Patches, Badges, and Insignia of the Russian Federation  (1992-2002)

 

On 11 February 1993 the Russian Federation issued a series of laws regarding military service.  Article 38 of the law allowed servicemen to wear patches belonging to the Russian Armed Forces and individual units.  Shortly after this units, academies, detachments, and schools all began working out their own patches.  In 1994 the Department of Military Heraldry of the General Staff was formed to codify the patches that were to be worn and stop the wearing of unofficial patches.  They were unsuccessful in this last endeavor.  In 1997 the Ministry of Defense made another attempt to regulate the patches with Order #210.  This order put several guidelines for patches into effect.  Even with this order units continued to make many unauthorized patches.  Because of this no one can accurately say how many patches are in use by the Russian military.

We will attempt to show a small portion of the patches, badges, and insignia of the Russian Federation. This section is divided into four major areas. The first area is for all army items, the second is for air force and paratrooper items. The third section is for all naval (including Naval Infantry) items. The final section will cover agencies that did not fall under the Ministry of Defense (FSB, MVD, and Militsia).