What does 3 stars mean. Shoulder straps and ranks of the Russian police: the meaning of the stars on them, historical continuity. Shoulder straps in the ussr army

The article was updated on 01/08/2019.
Do you want to know what kind of police shoulder straps are? In fact, this is important in order to imagine who you are dealing with on the road or in the city, and in fact the title can only be determined by shoulder straps. Police representatives will not always give their rank and name with a surname, although this is mandatory.

Why understand the police (police) ranks?

Imagine you are driving down the road in a car and an inspector stops you. How to contact him if he did not introduce himself? You can just say "comrade policeman", but much better, of course, in rank. The same applies to situations on the street if you are walking. In general, knowing the ranks and shoulder straps is simply a must. Moreover, they have changed a little in appearance after the militia was renamed the police.

Picture with shoulder straps

To make it easier to understand, see the picture below:

Here, for clarity, I divided the shoulder straps into two rows, so let's follow.
In the first row (top) from left to right we have the following titles:

Private police;
Lance Sergeant;
Sergeant;
Staff Sergeant;
Chief of Police;
Ensign of the police;
Senior Warrant Officer;

All this was a junior commanding staff, with the exception of the "private", of course. The second row is much more interesting, as the ranks of the middle and senior squads are represented here. Also from left to right, bottom row:

Junior lieutenant of police;
Lieutenant;
Senior lieutenant;
Police Captain;
Police Major;
Lieutenant colonel;
Police Colonel.

The last three belong to the senior commanding staff, the rest to the middle. Now you will be aware if an employee suddenly stops you and demands something from you. You can determine his rank by shoulder straps.

The highest commanding staff. Shoulder straps of generals

Many asked in the comments to supplement the article and add generals' shoulder straps. Fair remark. Although, of course, the general will not stop you on the street, but for general development, you need to know what his shoulder straps look like:

As you can see, they differ from ordinary shoulder straps in their unusual shape. Let's list what titles are presented here (from left to right):

Police Major General;
Police Lieutenant General;
Police Colonel General;
Police General of the Russian Federation;

Now you know everything about the ranks of the modern police. Share the link to this article with your friends, it will be useful to them.

Shoulder straps are an essential attribute of any military or law enforcement officer in most countries of the world. How long ago did they appear in Russia? How to distinguish them depending on a specific military rank? Are military-style shoulder straps different from those worn by law enforcement officers? Are there state standards governing the appearance of insignia in the army and law enforcement agencies? In this article we will try to answer all these questions, along the way we will analyze how the mentioned attributes of the form of junior and senior officers, including the major's shoulder straps, look like. Photos will also be presented.

History of army insignia

A number of historians agree that before the army appeared in Russia, functioning on a regular basis, the external distinction of military ranks had very few criteria. Senior and junior ranks differed only in the cut of clothes and the type of weapons. Some modernization took place during the time of Peter the Great. Officers began to wear gorgets (badges in the form of a scarf, on which elements of state heraldry were present). At the beginning of the 19th century, uniforms were introduced in the Russian army, which were close in design to modern ones (“tail coats”). Hats appeared, emphasizing the difference in military ranks. Gradually, epaulettes came into fashion. For officers, they matched in color with the uniform, while for generals they were of golden hues. Some samples of epaulettes made it possible to distinguish, say, chief and staff officers. True, this insignia did not say anything about military ranks.

In the 20s of the XIX century, stars appeared on the military uniform of Russian soldiers. One meant that the military man had the rank of ensign, two - major, three - lieutenant colonel, four - staff captain. Colonels, however, wore epaulettes that had no stars at all. In the 1840s, non-commissioned officers acquired insignia in the form of transverse stripes, somewhat similar to insignia in the Soviet Army from sergeants.

Shoulder straps and stars in a more or less modern form appeared in Russia in the middle of the 19th century. Some historians associate their appearance with the introduction of a new type of clothing - a marching overcoat. Shoulder straps, on which galloons and stars were sewn (it is noteworthy that all officers, including the highest ranks, had the same size), were fixed on the shoulders of the uniform.

After the revolution of 1917, the stars and shoulder straps, as one of the symbols of the tsarist regime, were abolished. But over time, the military leadership of the USSR began to return to historical insignia. First, there were stripes on the sleeves, and in 1943 - shoulder straps. Photo and video materials of those years make it possible to study their features in detail.

Shoulder straps in the army of the USSR

In January 1943, the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the introduction of shoulder straps for the Red Army was adopted. From that moment on, this insignia was certainly present on the clothes of Soviet soldiers, and then Russian ones. Many historians agree that the appearance of shoulder straps in the USSR could be considered a sensation: in a relatively recent historical retrospective, relative to that moment, this element of military clothing was openly despised by the Bolsheviks, as it was strongly associated with tsarism. Two types of epaulettes appeared in the Red Army (the same as in the imperial one, by the way): for wearing in the field and everyday. The first ones were distinguished by camouflage color (“khaki”), sheathed with colored piping.

On epaulettes intended for everyday wear, an emblem was placed, as well as brass buttons. The insignia of enlisted personnel sometimes contained the number of the military unit. One of the fundamental differences, according to a number of military historians, between the tsarist and Soviet shoulder straps is in the size of the stars. In the USSR they were larger.

Some historians note the following fact: since the introduction of shoulder straps in the USSR, the forgotten word “officer”, actively used under the tsarist regime, began to gradually return to the speech of the military. Under Soviet rule, this category of the military was called the command and command staff. Sometimes the expression "commander of the Red Army" was used.

Legally, the term "officer" was not fixed in the Soviet Union. At first it was used informally, in oral conversations. But over time, he entered the army document flow on a completely official basis. True, as historians note, in some orders back in 1942 the word "officer" was still present.

Stars on uniform

In the army of the Russian Empire, in the Soviet troops (after 1943) and the modern armed forces of the Russian Federation, stars act as one of the main elements on shoulder straps. In different periods of time, their shape and color could differ. There were pure gold stars on shoulder straps, silver, metal. At the time of approval in 1943, they were flat, and only over the years acquired a three-dimensional shape - they became ribbed, with corrugated elements. Large elements diameter - 20 mm, small - 13 mm. At first, the Soviet army was supplied with brass stars, later with aluminum ones. Until the early 80s, they were silver, then golden (with the exception of the stars for field shoulder straps - they were dark green and bulged out of steel).

These features of army stars, formed in the Soviet years, remain relevant for modern Russian troops. Changes, if any, are small. Sometimes in the army of the Russian Federation there are stars of a protective color or ordinary green. Even parts made of metal now have smoothed edges in most cases. Other notable innovations include "false epaulettes", on which various elements, including stars, are painted with paint. Their use is almost always limited to the field uniform. According to some military experts, soldiers liked the “false epaulettes” because of their convenience - ordinary metal stars could cling to backpacks, vests, shine in the sun and thereby betray the soldier to the enemy.

The main formats of military shoulder straps in the Russian Federation

The appearance of the shoulder straps of modern Russian officers was first approved by the Decree of the President of the country in 1994 and a similar legal act in 2010 (and its subsequent editions). The symbolism characteristic of the Soviet era (the hammer and sickle was replaced by the Russian one. According to the standards adopted at the highest state level, shoulder straps should have a rectangular shape (the upper edge is in the form of a trapezoid), have a color - golden or matching the tones of the uniform. On shoulder straps various departments, there is a piping of a certain color.Also, a button is present on these attributes of the form.

A distinctive feature is the shoulder straps of the Marshal of the Russian Federation - a star is located on their longitudinal axis line, and the edging is red.

The stars on the insignia of the soldiers of the modern army of the Russian Federation are also arranged in accordance with the standards. The shoulder straps of an army general are distinguished by one star, the size of which is larger than that of lower-ranking officers whose rank contains the word "general". The color of the piping depends on the type of troops. The shoulder straps of fleet admirals have a similar format. They have one star, larger in size than those located on the insignia of vice and rear admirals.

Shoulder straps approved in the Russian Federation have such an element as gaps. Their number depends on the rank of the soldier. Shoulder straps of a colonel of the Russian army and a major contain two gaps. Captain, lieutenant - one.

Enlisted personnel of the Russian army

The lowest approved in the army of the Russian Federation is a private. It was officially fixed in 1946, before the soldiers were called fighters or Red Army men. Sometimes other words are added when referring to a soldier. For example, an ordinary justice (if we are talking about a military reserve). In the Navy, the analogue of the rank of private is a sailor. Soldiers who have achieved some success in military service can be promoted to the rank of corporal (in the navy - senior sailor). In the absence of superior commanders, they can manage a platoon of privates (sailors). How to determine both military ranks by shoulder straps? It's very simple: the private on the insignia has the abbreviation VS and there are no additional elements. The corporal has a lychka.

The next highest ranking rank for enlisted personnel is junior sergeant. As a rule, it is received by corporals for any merit or good discipline, sometimes - upon dismissal from the army to the reserve. In the Navy, the rank of junior sergeant corresponds to the rank of foreman of the second article. A soldier can rise to the rank of sergeant. The same title can be obtained by a cadet of a military school. The rank above in the ground forces is foreman. An interesting fact is that this title and exactly the same in sound in the Navy are not the same thing. The foreman is considered to be two steps higher than the sergeant. On ships it's different. There, a military officer is called a foreman, corresponding in rank to a land sergeant. Higher in the ground forces - senior sergeant. In the Navy, he is also the chief ship foreman. Further, a soldier of the Russian army can rise to the rank of warrant officer (in the navy - midshipman), and after that - to acquire the title of "senior".

On the shoulder straps of a junior sergeant there is an abbreviation VS and two stripes. The sergeant has three, the senior one has one wide stripe. The foreman wears epaulettes with one wide and one narrow strap. Ensigns and midshipmen wear two stars on shoulder straps, and three stars in the rank of seniors. The location of the stars on shoulder straps is in one row.

junior officers

Under the junior officer staff is understood the totality of army ranks, ranging from junior lieutenant (who is considered higher in rank than ensign) to captain (lower in rank than major). Often, military personnel present in battalion units, platoons and companies are also referred to as junior officers. Graduates of military universities (or students of the last courses of these institutions) can receive the rank of junior lieutenant. In some cases (for example, if there are not enough officers to perform a certain group of tasks), this rank can be assigned to a graduate of a regular civilian university. However, the rank of lieutenant can only be received by a soldier who has served in the army. Similarly, military personnel are assigned the rank of senior lieutenant. The junior officers include soldiers with the rank of captain.

An interesting fact is that it is the location of the stars on shoulder straps, and not their number, that distinguishes junior officers from representatives of the rank and file of the army. Here are some examples. The shoulder straps of a lieutenant contain only two stars, while a soldier with a lower rank - a senior warrant officer - has three. However, the officer's stars are located in the neighborhood and across the shoulder strap. While at the ensign - in a line along. The senior lieutenant has three stars, they are arranged in the form of a triangle, the distance of the stars on the shoulder straps is the same. The captain, in turn, has four stars. Three of them are in the form of a triangle, and another of the same size is placed in the captain's shoulder straps in the area that is closer to the collar of the uniform. The junior lieutenant wears shoulder straps with one star in the middle part of the shoulder strap (slightly closer to the edge relative to the middle).

Senior officers

A soldier who has received the rank of major may classify himself as a senior officer. An interesting fact is that the words uttered additionally when referring to a military of this rank in the reserve may coincide with those used when referring to a private. The captain of the ground forces in the Russian Navy corresponds to a rank with a similar sound, but the phrase "third rank" is added. Above major - lieutenant colonel (in the navy - captain of the second rank), then - colonel (in the Navy - captain of the first rank).

If when comparing the insignia for junior officers and rank and file of the army, the location of the stars on shoulder straps played a decisive role, then for the senior category of officers, the size of these elements is of decisive importance. Here are some examples. A junior lieutenant has one star on his shoulder straps. A major who surpasses him by several steps in rank also has one star. But they differ in size. Major's epaulettes are decorated with a larger star. The insignia of a lieutenant and a lieutenant colonel correlate in a similar way. Both have two stars. But the senior officer has much more.

Exactly on the same basis, one can distinguish the shoulder straps of a colonel of the Russian army and a similar insignia for a senior lieutenant. Both have three stars. The junior officer wears those that are much smaller. The distance of the stars on the shoulder straps is the same. By the way, the captain's shoulder straps are unique in their kind. Only they have four stars. None of the officers has more or as much. As for the comparison of shoulder straps of military personnel of various ranks in the navy, exactly the same rules apply there.

Senior officer corps

At the top of the hierarchy of ranks in the army of the Russian Federation is the highest officer corps. The first step is occupied by a major general (in the navy, he corresponds to a rear admiral). These are officers in command of divisions, the number of which exceeds 150 thousand soldiers. This is followed by a lieutenant general (and this despite the fact that in the lower officers the major is more important than the lieutenant). Historically, the lieutenant general took on higher-level functions (for example, part of those under the authority of the general of the army). In some cases, a representative of the senior officers of the Russian armed forces may be appointed to a position in the General Staff or the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. As a rule, military personnel of this category carry the rank of colonel general. In the Navy, they correspond to their ranks. An officer at the highest rank level in the armed forces of the Russian Federation is an army general, in the Navy - an admiral of the fleet.

In order to correctly distinguish the ranks of senior officers from junior and senior, you need to take into account many nuances: the location of the stars on shoulder straps, their size and even color. There are options when it is difficult to make a mistake, for example, if a colonel wears shoulder straps. How many stars on his shoulder straps, we have already noted above - three. The senior lieutenant has the same number, but their size is smaller. Both military men have them arranged in a triangle - no one else has such an arrangement. There is a high probability of making a mistake when recognizing the shoulder straps of a major general. They have one star. Major's shoulder straps also contain a single asterisk. The same situation is with the attributes of the junior lieutenant uniform. You can unmistakably recognize a senior officer by the absence of other elements (stripes) on his shoulder straps. Another example is a lieutenant general. The shoulder straps of a military man in this rank contain two stars located along. Exactly the same as the ensign. But the top officer has more stars. A similar example is a colonel general. His shoulder straps can hold three stars - the same as that of a senior warrant officer. The difference is the same size.

Shoulder straps in the police of the Russian Federation

Ranking by rank and the use of shoulder straps as insignia is used not only in the Russian army, but also in law enforcement agencies, including the police. Due to some similarity in the types of activities - military and law enforcement, the principles for the arrangement of stars and other elements on shoulder straps in the police as a whole are similar to those that are characteristic of the Russian army.

The rank and file of the police does not have any elements on shoulder straps. An exception is the insignia of cadets, on which the letter "K" is present. Above the privates in the police table of ranks is the junior commanding staff, represented by sergeants, foremen and warrant officers. The key element in the insignia, characteristic of these ranks, is the insignia and asterisks. Sergeants, regardless of level, have no stars. The younger ones have two thin lashes, the sergeants have three, the older ones have one wide.

The foreman of the police wears shoulder straps with one wide longitudinal stripe. The insignia of an ensign is characterized by the presence of asterisks: the ordinary one has two, the senior one has three. They are located in a row. The average commanding staff is represented by ranks from junior police lieutenant to captain. Their shoulder straps are characterized by the presence of a "clearance" - a red stripe running in the middle. There are asterisks: a junior lieutenant has one, an ordinary one has two, and a senior lieutenant has three. Police captain's shoulder boards contain four stars. Next in rank is the senior commanding staff. Shoulder straps of this category of police officers contain two "clearances". Ranks differ in the number of stars. On the shoulder straps of the major - one. The lieutenant colonel has two. Colonel's epaulettes contain three stars. The highest commanding staff of the police are the generals. They wear epaulettes without gaps, with stars of a larger size than those of middle-ranking officers. The major general has one star. Police officers of a higher rank have more: a lieutenant general wears shoulder straps with two stars, a colonel general with three.

The highest military rank in the Russian Federation

The highest military rank in our country is the Marshal of the Russian Federation. It was legally established in 1993 and replaced the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. In the recent history of Russia, it was awarded only once. It was awarded to Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeev in 1997. The Marshal of the Russian Federation wears epaulettes, on which there is one large star, as well as one of the symbols of Russia and the main elements of the state emblem of the country.

Igor Sergeev was born in the Ukrainian SSR in 1938. He has served in the Armed Forces of the USSR since 1955. In 1960, he moved to the service in which he worked his way up from the head of the department to the post of Commander-in-Chief. In 1973 he graduated with honors from the Military Academy. Dzerzhinsky, in 1980 - the Military Academy of the General Staff of the USSR. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he continued to serve in the army of the Russian Federation. In the period from 1992 to 1997 he commanded the country's Rocket Forces. Improved the level of combat training of troops, provided technical equipment. He supervised the introduction of new missile systems into the army. In May 1997 he was appointed Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation. He was a member of the Security Council, the Presidium of the Government of Russia. In November, Igor Sergeyev was awarded the title of Marshal of the Russian Federation. Until now, no one else from the military personnel of Russia has been awarded it. In 2001, Igor Sergeev resigned and became the President's aide in resolving issues related to strategic stability. He worked in the field of negotiation processes on missile defense systems, strategic weapons, and issues of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. He held the position until March 2004. After a long illness, he passed away on November 10, 2006. In the Donetsk region (Ukraine) a memorial plaque dedicated to Igor Sergeev was installed.

Military insignia on the shoulders of military personnel and employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are largely similar. The only difference between them can be considered only the color of shoulder straps. But in the navy, the symbolism is completely different. This is not surprising, because the titles there are also different. Stars on the shoulder straps of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the amount of from one to four can be seen on all commanding structures without exception (except for privates). Thus, three stars on shoulder straps meet:

Among the junior commanding staff.
Among the average composition.
At senior officials.
At the ranks of the highest ranks.

The shoulder symbols of the members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs structure have one noticeable difference: there is always a red edging along the edge, regardless of rank. When a police officer introduces himself, the word "police" is always added to the rank, for example "senior warrant officer of the police", the same applies to retired police officers.

Distinctive insignia on the shoulder straps of the junior staff

The junior commanding staff, starting with the rank of junior sergeant and ending with the foreman, have shoulder badges with horizontal or vertical yellow stripes (badges). Remembering their location, it will not be difficult to distinguish the ranks of their owners:

The junior police sergeant wears a pair of narrow vertical (transverse) stripes.
The police sergeant wears three vertical tabs.
The senior police sergeant wears one wide transverse tab.
The foreman of the police has one horizontal wide stripe.

Among the members of this commanding staff, only the following have stars:

Police ensign. His shoulder marks are two small stars placed horizontally.
Senior Police Officer. On his shoulders are already three stars also arranged horizontally.

Symbolism on the shoulder straps of the middle, senior and higher squads

All commanding staffs, except for the younger ones, are completely absent, but instead of them, shoulder straps are decorated with thin stripes of red color (gaps). They are arranged horizontally, their number depends on the rank. The exception is the highest commanding staff. There are no such stripes on their shoulder straps, only the red edging around the perimeter of the shoulder badge is preserved, however, as well as on the shoulder badges of all other members of the structure.

So the average is:

A sub-lieutenant of police wears one small star over a red skylight.
The police lieutenant has two small stars placed vertically on the edge of the shoulder strap, separated by the same red stripe.
Senior Police Lieutenant. His insignia is one stripe, three small stars placed in a triangle on the edge.
The police captain already wears four small stars, one pair of them is located vertically, and the other is horizontal, without intersecting.

The shoulder straps of the senior staff are distinguished by the presence of a pair of parallel gaps.

Police Major has one middle star in the middle of the stripes.
The police lieutenant colonel has two middle stars placed on the stripes on the edge of the shoulder strap.
The police colonel already has a triangle of three medium stars.

The highest squad does not have badges and stripes, the stars on the shoulder badges are large.

Police Major General. His epaulettes are decorated with one large star.
Lieutenant General of Police. On his shoulders are two stars placed horizontally.
The colonel-general of police has, respectively, three stars arranged horizontally.
The police general of the Russian Federation has four stars, also located horizontally

Insignia on the shoulder straps of prosecutors

Employees of the prosecutor's office, as a rule, do not have titles, but they have ranks. They are assigned according to their position. The shoulder straps are distinguished by a bright blue tint (brighter than the shoulder straps of the Ministry of Internal Affairs) and turquoise stripes. An additional difference is the shape of the shoulder strap.

The holders of three stars on shoulder decals are:

Lawyer 2nd class. In the middle of the shoulder strap there is one thin strip and a triangle of small stars.
Senior Legal Counsel. Its stars are similarly arranged, but larger. There are two openings in the center.
State Counselor of Justice 1st class. There are no stripes on the chase, but there is a border around the perimeter. The stars are large, arranged horizontally.

What do you think about shoulder straps of prosecutors? We are waiting for your answers!

Which turned out to be more convenient and practical. Compared to the previous one, it began to look more dignified and solid. And this is important, because good relations between people and representatives of law enforcement agencies will depend, among other things, on a positive perception of their appearance, and not just professional qualities.

The changes also affected police insignia, including shoulder straps. Curved stripes are now present on shoulder straps, but their meaning has been preserved since Soviet times.

A Brief History of Police Insignia

Some historians agree that until the time when the armed forces could appear in our country, functioning on a regular basis, military ranks had little difference. So, in senior and junior ranks, differences could only be detected by the cut of the uniform and type of weapons.

Some modernization was carried out during the reign of Peter I. The then officers began to wear gorgets, which were badges like scarves with elements of state heraldry. By the beginning of the 19th century, innovations were introduced into the Russian army in the form of uniforms, outwardly similar to the current ones (“tail coats”).

Hats appeared, which began to emphasize the difference in military ranks. Little by little, epaulettes began to enter the custom of military mods. The officer's epaulettes were made in the same color as the uniform itself, while the general's were distinguished by golden hues.

In the early 20s of the XIX century, the military uniform of Russian soldiers began to stand out with the appearance of stars. The presence of one asterisk could mean that the soldier is an ensign, two - a major, three - a lieutenant colonel, four - a staff captain. But the colonel walked with epaulettes, which did not have asterisks at all. From the 1840s, non-commissioned officers began to have something similar to insignia. These were transverse stripes, somewhat similar to the sergeant's stripes of the times of the Soviet Union.

The appearance of an analogue of the first shoulder straps

Something similar to shoulder straps with stars of more or less modern designs began to appear in the Russian state from the middle of the 19th century. Their appearance by some historians is associated with the introduction of new models of military uniforms, and specifically with the overcoat that is now familiar to us all. Shoulder straps with sewn-on galloons and stars were fixed in the area of the shoulders on the uniform. The size of all officer epaulettes, along with the highest ranks, was completely the same.

Following the revolution of 1917, stars with shoulder straps, which were perceived by the Bolsheviks as a symbol of tsarism and autocracy, were simply abolished. However, over time, the military Soviet leadership decided to return the historical insignia. Initially, this was expressed in the appearance of sleeve patches, and already starting from 1943, shoulder straps.

Shoulder straps and ranks of Russian police officers

The distribution by military ranks and the use of insignia, including shoulder straps, is used not only by the Russian army, but also to determine special ranks by law enforcement and other structures. Due to a certain level of similarity between military and police activities, the placement of stars and other elements on police shoulder straps is similar to that of the Russian army.

Stars on the shoulder straps of ordinary police officers in order

On the shoulder straps of ordinary police officers there is a distinctive sign - a button, next to which there is an emblem with the inscription "police". Police cadets have a distinctive sign with the letter "K" on their shoulder straps.

Shoulder straps and ranks of the junior commanding staff of the police

The shoulder straps that junior sergeants, sergeants and senior sergeants have have rectangular tabs that are located across the shoulder straps. Two ribbons indicate the rank of junior sergeant, three ribbons - sergeants, senior sergeants wear one wide transverse ribbon on the pursuit, the same wide ribbon, but located vertically, is worn by foremen.

Shoulder straps and ranks of ensigns of the Ministry of Internal Affairs

The shoulder straps of each ensign are decorated with small stars arranged vertically. Shoulder straps with two stars are worn by warrant officers, and with three - by senior warrant officers.

Shoulder straps and ranks of the middle commanding staff

On shoulder straps of the middle composition there is a vertical red stripe, which is called a clearance, as well as small stars. With one asterisk located on the red strip, junior lieutenants go, with two asterisks on shoulder straps and a transverse strip between them - police lieutenants, with three asterisks (two are located in parallel, and the third on the strip) - senior lieutenants, with four asterisks (two parallel and two on the strip) - captains.

Shoulder straps and ranks of the senior commanding staff

Shoulder straps differ from the shoulder straps of previous employees by two gaps - red stripes located vertically along the entire length of the shoulder strap. There are also stars of large sizes from one to three. Majors wear one star in the middle inside the stripes. Shoulder straps with two stars located on the strips themselves parallel to each other are worn by lieutenant colonels. Shoulder straps with three stars, two of which are placed parallel to the stripes, one in the middle of the stripes slightly in front, are worn by colonels.

Shoulder straps and ranks of the highest commanding staff

General epaulettes have large stars arranged vertically and do not have gaps. With one star in the middle of the shoulder strap, major generals go. Lieutenant generals go with two stars, colonel generals go with three stars. Shoulder straps with one large and three-headed Russian coat of arms are worn only by police generals of the Russian Federation, which is a rarity in this service hierarchy.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

Shoulder insignia of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are not much different from the military. With the fleet, the situation is more significant, since the ranks there are completely different.

Three stars on shoulder straps, which will be discussed in this article, are found in all categories of employees except for the rank and file:

average;
senior;
higher.

But even one star is not easy to earn. Ranks are received exclusively by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the rank of private or one of the commanding positions.

The noun "police" is added to some names of special titles. It is mandatory upon submission. "Retired" refers to a similar situation and is also a mandatory prefix to the rank of a citizen who is no longer in the service of justice.

The special ranks of the police officers of the Russian Federation, marked with the corresponding symbols on the shoulder decals, are always accompanied by a red border on a blue background. Other differences are based on composition and rank.

Stars and badges of junior commanding staff

The lower ranks of the junior staff are easily identified by the presence of longitudinal or transverse stripes. The yellow stripes are easily visible against a blue background, and if you know what they mean, it will be easy to understand the position of a policeman:

junior sergeant - two narrow transverse stripes;
sergeant - three narrow transverse stripes;
senior sergeant - one wide transverse stripe;
foreman - one wide longitudinal bar.

Only two ranks from this composition have stars:

ensign - two small stars located along;
senior warrant officer - three small stars located along.

All these identification marks are easy to remember if you are really interested in the issue of recognizing police ranks.

Stars of the middle, senior and higher commanding structures

There are no stripes on the shoulder straps of the trains above the youngest, but there are longitudinal narrow red stripes (gaps) in the amount of one or two pieces. They are made completely similar to the edging material, but stand out very clearly against the blue background of the main embroidery.

In the average composition, there is only one gap, located strictly in the middle of the shoulder strap. But he is absent on false shoulder straps. The stars are always small.

Shoulder straps of the middle commanding category of the police:

junior lieutenant - one star located in the gap, in the middle of the shoulder strap relative to the width, but slightly away from the center in relation to the length;
lieutenant - two stars located across the shoulder strap on the sides of the clearance;
senior lieutenant - three stars, two of which are located on the sides of the gap, like a lieutenant, the third - in the gap, like a junior lieutenant, thereby forming a kind of triangle;
captain - four stars, three of which are located like a senior lieutenant, but instead of one, there are two in the clearance, one after the other.

The senior commanding category has large five-pointed stars, there are two gaps each:

major - one star between gaps;
lieutenant colonel - two stars located across the shoulder strap in the gaps;
colonel - three stars in a kind of triangle (two in the gaps and one between them, but higher).

At the highest commanding staff, all the stars are located vertically and are even larger in size than those of the elder, and there are no stripes or gaps:

major general - one five-beam;
lieutenant general - two five-beam;
colonel general - three five-beam;
general - one huge five-beam and with the coat of arms of the Russian Federation located above.

Shoulder straps of the prosecutor's office

Prosecutors do not have ranks, they have class ranks, which are assigned accordingly to the position they hold, based on work experience and professional growth.

The background of the prosecutor's shoulder straps is saturated blue, and the gaps are blue. There are three stars for:

2nd class lawyer - attached in the same way as a senior police lieutenant;
Senior Counselor of Justice - attached in the same way as a police colonel;
state adviser 1st class - attached in the same way as a colonel general.