Gold Star


The Gold Star medal is a special insignia that identifies recipients of the title "Hero" in the Soviet Union and some of its allies, and several post-Soviet states.

Soviet origin

The Gold Star was established by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on August 1, 1939. Previously, a Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded the Order of Lenin and a special diploma describing the heroic feat. The star was introduced to distinguish these heroes from other Order of Lenin recipients. The decree also had provisions for awarding second and third Gold Stars for subsequent heroic deeds.
Although it was commonly described as a medal, it was actually a distinctive badge consisting of a gold star hung from a rectangular suspension device with a red ribbon, and was worn on the left, above and apart from all other orders and medals, and always in full.
The Gold Star was not normally issued for posthumous awards of the title "Hero of the Soviet Union".

Post-Soviet successors

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the title "Hero of the Soviet Union" was succeeded by titles and insignia in some of the now-independent states, such as "Hero of Belarus", "Hero of the Russian Federation" and "Hero of Ukraine". Their associated badges derive from the Soviet medal design, replacing red with the color of the issuing state.

Similar titles/medals/orders in other countries