Medals "For the return of the Crimea." Medal of the FSB "For the return of the Crimea"

In the networks, a stormy discussion of a photograph of the medal "For the Return of the Crimea" continues. Doubts from the Internet community caused an interesting date, carved on its back: February 20, 2014. This date jeopardizes the truthfulness of the Kremlin's official explanation of Russia's position with regard to the annexation of the Crimea and in general to the events in Ukraine that began in 2014.

What does the Kremlin say?

The official Kremlin version is as follows. In February 2014, events occurred in the Crimea that seriously changed the socio-political life of the republic. Peaceful (mainly Russian-speaking) residents rose to protest against the seizure of power in Ukraine by the Euromidans. In the last days of February in Sevastopol and the Crimea, a change of executive power was held, which declared the new power in Kiev illegitimate and appealed for support to the Russian president, which he immediately and in every possible way rendered to the Crimeans.

In the shortest time, a referendum was held in the Crimea on the attitude of citizens to accession to Russia on March 16. The 17th Republic of Crimea was proclaimed sovereign. In the newly formed structure was introduced and Sevastopol. On March 18, Crimea was annexed to Russia documentarily. Officially, the day of establishment of the medal "For the Return of the Crimea" is considered March 21, 2014.

Why, then, is the date of the beginning of the "return" of Crimea in this historical document - February 20, 2014?

Do not you understand?

Historians and lawyers, as well as diplomats, political scientists, journalists and other persons who are duty-bound, or who are accustomed to analyzing through the call of the heart, see in this historical document a "bomb", placed under the official facade of the Kremlin's position in relation to the Crimea and the war in Ukraine.

What conclusions do analysts make?

The Russian Federation should clarify the discrepancy between the official start date for the return of the peninsula and the President's statement that Russia was not at all prepared to join the Crimea, and the decision to annex it was taken after screams of help to local Russian-speaking residents reached the Kremlin. The meaning of Putin's words quoted in April by the "Russian newspaper" did not camouflage the explanations of his press secretary Peskov, allegedly "not so understood" by Putin, and in fact there were never Russian soldiers in the peninsula.

February 20, which, if you believe the historical document - the medal "For the Return of the Crimea" - is the date of the beginning of the operation of the Russian Federation in the Crimea, in Ukraine, the acting president was still Yanukovich. It is impossible to doubt this, because the next day he signed an agreement with the opposition to resolve the political crisis in the country.

On February 20, the "heavenly hundred" was shot on Maidan. The Kremlin still officially "does not believe" in the involvement of "Alpha" and "Berkut", although the Internet teems with testimonies.

The next night, from 21 to 22 February, Yanukovych from Ukraine fled. This was the so-called "working trip" to Kharkov, in which the deposed guarantor took pictures and furniture with him. Everything falls into place, given that the third day of the operation on the annexation of the Crimea was already in progress.

Establishment of the RF Ministry of Defense medals "For the return of the Crimea" unexpectedly (and, as it is to be understood, without coordination with the profile ministries) introduced into the turnover of scientists and diplomats a historical document that gives interpretation of events that run counter to the official interpretation of the Kremlin.

The historical chronology proves the inconsistency of the latter: how could one begin to "return the Crimea" for two days before the constitutional removal of the incumbent President of Ukraine, even if "did not plan" to interfere in it?

The new medal "For the return of the Crimea" undoubtedly contains interesting information for the Hague Tribunal ...

An international scandal?

In the light of the revealed circumstances, the position of the Foreign Ministries of the two countries of the former USSR becomes quite ambiguous: Belarus and Kazakhstan, which supported the annexation of the peninsula to Russia.

Since the medal "For the Return of the Crimea" of Russia indicates the date of the beginning of Russian military actions in Ukraine, the date two days before the resignation of the legitimate president, Moldova and Georgia also receive additional arguments to ask for patronage from the Alliance.

The situation is the same with NATO members - Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland - are the conclusions prompted by the Ministry of Defense medal "For the return of the Crimea", does not give grounds for demanding "additional means of protection" from the likely attack of Russia?

What happened next?

After the foundation of the FSB medal "For the return of the Crimea", on March 24 they began to conduct awards. Sergei Shoigu personally received awards to Russian Marines, former Ukrainian Berkut officers and officers of the Black Sea Fleet. Also, the head of the annexed Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, was awarded .

Military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces were also awarded, including soldiers and officers of the Central and Southern Military District. According to the press officer of the TsVO Ya. Roshchupkin, there was no army in the Crimea, the awarded military, being on the territory of Russia, helped the rebellious Crimea with communications, transport, etc.

Shoigu himself appeared with a medal in the Red Square on the parade on May 9.

In November 2014 and. about. The head of Kerch, Sergei Pisarev presented the award to fifteen townspeople and participants of self-defense of the Crimea.

In December, the head of the city administration of Rostov-on-Don and twelve other residents received medals.

In the spring of 2015, the Governor of Stavropol and 147 other distinguished Cossacks were awarded.

The medal was also awarded to a number of Russian public and political figures.

Statute of the medal "For the return of the Crimea"

The medal is not endowed with the status of a state award. It is classified as departmental, the status of the medal is approved by the Minister of Defense, the basis for awarding it is his order.

In addition, the Ministry of Defense of Russia established departmental awards: medals "For the Accession of the Crimea in 2014", "For the preparation and holding of a referendum on reunification with Russia", "For merits in the reunification of the Crimea with Russia", as well as "For Difference in Teachings" "For Labor Valor" and the name of Mikhail Kalashnikov.

The Crimean leadership introduced the medal "For the Defense of the Crimea-2014", the people's volunteer corps issued a badge "For participation in the heroic defense of the Crimea in February-March 2014".

In addition, it has also been decided to issue 25 gold-plated or silver kilogram coins on which Putin and the Crimea will be depicted.

Something about the peculiarities of rewarding "for the Crimea"

When in social networks there were photos of the back side of a scandalous medal and the questions began, all references to it immediately disappeared from the website of the Defense Ministry of Russia. In the press service of the department, the photos distributed on the Internet began to be called a fake and to state that in fact such a medal does not exist. But the medal has remained on other resources. "Wikipedia", for example, contains an entire article about it.

At the disposal of journalists (Novaya Gazeta) were information about secretly awarded Russians, who were particularly distinguished during the Crimean campaign. Someone in the guise of local residents took part in noisy extras, someone helped to seize the buildings of administrations and military units of the "enemy" ... Among the rewarded journalists of Novaya Gazeta found people with a very interesting and rather turbulent past: bikers, former football fans, nationalists , United Russia, representatives of the criminal world. As far as it was possible to find out to journalists, behind the shoulders of one of the awarded awards there is an armed robbery of the Orthodox church, the other one is looking for the federal police ...

History knows cases when, in the interests of the state, people, inclined to violence, adventurers, adventurers, were used, in addition to romantic idealists. If the state needs services of a "special kind", it turns a blind eye to the past of people who are able to provide these services, and to their "uneasy" relations with the law. In England, for example, it is known to recruit whole pirate flotillas into the army ranks! So why be ashamed of something?

But if you remember that the prototype design scandalous award was an unrealized project - a prototype of the medal of the Great Patriotic "For the liberation of the Crimea" (1944), and I want to ask a very rhetorical question: are we all in order with the "spiritual braces "?