Order of Victory

The Order of Victory (Russian: Орден «Победа») was the highest military decoration awarded for World War II service in the Soviet Union, and one of the rarest orders in the world. The order was awarded only to Generals and Marshals for successfully conducting combat operations involving one or more army groups and resulting in a "successful operation within the framework of one or several fronts resulting in a radical change of the situation in favor of the Red Army." In the history of the Soviet Union, the award had been awarded twenty times to twelve Soviet leaders and five foreign leaders, with one revocation. The last living recipient was King Michael I of Romania, who died on 5 December 2017.

Order of Victory Орден «Победа»
Insignia of the Star of the Order
Awarded by Soviet Union
Motto	Honneur et patrie ("Honour and Motherland")
Eligibility	Only Marshals and Military Generals
Awarded for	Conducting combat operations involving one or more army groups and resulting in a "successful operation within the framework of one or several fronts resulting in a radical change of the situation in favor of the Red Army"
Status	No longer awarded
Grades (w/ post-nominals)	Member
Statistics
Established	8 November 1943
First induction	10 April 1944
Last induction	20 February 1978 (last induction later revoked)
Total inductees	20
Precedence
Next (higher)	None
Ribbon of the Order of Victory

Order Of Victory Media

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  British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (left, wearing beret) was awarded the Order of Victory on June 5, 1945. American general Dwight Eisenhower and Soviet field marshal Georgy Zhukov, also recipients of the Order of Victory, are to the right of Montgomery. British air marshal Sir Arthur Tedder (right of Zhukov) is also present.

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  Plaque at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, listing the recipients of the Order of Victory. Brezhnev's name is not on the plaque, as his award was revoked in 1989.