Captain is the most stellar rank. General's shoulder straps: colors and types of shoulder straps

The insignia of officers of the Russian Army was introduced by Decree of the President of Russia No. 1010 of May 23, 1994, simultaneously with the introduction of the uniform of the Russian Army. Significant change there was no 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 clearance and stars:
1st Junior Lieutenant.
2nd Lieutenant.
3-Senior Lieutenant.
4-Captain.

Senior officers -two gaps and; stars:
1-Major.
2nd Lieutenant Colonel.
3rd Colonel.

Examples of officers; shoulder strap:

1st captain's shoulder strap 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” was abolished as meaningless Soviet Union"The general ranks lost the addition of the type “general-……..artillery”. This addition was left only to the generals of the medical, veterinary services and justice. 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 Blue colour uniform 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 Russian Federation

1st shoulder strap of Marshal of the Russian Federation. 2nd shoulder strap of an army general. 3rd Parade 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. army generals had their shoulder straps removed from one a big star and the general arms emblem, and the usual general's shoulder straps with four stars in one vertical row were introduced.

Generals' shoulder straps Russian army, like the Soviet one, retained the continuity of pre-revolutionary Russian insignia. The main element that distinguishes them is zigzags. There have been cases over the years when misappropriation high rank The colonels found out directly on the front line, and before the attack they drew broken lines directly on the old shoulder straps with chalk.

IN tsarist army There were four highest command ranks. These were field marshal general (epaulettes with zigzags and crossed batons), cavalry and other branches of the military, also called "full general" (epaulettes with zigzags without stars), lieutenant general (three stars on top of zigzags) and major general (two stars ).

In February 1917, revolutionary-minded soldiers and sailors, incited by agitators, tore the hated symbols of the “old regime” from the shoulders of their former superiors.

After a long break in 1943, the traditional Russian insignia was reintroduced in the Soviet Army. The rank of major general, as before 1917, turned out to be the first and youngest among the generals. Then, according to the increasing number of stars, came the lieutenant general and colonel general.

The insignia of senior command personnel remained almost unchanged. The only exception is the shoulder straps of an army general, the appearance of which has already changed several times. The rank is indeed intermediate, and the official duties are so close to those of a marshal that the line between the two sometimes became indistinguishable.

The shoulder straps of an army general with four stars were a rank after which it was not far to a marshal. During the Great Patriotic War commanders in this rank, as a rule, held the position of deputy front commander.

In 1974, the insignia of senior command personnel underwent some changes. There were reasons for this - the status and responsibilities of the marshal and the army general turned out to be almost identical. In addition, unlike the war years, in these years, later called “stagnant”, the next rank was awarded not for special abilities and personal qualities demonstrated during command and control of troops, but rather simply for the anniversary. As if hinting at the prospect of career growth, one star “fell” on the army general’s new shoulder straps, but what a star! Marshall! Next to it is a motorized rifle emblem. Such insignia lasted in the armed forces of the USSR and then the Russian Federation for twenty years.

In 1993, the rank of marshal in the Russian armed forces was abolished, and in 1997, the shoulder straps of an army general again became four-star, as in 1943.

In 2013, the pendulum swung again towards the Marshall stars. It is possible that one large star is more beautiful than four smaller ones. It is possible that in this way they are trying to mislead the intelligence services of potential adversaries. It can also be assumed that aesthetic ideas play a significant role in the choice of style of insignia. The fact remains that today the shoulder straps of an army general are again similar to those of a marshal. Whether they will change in the future is not yet very clear.

Generals in the Russian Federation, as in any other country, belong to the highest officer ranks. General's shoulder straps are used to designate higher ranks in the military and law enforcement agencies of Russia.

When were shoulder straps introduced?

In the history of Russia, shoulder straps began to be used during the reign of Peter I. Initially, they were intended only for soldiers. Over time, officers began to use them. Since there was no single sample of shoulder straps, they performed their distinguishing function poorly. This was corrected by introducing uniforms of different colors: each battalion or regiment had its own color scheme. Officer's shoulder straps had a hexagonal shape, and soldiers' shoulder straps had a pentagonal shape. General's shoulder straps in those days were gold or silver braid without stars. Similar insignia were used until 1917.

After October revolution soldier's and general's shoulder straps were abolished because they were perceived as Soviet Russia like the enemy. They were preserved by the White Guards. The insignia became a counter-revolutionary symbol, and the officers wearing them were called “golden chasers.” This situation persisted until the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

Who wears shoulder straps in Russia today?

Today, on the territory of the Russian Federation, as in some other states, not only the personnel of the Armed Forces have the right to wear shoulder straps. In the prosecutor's office, police, tax and environmental inspectorates, railway, sea, river and civil aviation shoulder straps are used.

Who are the generals?

The rank of general refers to the highest officer ranks, for each of which there are corresponding general shoulder straps. The ranks, which previously differed from each other depending on the type of troops, have now become unified. The Russian army provides for the following ranks:

• Major General;
• Lieutenant General;
• Colonel General;
• general

What do general's shoulder straps look like?

After the Decree of the President of Russia in May 1994, new form for army officers of the Russian Federation. The sizes, colors and shape of the shoulder straps have been changed. Now they do not reach the collar of the jacket. Shoulder straps, both sewn and removable, became hexagonal in shape. Their upper part contains a button, which serves a decorative function. Today shoulder straps are 50 mm wide and 150 mm long.

General stars on shoulder straps are arranged depending on rank in one vertical row:

• Major General's shoulder straps have one star;
• wearing two stars is provided for;
• Colonel General wears three stars;
• general - four.

After 2013, in the Russian Army, general shoulder straps of all types began to be equipped with a combined arms emblem and one large star. Compared to the marshal's star, the star of the Russian army general is smaller. But the rank of marshal in various branches of the military was abandoned back in 1993. The Marshall Star, an insignia adopted in 1981, was then abolished.

What colors are used?

After the 1994 law was passed dress uniform Generals are equipped with golden-colored shoulder straps with sewn stars, the diameter of which is 22 mm. In the ground forces of the Russian Federation, general shoulder straps are provided with a red border, for the Airborne Forces, Aerospace Forces and Aviation - blue.

On casual uniform Generals of the ground forces wear green shoulder straps with red trim. IN airborne troops and Russian military space forces generals in Everyday life wear green shoulder straps with blue trim. For aviation, blue shoulder straps with blue edging are required. In field conditions, the color of the shoulder straps is green. Green stars are sewn on them.

According to the regulations, white general's shoulder straps are intended for white shirts. Golden stars are sewn on them.

Green shirts have green shoulder straps and gold stars. Aviation generals are required to wear blue shirts and blue shoulder straps with golden stars sewn on. For shirt shoulder straps of generals of justice, veterinary and medical services, wearing the corresponding emblems is mandatory. For everyday wear, generals use sewn shoulder straps. Removable ones are used only for shirts.

Other distinctive features

The ranks of senior officers can be identified not only by using the stars sewn on the general's shoulder straps. The photo below shows the design features of these distinctive means. On July 31, 2014, the President of the Russian Federation signed a Decree on the creation of a new shoulder strap. You can recognize a General of the Army of the Russian Armed Forces using a running edge.

For the Russian Federation it is red, for the Air Force it is blue. The ranks of FSB generals have cornflower blue edging on their shoulder straps. Red stars are sewn onto the shoulder straps. The Federal Service for the Protection of Special Objects under the President of the Russian Federation also uses cornflower blue edging for generals' shoulder straps. Gold stars are provided for these services. General's shoulder straps are characterized by a special texture: even field uniform equipped with shoulder straps, embroidered with threads. This makes it possible to distinguish the three-star shoulder straps worn by a colonel general from the shoulder straps of warrant officers. They are attached to clothing using a special coupling and half-strap.

When wearing a black leather jacket, generals use shoulder straps - muffs.

What are the shoulder straps of police generals?

In appearance, the general's shoulder straps of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are almost no different from the army ones. In the police, a postscript is added to the ranks of generals - not “army”, but “police”. The following titles are available:

• Major General of Police;
• Lieutenant General of Police;
• Colonel General of Police.

Russian Police General - special rank senior management. This title can be received by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. Today I received it. In the Ministry of Internal Affairs, generals use shoulder straps on which large stars are sewn. There are no gaps on these shoulder straps.

Police insignia 2011 and 2014

In 2011, the longitudinal centerline of the police general's shoulder strap was equipped with four stars and a red edging. The embroidered stars had a diameter of 22 mm. In 2014, the size of the stars increased to 4 cm. The red edging remained the same.

Often on general’s shoulder straps you can find the tag of the FSUE “43 TsEPK” of the RF Ministry of Defense - the oldest Moscow enterprise engaged in custom tailoring uniforms for senior officers.

The linear products of this enterprise are still used today by generals of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Federal Service Security, FSO, prosecutor's office and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia.

In 1993, the Russian armed forces began the transition to a new uniform. On the shoulder straps of the new model for army generals, the previous elements were retained - a star and an emblem, which in appearance and size corresponded to the 1982 model for shirt shoulder straps of the USSR period.

On May 23, 1994, the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation “On military uniforms and insignia for military ranks"No. 1010 in which it was described appearance shoulder straps of an army general - " The shoulder straps are rectangular, with a button in the upper part, with a trapezoidal upper edge, with a field of braid of a special weave of golden color or the color of the clothing fabric without piping or with red piping. On the shoulder straps of army generals are embroidered: a gilded star or a khaki star with red edging, and above the star is a gilded emblem or a khaki emblem".

In the rules for wearing military uniforms, put into effect by order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on July 28, 1994 No. 255, the diameter of the stars on the shoulder straps of army generals was indicated - 35 mm, as well as the distance from the center of the stars to the lower edge of the shoulder strap - 30 mm. In 1997 (Order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 210), the distance from the bottom of the shoulder strap to the center of the star was changed to 35 mm.

Shoulder straps of an army general, model 1994, for a ceremonial jacket.

On January 27, 1997, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 48, changes were made to the description of the shoulder straps of army generals: now they had four stars with a diameter of 22 mm.
Sewn shoulder straps of an army general on a ceremonial jacket model 1997.

Sewn shoulder straps of an army general on a casual jacket.

Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces (2008-2012) N.E. Makarov. Casual sewn shoulder straps model 1997.

Removable shoulder straps of an army general on a shirt.

The shoulder straps on the shirt had this tag. FSUE "43 TsEPK" of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is the oldest enterprise in Moscow, providing services for individual tailoring of uniforms for generals, admirals and senior officers of the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, FSB, FSO, General Prosecutor's Office, Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Army general's braided shoulder straps for a white dress shirt.

Braided shoulder straps for a casual jacket.

Field shoulder straps of an army general. An interesting fastening - both a coupling and a half-strap.

Shoulder straps for a black leather jacket.

Another uniform reform was associated with the name of former Minister of Defense A.E. Serdyukov, who entrusted the development of new uniform samples to the Yudashkin Fashion House.
On March 11, 2010, the new uniform was approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 293, and on June 9, 2010, by order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 555, its description was approved. On September 3, 2011, by order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 1500, wearing rules were put into effect on December 1, 2011.
The fundamental difference between the shoulder straps of the new model was the return to sewn-on quadrangular shoulder straps with a bevel and the abolition of wearing buttons on such shoulder straps.

Drawing of an army general's shoulder strap from Order No. 1500 of the RF Ministry of Defense dated September 3, 2011

Army general's shoulder straps mod. 2010 on a gray dress overcoat.

Army General Nikolai Makarov, July 12, 2012 (photo from Wikipedia)

Nothing lasts forever, and in 2013, Decree No. 165 of the President of the Russian Federation was issued, which amended Decree No. 293 “On Military Uniforms.” Army generals were again given back the marshal’s star on their shoulder straps, which they had worn until 1997. The emblem in the form of a wreath with a star has also returned. Only the distance from the bottom edge of the shoulder strap to the center of the star has changed - it used to be 35 mm, but now it is 45 mm. The text of the decree can be studied in detail