Order of Merit for the Fatherland

Order of Merit for the Fatherland
Star of the Order of Services to the Fatherland (1st class)
Awarded by  Russia
Type	four grade order
Eligibility	Russian and foreign citizens
Awarded for	Outstanding contributions to the state, labour achievements and significant contributions to the defence of the State
Status	Active
Statistics
Established	March 2, 1994
Total awarded	29 first class, 193 second class 579 third class 1283 fourth class
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of St George
Next (lower)	Order of Alexander Nevsky
Ribbon of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (1st class) Ribbon of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (2nd class) Ribbon of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (3rd class) Ribbon of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (4th class)

The Order of Merit for the Fatherland (Russian: Орден «За заслуги перед Отечеством») was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree. The statutes describe it as a decoration for merit, not an order of knights.

The order has a collar and four classes. The collar and a slightly different badge are the insignia of the President of the Russian Federation. The only foreigner to have received a collar was the French President Jacques Chirac^[1]. There is an associated medal, in two classes, gold and silver.

Although Russia is usually considered a "motherland", the word oтечество means "fatherland".

References

1. ^ World Orders of Knighthood and Merit Page 1527