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Order of Merit for the Fatherland
Star of the Order of Services to the Fatherland (1st class)
Awarded by  Russia,
Type	four grade order
Eligibility	Russian and Foreign Citizens
Awarded for	Outstanding contributions to the state, labour achievements and significant contributions to the defence of the State
Status	Active
Statistics
Established	March 2, 1994
Total awarded	29 first class, 193 second class 579 third class 1283 fourth class
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of St George
Ribbon of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (1st class)

The Order of Merit for the Fatherland (Russian: Орден «За заслуги перед Отечеством») was instituted on the 2nd of March 1994 in a Presidential Decree. The statutes describe it as a decoration for merit, not an order of knights.

The order has a collar and four classes. The collar and a slightly different badge are the insignia of the President of the Russian Federation. The only foreigner to have received a collar was the French President Jacques Chirac^[1].

References