Hero of the Russian Federation

Honorary title Hero of the Russian Federation
Obverse of the Gold Star of Hero of the Russian Federation
Awarded by the Russian Federation
Type	Honorary title
Eligibility	Russian citizens and foreign nationals
Awarded for	Extraordinary service to the state
Status	Active
Statistics
Established	March 20, 1992
Related	Hero of the Soviet Union Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation Hero of Ukraine Hero of Belarus Hero of Kazakhstan

Hero of the Russian Federation (Russian: Герой Российской Федерации) is the highest honorary title of the Russian Federation. A person that has been bestown this title also receives a Gold Star medal, an insignia of honor that identifies recipients.

The title is awarded to persons for "service to the Russian state and nation, usually connected with a heroic feat of valor". The title is bestowed by decree of the president of the Russian Federation. Russian citizenship or being in the service of the Russian state is not obligatory.

The title was established in 1992, and has been awarded more than 970 times since then, including more than 440 times posthumously.

The title "Hero of Russia" is a successor to Hero of the Soviet Union (Russian: Герой Советского Союза), which was established by Resolution of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union of May 5, 1934. The corresponding Gold Star is derived from the Soviet design, created by architect Miron Merzhanov and approved by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of August 1, 1939.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russian Federation under president Boris Yeltsin retained a modified award by Law of the Russian Federation № 2553-1 of March 20, 1992. Article 71 of the Constitution of Russia permits titles, orders and medals to be presented by the government, and Article 89 gives the Russian president power to create state awards. This is the highest honour that can be presented by the Russian president to a citizen.

The title of Hero of the Russian Federation can be awarded for a heroic deed in the service of the state. It can be awarded to both civilian and military personnel. The title can also be awarded posthumously if the heroic act costs the recipient his or her life. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the award.