulder straps were introduced for the Red Army. According to the assigned military rank, belonging to any branch of the military (service), insignia and emblems were placed on the shoulder straps. For senior officers, the stars were initially attached not to the gaps, but to a field of braid nearby. Field shoulder straps were distinguished by a khaki-colored field with one or two gaps sewn to it. On three sides, the shoulder straps had piping according to the color of the branch of service. Clearances were introduced: for aviation - blue, for doctors, lawyers and quartermasters - brown, for everyone else - red. For everyday shoulder straps, the field was made of galloon or golden silk. Silver braid was approved for everyday shoulder straps of engineering, quartermaster, medical, legal and veterinary services.
There was a rule according to which gilded stars were worn on silver shoulder straps, and silver stars were worn on gilded shoulder straps. Only veterinarians were an exception - they wore silver stars on silver shoulder straps. The width of the shoulder straps was 6 cm, and for officers of military justice, veterinary and medical services - 4 cm. The color of the shoulder strap edging depended on the type of troops (service): in the infantry - crimson, in aviation - blue, in the cavalry - dark blue, in technical for the troops - black, for doctors - green. On all shoulder straps, one uniform gilded button with a star, with a sickle and hammer in the center was introduced; in the Navy - a silver button with an anchor.
The shoulder straps of the generals, unlike those of officers and soldiers, were hexagonal. General's shoulder straps were gold with silver stars. The only exceptions were shoulder straps for generals of justice, medical and veterinary services. They received narrow silver shoulder straps with gold stars. Unlike the army, naval officer's shoulder straps, like the general's, were hexagonal. Otherwise, naval officer's shoulder straps were similar to army ones. However, the color of the piping was determined: for officers of the naval, engineering (ship and coastal) services - black; for naval aviation and aviation engineering services - blue; quartermaster - raspberry; for everyone else, including justice officers - red. The command and ship personnel did not have emblems on their shoulder straps.
Application. Order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR
January 15, 1943 No. 25
“On the introduction of new insignia
and about changes in the uniform of the Red Army"
In accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 6, 1943 “On the introduction of new insignia for the personnel of the Red Army,” -
I ORDER:
1. Establish the wearing of shoulder straps:
Field - military personnel in the Active Army and personnel of units preparing to be sent to the front,
Everyday - by military personnel of other units and institutions of the Red Army, as well as when wearing full dress uniform.
2. All members of the Red Army should switch to new insignia - shoulder straps in the period from February 1 to February 15, 1943.
3. Make changes to the uniform of the Red Army personnel, according to the description.
4. Put into effect the “Rules for wearing uniforms by personnel of the Red Army.”
5. Allow the wearing of the existing uniform with new insignia until the next issue of uniforms, in accordance with the current deadlines and supply standards.
6. Unit commanders and garrison commanders must strictly monitor compliance with the uniform and correct wearing of the new insignia.
People's Commissar of Defense
I. Stalin.
VKontakte has a lot of information: interesting facts, news, articles. One day I came across a post about military ranks of the Russian Federation and quickly memorized them.
Now I decided to write a short article on how anyone can quickly learn them. I myself remembered it differently, but here I will describe it in accessible language for everyone.
DO IT STRICTLY IN STEPS and by the end of reading the post you will remember all the ranks (military) and the corresponding shoulder straps!
It will take you no more than 5 minutes!
1. Private
2. Corporal
—————————
3. Junior Sergeant
4. Sergeant
5. Senior Sergeant
6. Sergeant Major
—————————
7. Ensign
8. Senior warrant officer
—————————
9. Junior Lieutenant
10. Lieutenant
11. Senior Lieutenant
12. Captain
—————————
13. Major
14. Lieutenant Colonel
15. Colonel
—————————
16. Major General
17. Lieutenant General
18. Colonel General
19. Army General (not in the picture above)
20. Marshal of the Russian Federation (not in the picture above)
Military ranks
1. Let’s encode some titles with associatively vivid visual images.
Private - carrot bed
Corporal - flute
Sergeant - earring
Major - mayonnaise
Lieutenant - watering can
Colonel - ladle
Lieutenant Colonel - bent ladle
Ensign - Borschik
Foreman - grandfather with a beard
General - crocodile Gena
2. We read and imagine the images, then look at the pictures.
Tomato: there is a row of carrots on the stems (Private), a flute pierces a tomato (Corporal).
Orange: on the leaf there is a small earring (Junior Sergeant), on the stem of medium size (Sergeant), on the peel there is a large earring (Senior Sergeant), in the pulp there is a grandfather with a beard (Sergeant Major).
Lemon: at one end there is a plate of borscht (Ensign), in the middle there is a pan of borscht (Senior Ensign), at the end there are 2 stars.
Grass: one behind the other is a small watering can (Junior Lieutenant), a medium watering can (Lieutenant), a large watering can (Senior Lieutenant), the Captain stands next to him, followed by a fairy wand.
Cloud: at one end there is mayonnaise (Major), in the middle there is a bent ladle (Lieutenant Colonel), a ladle (Colonel), a pregnancy tester with a star.
Marker: On the cap there is a crocodile Gena with mayonnaise (Major General), on the stem Gena with a watering can (Lieutenant General), in the middle Gena with a ladle (Colonel General).
Each item has a specific appearance with shoulder straps.
Tomato And Orange- only stripes (easy to remember)
Lemon— the stars begin (that’s why there are 2 stars hanging on the lemon)
Grass- a stripe and a star appear (fairy wand on the grass)
Cloud— a second stripe and a star appear (pregnancy tester on the cloud)
Marker- zigzag pattern (zipper on marker)
The sequential appearance of stars on ranks is not difficult to remember visually.
The last ones are the General of the Army and the Marshal of the Russian Federation; they are also easy to remember at the end.
Private, Corporal
Jr. Sergeant, Sergeant, St. Sergeant, Foreman
Ensign, St. Ensign
Jr. Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Senior Lieutenant, Captain
Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel
G.Major, G.Lieutenant, G.Colonel
3. Now let’s remember the colors of the rainbow.
Each (red - tomato)
Hunter (orange - orange)
Wishes (yellow - lemon)
Noble (green - grass)
Where (blue - sky)
Sitting (blue - marker)
Pheasant (we don’t need it 🙂)
This way we remember the order of all objects.
Repeat several times from memory.
Congratulations!
Now you know all the ranks in order, and you can name the rank by shoulder straps and remember which rank corresponds to which shoulder straps.
At first you will name it slowly, but with each repetition the speed of recall will increase.
This is how you can quickly learn the ranks and shoulder straps of Russian military personnel.
P.S. If you liked it, repost and write comments. I will publish new posts like this.
Insignia of soldiers and sergeants. Shoulder straps
From left to right: 1- Petty Officer (ceremonial uniform or greatcoat of the ground forces). 2-Senior sergeant (ceremonial uniform or overcoat of the Airborne Forces or aviation). 3- Sergeant (ceremonial uniform or greatcoat of the ground forces). 4-Junior Sergeant (white blouse of a female soldier). 5- Corporal (beige dress of a female soldier). 6th Private (green shirt).
Emblems for the branches of the military are worn only on shirt shoulder straps, shoulder straps on raincoats (demi-season and summer), woolen jackets, and on shoulder straps on blouses and dresses of female military personnel. On other types of uniforms, the emblems are worn on the collar in its lower corners.
Cadets' rank insignia. Shoulder straps
Cadets of military schools in full dress uniform, overcoats and types of uniforms similar to officers wear green (in the Air Force blue) soldier-type shoulder straps with galloon along the side edges of the shoulder strap. The emblems of the branches of the military are worn only on shirt shoulder straps. Cadets with sergeant ranks wear golden squares on their shoulder straps. On field and casual uniforms (in "Afghanka" type uniforms), cadets wear camouflage-colored muffs with the plastic letter "K" and golden squares on regular shoulder straps.
From left to right: 1-Cadet with the rank of sergeant major. 2-Cadet with the rank of senior sergeant. 3- Air Force College cadet with the rank of sergeant. 4-Cadet with the rank of junior sergeant. 5-Cadet at the Air Force School with the rank of corporal. 6-Cadet. 7- Muff for the shoulder strap of a cadet with the rank of sergeant major.
Insignia of lieutenants. Shoulder straps
Ensigns on their dress and everyday uniforms received soldier-style shoulder straps, green with scarlet stripes along the edges for the ground forces and with blue stripes for the Airborne Forces. Aviation ensigns received the same shoulder straps, but blue with blue side stripes. The green shirt (blue in the Air Force) has the same shoulder straps, but without the side stripes. On a white shirt, the shoulder straps are white.
Emblems for the branches of the military are only on shirt shoulder straps. The stars are golden. On the field uniform there are gray stars on the shoulder straps
From left to right: 1- Senior warrant officer of the ground forces. 2nd Warrant Officer of the Air Force. 3-Ensign of the airborne or military space forces. 4-Epaulette for a green warrant officer's shirt with the emblem of the military space forces. 5- Shoulder strap for the white shirt of a senior warrant officer with the emblem of motorized rifle troops.
Officers' rank insignia The Russian Army were introduced by Russian Presidential Decree No. 1010 of May 23, 1994, simultaneously with the introduction of the Russian Army uniform. There was no significant change in the officers' rank insignia. Only the size of the shoulder straps and shape have decreased, the colors of the shoulder straps have changed. The emblems of the military branches have changed. Now the shoulder strap does not reach the collar of the jacket, has a pentagonal shape and a button at the top. Shoulder strap width 5 cm, length 13.14 or 15 cm.
Shoulder strap colors:
*on a white shirt, white shoulder straps with colored gaps, golden emblems for the branches of the military and golden stars;
*on a green shirt, green shoulder straps with colored gaps, emblems for the branches of the military in golden color and golden stars;
*for an everyday jacket, a woolen jacket, an overcoat, a summer raincoat, a demi-season jacket, green shoulder straps with colored gaps, emblems for the branches of the military in golden color (where appropriate) and golden stars;
*on the ceremonial tunic, golden-colored shoulder straps with colored gaps and edging, golden stars;
*on a blue Air Force shirt, the shoulder straps are blue with blue highlights, golden Air Force emblems and golden stars;
*for a casual tunic, a woolen jacket, an overcoat, a summer raincoat, a demi-season jacket, the Air Force shoulder straps are blue with blue gaps, golden Air Force emblems (where required) and golden stars.
* on the field uniform, shoulder straps are the color of the uniform with stars of a dull gray color.
The number of gaps and stars has not changed. Also, as before, the stars of senior officers are larger than those of warrant officers and junior officers.
Junior officers - one star and one star:
1st Junior Lieutenant.
2nd Lieutenant.
3-Senior Lieutenant.
4-Captain.
Examples of officer's shoulder straps:
1st ceremonial shoulder strap of a captain of the ground forces. 2nd shoulder strap of a major in the Air Force, Aerospace Forces, Airborne Forces. 3rd parade shoulder strap of a colonel of the ground forces. 4-Everyday shoulder strap of a colonel of the ground forces. 5-Everyday shoulder strap of an Air Force major. 6-Everyday shoulder strap of a senior lieutenant of the Airborne Forces, VKS. 7-Lieutenant's shoulder straps to a white shirt with a combined arms emblem. 8-field shoulder strap of a lieutenant colonel. 9-Field shoulder strap of a lieutenant. 10-field shoulder strap of captain. 11-Lieutenant's shoulder straps to a green shirt with a combined arms emblem.
The ranks of senior officers with the creation of the Armed Forces of Russia (Decree of the President of Russia No. 466 of May 7, 1992) underwent significant changes. First of all, the ranks of marshals and chief marshals of the military branches were abolished, the title “Marshal of the Soviet Union” was abolished as meaningless. General ranks have lost the addition of the “general-……..artillery” type. This supplement was left only to the generals of the medical, veterinary and justice services. A new rank of “Marshal of the Russian Federation” was introduced
In connection with this, as well as in connection with the change in uniform (Decree of the President of Russia No. 1010 of May 23, 1994), in 1994 the shape, size of generals' shoulder straps and other insignia changed.
The color of the shoulder straps for the dress uniform for all is golden, the edging of the shoulder straps and sewn stars (diameter 22mm) is red for generals of the ground forces and blue for generals of aviation, airborne troops and military space forces.
The color of everyday shoulder straps for generals of the ground forces is green with red edging on the shoulder straps. For generals of the Airborne Forces and Aerospace Forces, the edging of the shoulder straps is blue with a green field.
The color of everyday shoulder straps of aviation generals is blue with blue edging
Green field shoulder straps of generals with green stars
Generals' shoulder straps for white shirts are white with golden embroidered stars. Green shirts have green shoulder straps with golden embroidered stars. Blue aviation shirts have blue shoulder straps with gold embroidered stars. Only generals of the medical, veterinary and justice services wear emblems on their shirt shoulder straps.
It should be noted that if earlier generals differed by branch of the military (for example, major general of the signal troops, lieutenant general of artillery, etc.), now the general ranks, as well as officer ranks, have become the same for all branches of the military and among themselves There is no difference in colors or emblems. All that remains is the color difference between the generals of the Airborne Forces and the Aerospace Forces, and in aviation, with the transition to the blue color of the uniform, the shoulder straps became blue.
Insignia of generals (sewn stars with a diameter of 22 m, arranged in one vertical row):
1 star - major general
2 stars - Lieutenant General
3 stars - Colonel General
1 large star and higher general arms emblem-army General
1 large star and higher double-headed eagle- Marshal of the Russian Federation
1st shoulder strap of Marshal of the Russian Federation. 2nd shoulder strap of an army general. 3rd dress shoulder strap of Colonel General of Aviation, Airborne Forces, Aerospace Forces. 4-parade shoulder strap of a lieutenant general of the ground forces. 5-Everyday shoulder strap of a Marshal of the Russian Federation. 6-Everyday shoulder strap of an army general. 7-Everyday shoulder strap of a Colonel General. 8-Everyday shoulder strap of an aviation major general.9-Epaulette for the green shirt of a lieutenant general of the medical service. 10-Epaulette for the white shirt of the Lieutenant General of Justice. 11-Field shoulder strap of an army general. 12-Field shoulder strap of Lieutenant General.
By Decree of the President of Russia No. 48 of January 27, 1997. For army generals, shoulder straps with one large star and a general arms emblem were abolished, and ordinary general shoulder straps with four stars in one vertical row were introduced.