Shoulder straps and ranks of the Russian police: the meaning of the stars on them, historical continuity. How to determine the rank on shoulder straps of various branches of the military
Special ranks of the police of the Russian Federation can only be obtained by adult citizens of Russia who have joined the internal affairs bodies and have been appointed to one of the positions of an ordinary or commanding staff. Under federal law, these ranks are virtually identical to special military ranks. There are two exceptions - there are no corporals and marshals, and the highest rank is the police general of the Russian Federation. The main difference from similar army ranks is that an additional noun is also said - "police".
Lineups
The youngest of the five possible compositions of employees is an ordinary. Ordinary police officers do not have insignia. The only exceptions are cadets of educational institutions, which have the letter "K". The junior commanding staff includes sergeants, foremen and warrant officers of the police. The first ones have stripes () - two, three or one wide, denoting, respectively, a junior sergeant, a sergeant and a senior police sergeant.On the shoulder straps of a police chief there is one long vertical stripe. The police ensign can be distinguished by two small vertical ones, the senior police ensign has three such stars. The average commanding staff is also the first officer. It includes junior lieutenants (one small star) that have practically disappeared in the Russian army, as well as lieutenants (two horizontal stars), senior lieutenants (three) and captains (four). On all shoulder straps, one vertical strip is drawn - the so-called clearance.
big stars
The senior commanding staff (two gaps) has three possible officer ranks - major, lieutenant colonel and colonel. The shoulder straps of the first of them have one middle star, the second one has two, and the third one has three stars. The highest commanding staff of the police, as in the Armed Forces, includes generals wearing without gaps. A major general has one star, a lieutenant general has two, and a colonel general has three. Finally, the police of the Russian Federation have four such stars. All insignia are arranged vertically.Perhaps, in your student years, a military training teacher told you about the various ranks that are used in our army, but it is unlikely that you absorbed this information with the same eagerness with which you furiously “neighed” in class, smoked in the school yard, or pulled pigtails of girls from their class.
Nevertheless, knowledge about this subject should be in the head of every man, so that he, without hesitation, understands who is the “real major”, and who is the “ensign Shmatko”, military ranks in the Russian army.
Categories of rank in the army of the Russian Federation
There are two main groups of ranks in the troops of the Russian Federation:
- ship (refer to those who serve at sea);
- military (go to representatives of the ground troops).
Ship ranks
- Navy (both under water and over water). The marine uniform has always been to the face of men. No wonder girls like sailors so much!
- military naval units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It sounds unusual, but there are police officers at sea.
- protection of the coastal (Border) service of the Russian FSB.
They are not chasing unscrupulous fishermen who caught a couple of buckets of carp without permission. Their direct responsibility is the capture of illegal immigrants and other criminals on the water frontiers of the country.
Military ranks
It is not so easy to see sea captains in snow-white uniforms on the streets of cities, especially if there is no sea nearby. But this is no reason to be upset!
Ranks are also given in:
- Armed Forces.
- Ministry of Internal Affairs (servicemen from the category "policemen" or district police officers).
- Ministry of Emergency Situations (dared men rescuing people in trouble).
Vadim, an EMERCOM worker from Khmelnitsky, says that many people imagine the EMERCOM workers as real rescue heroes who live all day long as if in a thriller. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. The life of the Ministry of Emergency Situations consists of daily visits by some priests in order to carry out explanatory work, otherwise they will inadvertently burn the church and everyone who came there. Rescuers also remove cats from trees, teach old women how to heat the stove so as not to die from carbon monoxide. But employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations still positively evaluate their work. This is facilitated by titles, uniforms and social benefits.
- foreign intelligence service (Yes, yes! Imagine - new Stirlitz!);
- and other military units of our country.
Rank table
In order to make the description of the ranks not so boring, we decided to present information about them like a cheat sheet (military and ship ranks located on the same line are analogues):
| Type | Military | ship |
| Non-officer | private, corporal, Lance Sergeant, sergeant, staff Sergeant, foreman, ensign, Senior Warrant Officer |
sailor, senior sailor, foreman of the second article, foreman of the first article, chief sergeant, chief ship sergeant, midshipman, senior midshipman |
| junior officers | junior lieutenant, lieutenant, senior lieutenant, captain |
junior lieutenant, lieutenant, senior lieutenant, lieutenant commander |
| Senior officers | major, lieutenant colonel, colonel |
captain of the 1st rank, captain of the 2nd rank, captain of the 3rd rank |
| Senior officer corps | major general, lieutenant general, colonel general, army General, Marshal of the Russian Federation |
rear admiral, vice admiral, admiral, fleet admiral |
Shoulder straps
- Soldiers and sailors. There are no insignia on shoulder straps.
- Sergeants and foremen. Badges are used as insignia. Warriors have long called them "snot".
- Ensigns and midshipmen. Cross-sewn stars are used as insignia. Shoulder straps are reminiscent of officer's, but without stripes. Also, there may be edges.
- Junior officers. There is a vertical clearance and metal stars (13 mm).
- Senior officers. Two stripes and large metal stars (20 mm).
- Senior officer corps. Large embroidered stars (22 mm) located vertically; lack of stripes.
- General of the Army, Admiral of the Navy. A large star with a diameter of 40 mm, not metal, but embroidered.
- Marshal of the Russian Federation. One very large star (40 mm) is embroidered on the chase. Silver rays diverge in a circle - the shape of a pentagon is obtained. The pattern of the coat of arms of Russia is also noticeable.
Of course, when reading the text, many people find it difficult to imagine the appearance of shoulder straps. Therefore, especially for them, there is a picture in which all of the above is clearly shown.
Shoulder straps of non-officers
Shoulder straps of officers
- Marshal of the Russian Federation is the highest rank in the ground forces, but there is also a person above him who can give him orders (even command him to take a prone emphasis). This person is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, who is also the President of the Russian Federation. Remarkably, the title of Supreme Commander is classified as a position, not a military rank.
- Vladimir Putin, who now works in this position, left the Federal Security Service as a colonel. Now, while in his position, he gives out commands to the military, who have ranks that he has never reached in his entire career.
- Both naval and ground forces are subordinate to the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation. Therefore, admiral is the highest rank in the hierarchy of the Navy.
- Capitalizing the names of officials of the RF Armed Forces in order to show respect to seasoned servicemen is a completely unnecessary thing. All ranks from private to admiral are capitalized.
- The prefix "guard" adds a special prestige to how this or that rank sounds. Not everyone is destined to receive it, but only those. who serves in the guards regiments.
- Servicemen who have retired from military affairs and calmly dig potatoes in their country house do not lose their rank, but continue to wear it with the prefix “in reserve” or “retired”.
Not holding back laughter, a military pensioner from Kharkov, Alexander, says that the colonel, whether he is retired or in reserve, will instill fear in any traffic cop who slows him down on the road for violating traffic rules. A hundred sweats will come down from the guy while he pretends to scold the violator, and then completely release the colonel without a fine. So, the title always helps in life.
- Army doctors are also given special ranks. For example, "major of the medical service." Lawyers have a similar situation - "Captain of Justice".
George Clooney from ER, of course, is far away, but it still sounds decent!
- Having just embarked on this path and entered the university, young guys become cadets. For now, they can only dream of how they will receive their first rank, and then one of the highest. There is another group of students. They are called listeners. These are those who have already received a military rank.
- While there is a one-year military service, you can become a sergeant at most. Not higher.
- Since 2012, the ranks of the chief ship foreman and foreman have been abolished. Formally, they exist, but in reality, servicemen receive the following ranks, bypassing these ranks.
- We all know that a major is higher than a lieutenant, but for some reason this logic was not taken into account when ranking generals. A lieutenant general is higher in rank than a major general. Here is such a system in the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
- To get a new rank in the Russian troops, you need to have a certain length of service and personal achievements. Before assigning the next rank to a candidate, the commanders judge the soldier's moral character and skills in combat and political training. The table below describes the length of service requirements required to advance from one rank to another:
| Rank | Position |
| Private | All those who have just been called up for service, all lower positions (gunner, driver, gun crew number, driver, sapper, reconnaissance officer, radio operator, etc.) |
| corporal | There are no full-time corporal posts. The title is given to soldiers in the lowest positions, with a high level of training. |
| junior sergeant, sergeant | Squad, tank, gun commander |
| Staff Sergeant | Deputy Platoon Leader |
| foreman | Company foreman |
| Ensign, Art. ensign | The commander of a platoon of material support, the foreman of the company, the head of the warehouse, the head of the radio station and other non-commissioned officers positions that require a high level of training. Sometimes they work in lower officer positions when there is a shortage of officers |
| Ensign | Platoon commander. This rank is usually awarded when there is an acute shortage of officers after completing an accelerated officer training course. |
| Lieutenant, Art. lieutenant | Platoon commander, deputy company commander. |
| Captain | Company commander, training platoon commander |
| Major | Deputy battalion commander. Training company commander |
| Lieutenant colonel | Battalion commander, deputy regiment commander |
| Colonel | Regiment commander, deputy brigade commander, brigade commander, deputy division commander |
| Major General | Division Commander, Deputy Corps Commander |
| Lieutenant General | Corps Commander, Deputy Army Commander |
| Colonel General | Army Commander, Deputy District (Front) Commander |
| Army General | Commander of the district (front), deputy minister of defense, minister of defense, chief of the general staff, other senior positions |
| Marshal of the Russian Federation | Honorary title given for special merits |
Each detail of the military uniform is endowed with practical meaning and appeared on it not by chance, but as a result of certain events. It can be said that the elements of military uniforms have both historical symbolism and utilitarian purpose.
The emergence and development of shoulder straps in the Russian Empire
The opinion that shoulder straps come from a part of knightly armor, designed to protect the shoulders from impact, is one of the most common misconceptions. A simple study of the armor and army uniforms of the past, from the second half of the 12th to the end of the 17th century, allows us to conclude that nothing like this existed in any army in the world. In Russia, even the strictly regulated form of archers did not have anything similar to protect the shoulders.
Shoulder straps of the Russian army were first introduced by Emperor Peter I between 1683-1698 and had a purely utilitarian meaning. Soldiers of the Grenadier regiments and Fusiliers used them as an additional mount for satchels or cartridge bags. Naturally, epaulettes were worn exclusively by soldiers, and only on the left shoulder.
However, after 30 years, with the increase in the types of troops, this element is distributed throughout the troops, still serving one or another regiment. In 1762, this function was officially assigned to shoulder straps, starting to decorate the uniforms of officers with them. At that time, it was impossible to find a universal pattern of shoulder straps in the army of the Russian Empire. The commander of each regiment could independently determine its type of weaving, length and width. Often, wealthy officers from prominent aristocratic families wore a regimental insignia in a more luxurious version - with gold and precious stones. Nowadays, shoulder straps of the Russian army (pictures below) are a desirable item for collectors of military uniforms.
During the reign of Emperor Alexander I, shoulder straps take the form of a fabric valve with a clear regulation of color, fastenings and decor, depending on the number of the regiment in the division. The epaulettes of officers differ from those of soldiers only by trimming with a gold cord (galoon) along the edge. When the knapsack was introduced in 1803, there were 2 of them - one for each shoulder.
After 1854, they began to decorate not only uniforms, but also raincoats and overcoats. Thus, the role of "determinant of ranks" is forever assigned to shoulder straps. By the end of the 19th century, soldiers began to use a duffel bag instead of a knapsack, and additional fastening on the shoulders was no longer required. Shoulder straps get rid of fasteners in the form of buttons and are tightly sewn into the fabric.
After the collapse of the Russian Empire, and with it the tsarist army, epaulettes and epaulettes disappear from military uniforms for several decades, recognized as a symbol of "unequal rights of workers and exploiters."
Shoulder straps in the Red Army from 1919 to 1943
The USSR sought to get rid of the "remnants of imperialism", which also included the ranks and epaulettes of the Russian (tsarist) army. On December 16, 1917, by the decrees of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars "On the elective beginning and organization of power in the army" and "On the equalization of the rights of all military personnel," all previously existing army ranks and insignia were canceled. And on January 15, 1918, the country's leadership adopted a decree on the creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA).
For some time, a strange mixture of military symbols operated in the army of the new country. For example, insignia are known in the form of armbands of red (revolutionary) color with the inscription of the position, a similar tone of a strip on the sleeves of a gymnast or overcoat, metal or cloth stars of different sizes on a headdress or chest.
Since 1924, in the Red Army, it was proposed to recognize the ranks of military personnel by the buttonholes on the collar of the tunic. The color of the field and edging was determined by the type of troops, and the gradation was extensive. For example, infantry wore crimson buttonholes with black trim, cavalry - blue and black, signalmen - black and yellow, etc.
The buttonholes of the highest commanders of the Red Army (generals) had the color of the field according to the type of troops and were sheathed along the edge with a narrow golden cord.
In the field of buttonholes there were copper figures of various shapes covered with red enamel, which made it possible to determine the rank of commander of the Red Army:
- Privates, junior officers - triangles with a side of 1 cm. They appeared only in 1941. And before that, servicemen of these ranks wore "empty" buttonholes.
- The average commanding staff - squares 1 x 1 cm in size. In everyday life, they were often called "cubes" or "head over heels".
- Senior officers - rectangles with sides 1.6 x 0.7 cm, called "sleepers".
- The highest command staff - rhombuses 1.7 cm high and 0.8 cm wide. Additional insignia for the commanders of these ranks were chevrons made of gold galloon on the sleeves of uniforms. The political composition added to them large stars made of red cloth.
- Marshals of the Soviet Union - 1 large gold star in the buttonholes and on the sleeves.
The number of characters varied from 1 to 4 - the more, the higher the rank of commander.
The rank designation system in the Red Army was often subject to changes, which greatly confused the situation. It was not uncommon for military personnel to wear obsolete or even self-made badges for months due to supply disruptions. However, the buttonhole system has left its mark on the history of military uniforms. In particular, epaulettes in the Soviet army retained the colors according to the types of troops.
Thanks to the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 6, 1943 and the Order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 25 of January 15, 1943, shoulder straps and ranks returned to the life of military personnel. These insignia will exist until the collapse of the USSR. The colors of the field and edging, the shape and location of the stripes will change, but in general the system will remain unchanged, and subsequently the shoulder straps of the Russian army will be created according to similar principles.
The servicemen received 2 types of such elements - everyday and field, having a standard width of 6 cm and a length of 14-16 cm, depending on the type of clothing. Shoulder straps of non-combat units (justice, military veterinarians and doctors) were deliberately narrowed to 4.5 cm.
The definition of the type of troops was based on the color of the edging and gaps, as well as the stylized symbol on the lower or middle (for privates and juniors) of the shoulder strap. Their palette is less diverse than before 1943, but the primary colors have been preserved.
1. Edging (cord):
- Combined arms (military registration and enlistment offices, military institutions), infantry units, motorized rifles, quartermaster services - raspberry.
- Artillery, tank troops, military doctors - scarlet.
- Cavalry - blue.
- Aviation - blue.
- Other technical troops - black.
2. Clearances.
- Command (officer) composition - Bordeaux.
- Quartermasters, justice, technical, medical and veterinary services - brown.
They were designated with asterisks of different diameters - for junior officers 13 mm, for senior officers - 20 mm. Marshals of the Soviet Union received 1 major star.
Shoulder straps for everyday wear had an embossed gold or silver field, rigidly fixed on a solid cloth base. They were also used on the dress uniform, which the military wore for ceremonial occasions.
Field epaulettes for all officers were made of silk or khaki-colored linen with edging, gaps and signs corresponding to the rank. At the same time, their pattern (texture) repeated the pattern on everyday shoulder straps.
From 1943 until the collapse of the USSR, military insignia and uniforms underwent repeated changes, among which the following are worth noting:
1. As a result of the reform of 1958, the everyday shoulder straps of officers began to be made of dark green cloth. For the insignia of cadets and enlisted personnel, only 3 colors were left: scarlet (combined arms, motorized rifles), blue (aviation, airborne forces), black (all other types of troops). The gaps of officer epaulettes could only be blue or scarlet.
2. Since January 1973, the letters "SA" (Soviet Army) appeared on all types of shoulder straps of soldiers and sergeants. A little later, the sailors and foremen of the fleet received the designations "SF", "TF", "BF" and "Black Sea Fleet" - the Northern Fleet, the Pacific Fleet, the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets, respectively. At the end of the same year, the letter "K" appears among cadets of military educational institutions.
3. The field uniform of the new model, called "Afghan", came into use in 1985 and was widely distributed among military personnel of all branches of the armed forces. Its peculiarity consisted in shoulder straps, which were an element of the jacket and had the same color as it. Those who wore the "Afghan" sewed stripes and stars on them, and only the generals were given special removable shoulder straps.
Shoulder straps of the Russian army. Main features of the reforms
The USSR ceased to exist in the fall of 1991, and with it the shoulder straps and ranks disappeared. The creation of the Russian Armed Forces began with Presidential Decree No. 466 of May 7, 1992. However, this act did not describe the shoulder straps of the Russian army in any way. Until 1996, military personnel wore SA insignia. Moreover, confusion and confusion of symbols occurred until the year 2000.
The military uniform of the Russian Federation was almost entirely developed on the basis of the Soviet legacy. However, the reforms of 1994-2000 brought several changes to it:
1. On the shoulder straps of the sergeants (foremen and sailors of the fleet), instead of transverse ribbons from the braid, metal squares appeared, located with the sharp side up. In addition, Navy personnel received a large letter "F" in their lower part.
2. Ensigns and midshipmen had shoulder straps similar to those of soldiers, trimmed with colored galloon, but without gaps. The long-term struggle of this category of servicemen for the right to officer insignia was devalued in one day.
3. There were almost no changes in the officers - the new shoulder straps of the Russian army developed for them almost completely repeated the Soviet ones. However, their sizes have decreased: the width has become 5 cm, and the length - 13-15 cm, depending on the type of clothing.
At present, the ranks and epaulettes of the Russian army occupy a fairly stable position. The main reforms and unification of insignia have been completed, and in the coming decades, the Russian army does not expect any significant changes in this area.
Shoulder straps of cadets
Students of military (naval) educational institutions are required to wear everyday and field shoulder straps on all types of their uniforms. Depending on the clothes (tunics, winter coats and overcoats), they can be sewn on or removable (jackets, demi-season coats and shirts).
Cadet epaulettes are strips of dense colored cloth, trimmed along the edge with golden braid. On the field camouflage of army and aviation schools, 15 mm from the bottom edge, the letter "K" of yellow color 20 mm high is mandatory sewn on. For other types of educational institutions, the designations are as follows:
- IWC- Naval Cadet Corps.
- QC- Cadet Corps.
- H- Nakhimov School.
- Anchor symbol- Fleet cadet.
- SVU- Suvorov School.
On the field of shoulder straps of students there are also metal or sewn-on squares, with an acute angle upwards. Their thickness and brightness depend on the rank. A sample of shoulder straps with a layout of signs, presented below, belongs to a cadet of a military university with the rank of sergeant.
In addition to epaulets, belonging to military educational institutions and the position of a cadet can be determined by sleeve emblems with a coat of arms symbol, as well as by "travel" - charcoal stripes on the sleeve, the number of which depends on the time of training (a year, two, etc.).
Shoulder straps of privates and sergeants
Privates in the Russian land army are the lowest. In the Navy, they correspond to the rank of a sailor. A conscientiously serving soldier can become a corporal, and on a ship - a senior sailor. Further, these military personnel are able to move to the sergeant rank for the ground forces or the sergeant rank for the Navy.
Representatives of the lower military units of the army and navy wear shoulder straps of a similar pattern, the description of which is as follows:
- The upper part of the insignia has the shape of a trapezoid, within which a button is located.
- The color of the field of shoulder straps of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation has a dark green color for everyday uniforms and camouflage for field uniforms. Sailors wear black cloth.
- The color of the edging indicates the type of troops: blue for the airborne forces and aviation, and red for all others. The Navy frames its epaulettes with a white cord.
- At the bottom of everyday shoulder straps, 15 mm from the edge, are the letters "VS" (Armed Forces) or "F" (navy) of golden color. The field ones do without such "excesses".
- Depending on the rank, within the framework of private and sergeant compositions, acute-angled stripes are attached to shoulder straps. Their number and thickness are the greater, the higher the position of the serviceman. On the shoulder straps of the foreman (the highest rank of the sergeant) there is also the emblem of the troops.
Separately, it is worth mentioning warrant officers and midshipmen, whose precarious position between privates and officers is fully reflected in their insignia. For them, the shoulder straps of the Russian army of the new model seem to consist of 2 parts:
1. Soldier's "field" without gaps, trimmed with colored galloon.
2. Officer stars along the central axis: 2 for an ordinary ensign, 3 for a senior. A similar number of signs is provided simply to warrant officers and senior warrant officers.
Shoulder straps of junior officers
The lower officers begin with a junior lieutenant, and complete it with a captain. Stars on shoulder straps, their number, size and location are identical for the ground forces and the Navy.
Junior officers are distinguished by one clearance and from 1 to 4 stars of 13 mm each along the central axis. In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 1010 of May 23, 1994, shoulder straps can have the following colors:
- For a white shirt - shoulder straps with a white field, emblems and golden stars.
- For a green shirt, everyday tunic, jacket and overcoat - green insignia with gaps according to the type of troops, emblems and stars of gold color.
- For the Air Force (aviation) and everyday top uniforms - blue shoulder straps with a blue gap, an emblem and golden stars.
- For the front tunic of any kind of troops - insignia of silver color with colored gaps, galloon and gold stars.
- For the field uniform (only the Armed Forces) - camouflage shoulder straps without gaps, with gray stars.
Thus, for junior officers there are 3 types of shoulder straps - field, everyday and full dress, which they use depending on the type of uniform worn. Naval officers have only everyday and dress ones.
Shoulder straps of middle officers
The group of ranks of the Armed Forces begins with a major and ends with a colonel, and in the Navy - from a captain of the 3rd rank to, respectively. Despite the differences in the name of the ranks, the principles of construction and the location of the insignia remain almost identical.
Shoulder straps of the Russian army and navy for the average composition have the following distinctive features:
- In everyday and formal versions, the texture (embossing) is more pronounced, almost aggressive.
- There are 2 gaps along the shoulder straps, 15 mm from the edges and 20 mm from each other. They are absent on the field.
- The size of the stars is 20 mm, and their number varies from 1 to 3 depending on the rank. On the shoulder straps of the field uniform, their color is muted from golden to silver.
Officers of the middle ranks of the Armed Forces also have 3 types of epaulettes - field, everyday and dress. Moreover, the latter have a rich gold color and are sewn only on the tunic. For wearing on a white shirt (summer version of the uniform), white epaulettes with standard insignia are provided.
According to surveys, the major, whose stars on shoulder straps are lonely (and it is very difficult to make a mistake in determining the rank), is the most recognizable serviceman among that part of the population that has nothing to do with the military sphere.
Shoulder straps of senior officers of the Armed Forces
The ranks in the ground forces have undergone significant changes during the creation of the army of the Russian Federation. Presidential Decree No. 466 dated May 7, 1992 not only abolished the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union, but also stopped the division of generals into military branches. Following these adjustments, the uniform and shoulder straps (shape, size and insignia) were subjected to.
Currently, senior echelon officers wear the following types of epaulettes:
1. Ceremonial - a field of golden color, on which sewn stars are located in an amount corresponding to the rank. The army generals and marshals of the Russian Federation have the emblems of the army and the country in the upper third of shoulder straps. The color of the edging and stars: red - for the ground forces, blue - for aviation, airborne forces and military space forces, cornflower blue - for the FSB.
2. Everyday - the color of the field is blue for senior officers of aviation, the Airborne Forces and the Aerospace Forces, for the rest - green. There is a edging with a cord, only the general of the army and the marshal of the Russian Federation also have a star outline.
3. Field - khaki field, not camouflage, like other categories of officers. The stars and coats of arms are green, a few shades darker than the background. There is no color edging.
Separately, it is worth dwelling on the stars that adorn the shoulder straps of the generals. For country marshals and army generals, their size is 40 mm. Moreover, the last symbol has a substrate of the best silver. The stars of all other officers are smaller - 22 mm.
The rank of a soldier, according to the general rule, is determined by the number of characters. In particular, it adorns 1 star, a lieutenant general - 2, and a colonel general - 3. At the same time, the first of those listed is in its position below all in the category. The reason for this is one of the traditions of the Soviet era: in the USSR army, lieutenant generals were deputy generals of the troops and took on some of their functions.
Shoulder straps of senior officers of the Navy
The leadership of the naval forces of the Russian Federation is represented by such ranks as Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, Admiral and Admiral of the Fleet. Since the field uniform is not provided for in the Navy, these ranks are worn only by everyday or dress shoulder straps, which have the following features:
1. The color of the field of the solemn variant is gold with zigzag embossing. The epaulette at the same time frames the black edging. In everyday epaulettes, the colors are reversed - a black field and a gold cord along the edge.
2. Senior officers of the Navy may wear epaulettes on white or cream shirts. The epaulette field corresponds to the color of the clothes, and there is no edging.
3. The number of sewn stars on shoulder straps depends on the rank of the soldier and increases depending on his promotion. Their main difference from similar signs in the ground forces is a substrate of silver rays. Traditionally, the largest star (40 mm) belongs to the Admiral of the Fleet.
When dividing the troops into the Navy and the Armed Forces, it is assumed that some swim, while others move on the ground or, in extreme cases, in the air. But in fact, the Naval Forces are heterogeneous and, in addition to ship teams, include coastal troops and naval aviation. This division could not but be reflected in shoulder straps, and if the former are classified as ground combat arms and have the appropriate insignia, then with naval pilots everything is much more complicated.
The senior officers of naval aviation, on the one hand, have ranks similar to the generals of the Armed Forces. On the other hand, their epaulettes correspond to the uniform established for the Navy. They are distinguished only by the blue color of the edging and a star without a ray substrate with the corresponding design. For example, the ceremonial epaulettes of a major general of naval carrier-based aviation have a gold field with an azure border around the edge and a star outline.
In addition to epaulettes and the uniform itself, military personnel are distinguished by many other insignia, including sleeve insignia and chevrons, cockades on headdresses, symbols of military branches in buttonholes and breast symbols (badges). Together, they can provide an informed person with basic information about a military man - the type of troops, rank, term and place of service, the intended scope of authority.
Unfortunately, most people are just in the category of "ignorant", because they pay attention to the most noticeable detail of the form. Shoulder straps of the Russian army in this case are quite grateful material. They are not overloaded with unnecessary symbols and are of the same type for different branches of the military.
As you know, the main role in regulating public order in the state is played by the police.
It performs many functions: suppressing acts related to the violation of the law, ensuring the safety of citizens in peacetime, investigating already committed crimes, etc.
The police of our country: a brief description
According to Russian law, the police are a set of state bodies and services that ensure security, protect the rights and freedoms of citizens, as well as persons located on the territory of Russia, and are part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of our country. This status was obtained relatively recently - in March 2011, when the 14th article of the "Regulations on the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia" was approved by presidential decree.
As a rule, in order to get the opportunity to work in the police, you need: good physical fitness, good health, legal education (if a person is oriented to high positions), a military ID, various kinds of materials that allow you to determine the personal qualities of an employee (test results, portfolio with achievements, etc.).
The police have their own system of ranks, independent of other countries.
What are the ranks in the Russian police?
On the territory of our country, police ranks are usually called special. They are assigned to police officers engaged in various official activities and performing their work in positions in relation to which the assignment of this kind of titles is provided.
Special ranks of the police and the usual military must be distinguished. Firstly, the very structure of police ranks has many differences.
Secondly, only military personnel can receive military ranks, in contrast to special ones, which are given to both police officers and other employees of justice, the internal service. When moving from one position to another, an employee simply undergoes recertification and continues to work with the same rank, but in another body.
Terms of service in special ranks
There is a special law "On the police" that regulates its activities. According to the law, in order to obtain certain ranks in the police, it is necessary to serve the following terms:
- police officer, junior sergeant, junior lieutenant - 1 year;
- sergeant, police lieutenant - 2 years;
- senior sergeant, senior lieutenant, captain - 3 years;
- the rank of police major - 4 years;
- ensign, police lieutenant colonel - 5 years.
It is worth noting that there are no such ranks as marshal and corporal. In addition, for the rank of police general, colonel, foreman, the length of service has not been formally established.
Types of shoulder straps and varieties of their colors
Members of the rank and file, as a rule, do not have any insignia on shoulder straps. In the case of cadets, there is a special letter "K".
The junior leadership (this includes sergeants) has special golden stripes on shoulder straps. There can be from one to three, depending on the rank. Two insignia indicate the rank of junior sergeant, three for the rank of sergeant, and one large one for the rank of senior sergeant.
Small stars are vertically attached to the shoulder straps of warrant officers (two for the warrant officer, three for the senior warrant officer). There are no labels on them.
The shoulder straps of the middle management have a vertical strip (it is also commonly called a clearance) and small stars from one to four. One designates the rank of junior lieutenant, two - lieutenant, three - senior lieutenant, four - police captain.
Senior management, in turn, has two stripes and large stars. Shoulder straps with one star are issued to the major, with two - to the lieutenant colonel, with three - to the colonel.
Even larger stars are attached to the shoulder straps of the senior management. Their number ranges from one to three, depending on the rank. On them, unlike other categories of leadership, there are no gaps.
The highest rank is police general. On the general's shoulder straps, in addition to the only big star, the emblem of the coat of arms of Russia is also attached.
The picture above shows what the Russian police shoulder straps look like (from left to right, police ranks from private to colonel).
Let's look into the past
In the Soviet Union, and for some time in Russia, there was no such thing as a police force. Law enforcement agencies had a slightly different name - the police.
The police system and the police are very different.
For example, in the USSR there were some ranks that are not currently used by the police: a policeman (it was equated to the rank of private), inspector, commissar, senior major, police director, etc.
It is worth noting that in the Soviet Union it was possible to work in law enforcement agencies only on one's own initiative: for this, special people's squads were created, which included volunteers.
Vkontakte has a lot of information: interesting facts, news, articles. Once I came across a post about the 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 differently, but here I will describe in an accessible language for everyone.
DO STRICTLY IN THE STEPS and by the end of reading the post you will remember all the ranks (military) and their 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. Petty officer
—————————
7. Ensign
8. Senior warrant officer
—————————
9. Second 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 pictured above)
20. Marshal of the Russian Federation (not in the picture above)
Military ranks
1. Let's encode some titles with associative bright visual images.
Private - a bed of carrots
Corporal - flute
Sergeant - earring
Major - mayonnaise
Lieutenant - watering can
Colonel - ladle
Lieutenant colonel - bent ladle
Ensign - wrestler
The foreman is a grandfather with a beard
General - crocodile Gena
2. We read and imagine the images, then we look at the pictures.
Tomato: on the stems is a bed of carrots (Private), a flute pierces the tomato (Corporal).
Orange: there is a small earring on the leaf (Junior Sergeant), on a medium-sized stem (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 is a plate of borscht (Ensign), in the middle is a saucepan with borsch (Senior Ensign), at the end there are 2 stars.
Grass: one after another a small watering can (Junior Lieutenant), a medium watering can (Lieutenant), a large watering can (Senior Lieutenant), next to it is the Captain, followed by a fairy wand.
Cloud: at one end mayonnaise (Major), in the middle a bent ladle (Lieutenant Colonel), a ladle (Colonel), a pregnancy tester with a star.
Marker: Gena with mayonnaise on the cap (Major General), Gena with a watering can on the stem (Lieutenant General), Gena with a ladle in the middle (Colonel General).
Each item corresponds to a certain appearance of shoulder straps.
Tomato and Orange- stripes only (easy to remember)
Lemon- the stars begin (that's why 2 stars hang 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 a cloud)
Marker- zigzag pattern (zipper on the marker)
The successive appearance of stars on the titles is visually easy to remember.
The last are the General of the Army and the Marshal of the Russian Federation, they are also easy to remember at the end.
Private, Corporal
ml. Sergeant, Sergeant, St. Sergeant, Chief
Ensign, St. Ensign
ml. Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Senior Lieutenant, Captain
Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel
G. Major, G. Lieutenant, G. Colonel
3. Now remember the colors of the rainbow.
Each (red - tomato)
Hunter (orange - orange)
Desires (yellow - lemon)
Know (green - grass)
Where (blue - sky)
Sitting (blue - marker)
Pheasant (we don't need it 🙂)
Thus, we remember the order of all objects.
Repeat several times from memory.
Congratulations!
Now you know all the ranks in order, while you can name the rank by shoulder straps and remember which rank which shoulder straps correspond to.
At first, you will call 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 like it, please repost and write comments. I will post new posts like this one.