Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, at least 459 people involved in combat operations have received the title of Hero of Russia, calculated by "Verstka"*. For comparison, during the entire time of both Chechen wars, 458 combat participants received the "Golden Star".
217 people received the award posthumously. Of the 242 living Heroes of Russia, at least 11% received political appointments. Among them are regional officials, deputies from "United Russia," and even members of the Federation Council.
The title of Hero of Russia is awarded "for services to the state and the people, associated with the performance of a heroic feat" — according to the Law of March 20, 1992, "On the Establishment of the Title of Hero of the Russian Federation and the Institution of the Special Distinction Sign — the Medal "Golden Star". However, there are no formal criteria for a "heroic" act.
The orders for awards are classified, so in most cases, it is unknown what specific "feats," according to the authorities, the participants of the "SVO" in Ukraine accomplished. This can only be learned through materials in pro-government media and propaganda projects.
The 38-year-old commander of the 15th Guards Brigade, known as the "Black Hussars," Major General Andrey Buylov received the title of Hero of Russia in February of this year. However, the general is credited with "meat assaults" and enormous losses, with the brigade, according to "Verstka," having lost more than 12,000 soldiers since the invasion of Ukraine began — more than half are listed as killed, and the other part declared missing. The peak of losses occurred precisely after Buylov's appointment as brigade commander. Journalists could not find information in open sources about Buylov's feats for which he received the "Hero".
One of the servicemen recounted how propagandists spoke about Buylov's capture of the settlement of Sergeevka in the Luhansk region, where no one lived at the time of occupation. "That is, they just took a few cellars, a few houses, a few rotten sheds," the publication's interlocutor said. According to the data of the Raigorodsky village council of the Luhansk region, only 20 people lived in the village in 2020. However, this "feat" was reported in the government "Rossiyskaya Gazeta".
In addition to servicemen, five participants in the war from the police and 20 volunteers, for example, from the PMC "Wagner," including, at one time, its head Yevgeny Prigozhin, also received awards.
* Recognized as a "foreign agent" in the Russian Federation.