No Right to be Forgotten. On the 80th Anniversary of the Great Victory

Warrant of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On Conferring the Military Rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union and Awarding the Marshal’s Star"
Belonged to J.V. Stalin
USSR, Moscow, 1943
Paper; letter-quality printing, handwriting
Marshal’s Star on a ribbon
Belonged to J.V. Stalin
USSR, Moscow, 1943
Platinum, gold, brilliants; stamp, mounting, weaving
Gold Star Medal of Hero of the Soviet Union
Belonged to J.V. Stalin
USSR, Moscow, 1946
Gold, silver, moiré; stamp, weaving, gilding, mounting
Order of Suvorov, 1st class
Belonged to J.V. Stalin
USSR, Moscow, 1942-1945
Platinum, gold, silver, non-precious metal; stamp, enamel, mounting

29 April – 25 August 2025

State Historical Museum, Moscow

Organized by:

the Federal Archival Agency (Rosarchiv), the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Russian Historical Society, the State Archive of the Russian Federation, the State Historical Museum

Participants:

over 50 participants, including the State Archive of the Russian Federation, the State Historical Museum, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, The Moscow Kremlin Museums, the All-Russian Public Organization 'Search Movement of Russia', the Federal Archival Agency (Rosarchiv), the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, private collectors

The Moscow Kremlin Museums are participating in a large-scale historical-documentary exhibition project "No Right to Be Forgotten. On the 80th Anniversary of the Great Victory" at the State Historical Museum. Visitors will discover historical rarities - more than 500 archival documents and 700 museum exhibits telling about the great feat of the multinational Soviet people and the Red Army, their decisive contribution to the victory over Nazi Germany and its satellites, and the enormous sacrifices made by the Soviet Union to save the world from fascism.

The exhibition covers the period from the time Nazi Germany and its allies invaded the USSR on 22 June 1941 to the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow on 24 June 1945, which became a symbol of the end of the Great Patriotic War.

The Moscow Kremlin Museums have an outstanding collection that represents the orders and medals of Imperial Russia, the USSR and the Russian Federation in a complete and diverse way. Since the 1960s, the museum's collection has been regularly replenished with contributions from the Precious Metals Department of the USSR Ministry of Finance, the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the USSR Committee for State Security, as well as from the Moscow and Leningrad Mints. In 1997, orders, medals and insignia of the Russian Federation were transferred for permanent storage from the Office of the President of the Russian Federation for State Awards.

On the occasion of the Victory Day, the Moscow Kremlin Museums for the first time lent fourteen unique pieces related to the activities of the Supreme Commander of the Soviet Union, Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars and the State Defense Committee of the USSR, J.V. Stalin.

During the Great Patriotic War, decorations became not only a mark of distinction but also an important propaganda tool. Long before the end of the war, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 8 November 1943, the highest military Order "Victory" was instituted for the highest commanders of the Soviet Army. It was a symbol of the triumph and great feat of the entire nation, a priceless work of art without analogues in the world, created by Soviet jewelers. Soon after its launch, in April 1944 the first awards were presented. Marshals G.K. Zhukov and A.M. Vasilevsky were awarded this order for the liberation of the right bank of the Ukraine. In total, 16 people were bestowed the Order "Victory" – eleven Soviet military leaders and five representatives of foreign states.

Never before has the exhibition presented to the visitors the Order "Victory" of the Generalissimo of the Soviet Union J.V. Stalin. The first time he was awarded this high honour was on 29 July 1944 "for his extraordinary merits in the organisation and conduct of the offensive operations of the Red Army, which resulted in a major defeat of the German army and a radical change of the situation on the front ... in favour of the Red Army". On 26 June 1945, J.V. Stalin was bestowed again for the victory over Hitler's Germany. The exhibition also displays the decorations and awards of the Supreme Commander in Chief: the Gold Star Medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union, the Marshal's Star, merit certificates confirming awards, the Warrant of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On Conferring the Military Rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union and Awarding the Marshal's Star", as well as the Warrant of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On Conferring the Highest Military Rank of Generalissimo of the Soviet Union".