Why was Brezhnev given a hero of the Soviet Union? Sergei Kolomnin “mysteries of Marshal Brezhnev’s awards”

Hello dears.
Last night, while watching another episode of Parfenovsky (not to be confused with Parfyansky :-)))) “The Other Day”, I saw the awarding of “dear Leonid Ilyich” with the fourth star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. I immediately remembered numerous anecdotes regarding the number of awards of the elderly General Secretary. According to the overwhelming majority of residents of the former USSR, Comrade Brezhnev is the undisputed number 1 among the most awarded people on the planet, and at least 95% of these awards were received by him completely undeservedly. Is this really true? Let's try to figure it out. In general, I really love faleristics (the science of rewards), I also have respect and deep sympathy for Leonid Ilyich (in particular for his love of life, positive outlook and lack of bloodthirstiness), so I will try to be impartial. How far I succeed is up to you to judge.
So, I propose to highlight two important aspects.
1) L.I. Brezhnev "the most awarded person on the planet."
2) He did not deserve the awards that the Secretary General was awarded.

L.I.Brezhnev with awards

Let's start with the main thing - the number of awards. To do this, we need to divide the awards into 2 groups - Domestic and Foreign. Accordingly, each of these groups can be formally divided into 3 subgroups: 1) Orders, 2) Medals 3) other awards (prizes, grants, etc.)
Let's start, perhaps, with domestic Orders. This is the easiest subsection to count and analyze.
Brezhnev currently has 15 domestic Orders: 8 Orders of Lenin, 2 Orders of the October Revolution, 2 Orders of the Red Banner, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2nd degree, Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, Order of the Red Star. There was also 16 - the Order of Victory, but this award was canceled back in 1989 by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
If you look at the total number of Orders, then Brezhnev cannot possibly be a leader. Marshals of the Soviet Union Zakharov, Sokolov and Meretskov have 16, Rokossovsky, Budyonny, Kulikov and Konev have 17 orders each, Chuikov, Voroshilov and Sokolovsky have 18, and Moskalenko (by the way, it is not clear for what merits) has 20!!!

Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky II degree

Let's move on. Leonid Ilyich has as many as 8 Orders of Lenin. This is a lot, but by no means a record. 10 orders of Lenin, for example, belong to such a controversial historical figure as the first secretary of the Uzbek USSR Rashidov Sh.R., 11 to Ustinov, and the absolute record holder is the Minister of Foreign Trade Nikolai Semenovich Patolichev, with 12 similar orders.
It is quite rare to be awarded the Order of the October Revolution twice. However, Leonid Ilyich is not alone here. In addition to him, there are 10 twice awarded this order, for example, tank designer Kotin and astronomer Severny.
I don’t even want to talk about other orders. As they say, "nothing". For example, more than 30 people (military leaders such as Rokossovsky or Army General Getman) had 6 Orders of the Red Banner.
So, both in terms of the number of Orders in general and the number of specific awards, Leonid Ilyich is not a record holder. I will say more - he is not even a leader.

Patolichev N.S.

Now that we have dealt with domestic orders, I think it would be appropriate to move on to domestic medals.
I counted 22 Soviet medals on him. First of all, it is necessary to highlight 4 “Gold Star” medals of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the “Hammer and Sickle” medal of the Hero of Socialist Labor. This is already a serious application for success :-))) There have been only two four times heroes of the Soviet Union in history - G.K. Zhukov and L.I. Brezhnev.
There were many heroes of Socialist Labor. Three times there were 16 heroes, among them Kurchatov, Keldysh, Ilyushin, Sakharov and the same Khrushchev. 11 people bore the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union and Socialist Labor, but in terms of the total number of these medals (4+1), Brezhnev is unrivaled. The closest to him was “dear Nikita Sergeevich,” who has one Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union and as many as 3 Heroes of Socialist Labor.
In terms of the number of other medals, Brezhnev's result is not impressive. A huge number of people have similar or much more similar awards.

Order of Karl Marx (GDR)

Now let's move on to a more complex topic - foreign awards. If everything is more or less clear with domestic awards, then with insignia of foreign countries everything is much more complicated. Let's start with the Orders. I counted a total of 43 of them from Leonid Ilyich (there were 44, but the Poles in 1990 abolished the awarding of the Grand Cross of their Order of the Virtuti Militari). The Mongols especially distinguished themselves in the field of awarding, presenting the Soviet leader with the Order of Sukhbaatar as many as 4 times, and the Czechs - presenting the Order of Klement Gottwald the same number of times. The East Germans were a little behind them - 3 Orders of Karl Marx and the Bulgarians - 3 Orders of Georgiy Dimitrov. Among the Mongols, he is not a record holder, since the famous Marshal Khorlogiin Choibalsan had the same number of these Orders, and the former Secretary of the Central Committee of the Mongolian Communist Party Yumzhagiin Tsedenbal had as many as 5. But 4 Czech orders are a breakthrough! Even Gustav Husak and Ludwig Svoboda had only 3 copies of this award. The same applies to 3 Bulgarian ones - no one except Brezhnev had more than 3 Orders of G. Dimitrov.

Order of the Sun of Peru (Peru)

The most beautiful foreign award for the leader of the Soviet state, in my humble opinion, is the “Sun of Peru,” and the most exotic is the “Order of Independence” of the Republic of Guinea.
Many or few 43 foreign orders. It depends on what you compare it to. On the one hand, it seems like a lot, but on the other hand, if we consider the awards of any European monarch, then this list is much longer. Yes, even if you take Josip Broz Tito, he has no less than 53 foreign Orders.
Now let's move on to foreign medals. Leonid Ilyich has 36 of them. He is the only three times hero of the Republic of Bulgaria, and three times Hero of the GDR, as well as one of the three three times heroes of Czechoslovakia (along with G. Husak and L. Svoboda). 36 medals is very good. I would probably agree that he is the first in the world in terms of the total number of medals.
The most exotic medal he has, in my opinion, is the Gold Star of the Hero of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Order of K. Gottwald (Czechoslovakia)

Let's look at other awards. Leonid Ilyich also has a lot of them and they cannot be accurately counted. Among the most famous, I would highlight 2 marshal stars - a small one (for the rank of Army General) and a large one (for, strictly speaking, the marshal rank itself). In addition, the medal Gold Peace Medal named after F. Joliot-Curie, UN Gold Peace Medal named after O. Hahn, gold medal of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Lenin Prize, Golden Mercury Peace Prize, G. Dimitrov Prize. Let's also add honorary weapons, honorary citizenship of such cities as Baku, Kyiv, Dnepropetrovsk and Tbilisi.

Order of Playa Giron (Cuba)

I still propose that these other awards and preferences should not be counted in our ranking. If only because it is impossible to take absolutely everything into account, and it makes no sense. Let's count only domestic and foreign Orders and medals. This is what I got:
Domestic awards - 15 orders and 22 medals, a total of 37 awards.
Foreign awards - 43 Orders and 36 medals, for a total of 79 awards.
In total, it turns out that Leonid Ilyich was awarded only 116 times. And this apparently really is a world record, since for the English Queen Elizabeth II, for example, I counted only 89 awards, for Broz Tito 82, for Ustinov -73.

Order "Star of Yugoslavia" 1st class (SFRY)

Now let’s consider such a sensitive topic as the deservedness of these very awards. It is truly difficult, due to the fact that the head of state is very often awarded foreign orders and medals not for any specific merits, but precisely for the fact that he is the head of state. I won’t give examples - because there are really a lot of them.
Let's look at the awards that Leonid Ilyich was awarded absolutely deservedly, since he really fought, raised the economy and led almost from the grassroots level. There aren't many of them. First of all, these are: the Order of the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, the Order of the October Revolution (one), one or even 2 Orders of Lenin, possibly the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2nd degree and even theoretically the Hero of Socialist Labor. Well, of course, all the medals are Soviet, because he deserved the combat medals for his cause, and the jubilee medals for his status. I would also be calm about foreign awards, if not for one BUT... there should be only one award, and not 2-3 as the Bulgarians or Mongols did.

Order "Banner of the Hungarian People's Republic" (Hungary People's Republic)

IMHO, the awarding of Brezhnev with the title of 4th Hero of the Soviet Union should be considered absolutely undeserved, since according to the statute of the award he could not even receive 1 Hero, not to mention 4. Then - at least 6 Orders of Lenin, off topic, the second Order of the October Revolution too does not fit, the stars of the Hero of the People's Republic of Belarus, the Hero of Labor of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Hero of Cuba, the Hero of the Lao PDR, the Hero of the GDR, one "Star of Indonesia", the stars of the Hero of the MPR and the Hero of Labor of the MPR, the Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. In addition, both Orders of the Banner of the Hungarian People's Republic, at least 2 of the 3 Orders of Georgiy Dimitrov, at least 2 of the 3 Orders of Karl Marx, at least 3 of the 4 Orders of Sukhbaatar and at least 3 of the 4 Orders of Kliment Gottwald.
What conclusions can we draw from all of the above, dear comrades and comrades? J The conclusions are simple - in terms of the total number of awards, the former head of the Soviet state and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Leonie Ilyich Brezhnev is indeed ONE of the record holders. One of them was two such wonderful dictators as Jean Bedel Bokassa and Idi Amin, who, according to some information, collected a collection of more than 200 orders and medals each. Many awards were received by Leonid Ilyich unfairly, but not 95%, as rumors say, for a person is truly deserved and respected, and that is what he deserved honestly. And with other awards it’s also not easy. Can there be any doubt that the Mauser award Leonid Ilyich received in 1943 was received unfairly? I have no doubts - he deserved it for business and honor. So you need to be very careful in your assessments.
I hope I didn't bore you.
Sincerely

4.3 (85%) 4 votes

1. Hero of Socialist Labor No. 9995 with the presentation of the Order of Lenin No. 344996 (Decree of the PVS of the USSR dated June 17, 1961)
2. Order of Lenin – 3 pcs.
3. medal “For the Defense of Odessa”
4. medal "For the capture of Warsaw"
5. medal "For the capture of Vienna"

6. medal “For valiant labor in the Second World War 1941-1945”
7. medal “For victory over Germany 1941-1945”
8. medal “For the restoration of iron and steel enterprises in the south” (1951)
9. medal “For the development of virgin lands” (1956)
10. medal “In memory of the 250th anniversary of Leningrad” (1957)
11. medal “40 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR” (1957)
12 medal “Twenty years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (1965)
13. Medal “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 11230 with the award of the Order of Lenin No. 382246 (Decree of the USSR PVS dated 12/18/1966)
14. Order of the October Revolution – 2 pcs. (1967)
15. medal “50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR” (1967)
16. medal “For valiant work. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" (1969)
17. medal “30 years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (1975)
18. Medal "Gold Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 97 with the presentation of the Order of Lenin No. 425869 (Decree of the PVS of the USSR dated 12/18/1976)

19. honorary weapon - a registered saber with a gold image of the State Emblem of the USSR (12/18/1976)
20. medal “60 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR” (1977)
21. Medal "Gold Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 5 with the award of the Order of Lenin No. 432408 (Decree of the USSR PVS dated 12/19/1978)
22. Order of “Victory” (Decree of the PVS of the USSR 02/20/1978).
23. Medal of the laureate of the All-Union Lenin Prize (04/20/1979)
24. Medal “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 2 with the award of the Order of Lenin No. 458500 (Decree of the USSR PVS dated 12/18/1981)
25. medal “In memory of the 1500th anniversary of Kyiv” (1982) Argentina:
Order of the May Revolution, 1st class (1974)

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA):
Order of the Sun of Freedom (1981)

People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB):
Golden Star of the Hero of the People's Republic of Belarus - 3 awards (1973, 1976, 1981)
Order of Georgiy Dimitrov - 3 awards (1973, 1976, 1981)
medal "100 years of liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke" (1978)
medal "30 years of the Socialist Revolution in Bulgaria" (1974)
medal “90 years since the birth of G. Dimitrov” (1974)
medal "100 years since the birth of G. Dimitrov" (1982)

Hungarian People's Republic (HPR):
Order of the Banner of the Hungarian People's Republic with diamonds – 2 awards (1976, 1981)
honorary veteran of the Krasny Chepel plant

Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV):
Gold Medal of the Hero of Labor of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1982)
Order of Ho Chi Minh, 1st class (1982)
Order of the Golden Star (1980)

Republic of Guinea:
Order of Independence (1961)

German Democratic Republic (GDR):
Gold Star of the Hero of the GDR - 3 awards (1976, 1979, 1981)
Order of Karl Marx – 3 awards (1974, 1979, 1981)
Order of the Great Star of Friendship of Peoples with diamonds (1976)
Medal "For Merit in Strengthening the GDR" (1979)

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Indonesia:
star and badge of the Order "Star of Indonesia" 1st class - 2 awards (1961, 1976)

People's Democratic Republic of Yemen:
Order of the Revolution October 14 (1982)

Democratic People's Republic of Korea (PRC):
Order of the State Banner, 1st class (1976)

Republic of Cuba:
Gold Star of the Hero of Cuba (1981)
Order of José Martí (1974)
Order of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes (1981)
Order of Playa Giron (1976)
medal "20 years of the storming of the Moncada barracks" (1973)
medal "20 years of the Revolutionary Armed Forces" (1976)

Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR):
Golden Star of the Hero of the Lao PDR (1981)
Gold Medal of the Nation (1982)

Mongolian People's Republic (MPR):
Golden Star of the Hero of the MPR (1976)
Golden Star of the Hero of Labor of the MPR (1981)
Order of Sukhbaatar – 4 awards (1966, 1971, 1976, 1981)
medal "30 years of Victory at Khalkhin Gol" (1969)
medal "40 years of Victory at Khalkhin Gol" (1979)
medal "50 years of the Mongolian People's Revolution" (1971)
medal "50 years of the Mongolian People's Army" (1971)
medal "30 years of Victory over Japan" (1975)

Republic of Peru:
Order of the Sun of Peru, 1st class (1978)

Polish People's Republic:
Grand Cross of the Order "Virtuti Militari" (21 July 1974)
Grand Cross of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland, 1st class (1976)
star and badge of the Order of Merit of the People's Republic of Poland, 1st class (1981)
Cross of Grunwald, 2nd class (1946)
medal "For the Oder, Neisse, Baltic" (1946)
medal "Victory and Freedom" (1946)
Honorary metallurgist of the Guta-Warsaw plant
Honorary builder of the Katowice Iron and Steel Works (1976)

Socialist Republic of Romania:
Order of the Star of Romania, 1st class (1976)
Order "Victory of Socialism" (1981)

Finland:
star and badge of the Order of the White Rose, 1st class (1976)
Order of the White Rose with chain (1976)

Czechoslovak People's Republic:
Golden Star of the Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic - 3 awards (05/5/1970, 10/26/1976, 12/16/1981)
Order of Klement Gottwald - 4 awards (1970, 1976, 1978, 1981)
Order of the White Lion "For Victory" 1st class (1946)
star and badge of the Order of the White Lion with chain (1973)
Military Cross 1939 – 2 awards (1945, 1947)
medal "For bravery in front of the enemy" (1945)
War Commemorative Medal (1946)
Dukela Commemorative Medal (1960)
medal "20 years of the Slovak National Uprising" (1964)
medal "50 years of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia" (1971)
medal "30 years of the Slovak National Uprising" (1975)
Medal "For Strengthening Friendship in Arms" 1st class (1980)

Socialist Ethiopia:
Order of the Star of Honor (1980)

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia:
Order of the Star of Yugoslavia, 1st class (1962)
Order of Liberty (1976)

The result is a picture like this. L.I. Brezhnev had 44 orders, 22 medals and 14 Gold Stars of foreign countries. The total amount is exactly 80 awards.
The following must be added to this list:
Marshal's star with the rank of Army General
Marshal's star with the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union (05/07/1976)

Prizes and other awards L.I. Brezhnev:
medal of the laureate of the International Lenin Prize “For strengthening peace between nations” (06/12/1973)
Gold Peace Medal named after F. Joliot-Curie (11/14/1975, from the World Peace Council)
UN Gold Peace Medal named after O. Gan (1977)
medal of the laureate of the G. Dimitrov Prize (11/23/1978)
Medal of the All-Union Lenin Prize Laureate (04/20/1979)
Gold medal of the International Peace Prize "Golden Mercury"
Gold medal named after Karl Marx (1977, from the USSR Academy of Sciences)
badge “50 years in the CPSU” (from the CPSU Central Committee)
Gold medal of the World Federation of Trade Unions (02/15/1982)

Honorary titles:
Honorary citizen of Dnepropetrovsk (08/21/1979);
Honorary citizen of Tbilisi (05/21/1981);
Honorary cadet of the 1st tank company of the armored school of the Trans-Baikal Military District (12/17/1981);
Honorary citizen of Kyiv (04/26/1982);
Honorary citizen of Baku (09/24/1982);
USSR awards - 38 awards; awards of foreign countries – 80 awards; awards – 8 awards; badge “50 years in the CPSU” - 1 award; Marshall Stars – 2 awards; honorary weapon - 2 awards. The total number of awards is 131 units.

An interesting fact: Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev is a record holder in the Guinness Book of Records. There he is recorded as "The most awarded person in the world." In the 1991 edition, his list includes 15 orders and 18 medals of the USSR, as well as 29 medals and 49 orders of foreign countries. At the same time, which is typical, Brezhnev was no longer awarded posthumously, and some insignia were completely taken away. During perestroika, in particular, Leonid Ilyich was deprived of the Order of Victory, the highest military award of the USSR, as well as the Polish Order of Military Valor.

The funny popular nickname of the second Ilyich is not the only reaction of the common people to the love of the medals and orders of the first person. According to one story, Brezhnev had to wear a jacket weighing 6 kilograms because of his awards. No one, of course, weighed his rewards. But such a jacket itself would really be more than weighty. It was physically impossible to wear it, so Leonid Ilyich did not wear all his medals at the same time. As a rule, it was limited to “Golden Stars”, “Hammer and Sickle”, Lenin Prize badges and sometimes order bars.

Brezhnev's awards presented at his funeral. Photo: Vladimir Akimov, RIA Novosti

Brezhnev also had awards that were established specifically for him. In October 1981, for the 50th anniversary of Leonid Ilyich’s stay in the CPSU, a sign was introduced with the name, as you might guess, “50 years of stay in the CPSU.” The Central Committee solemnly presented the sign to the Secretary General, which he himself commented as follows: “As for me, receiving this badge of honor, I experience understandable excitement. And not just excitement, but a feeling of deep gratitude to the great party of Lenin.” Two months later, by the way, a kind of record happened. Brezhnev celebrated his 75th birthday, and for this holiday he received thirteen different awards from eight states.

In addition to state awards, Brezhnev received many departmental awards. In 1977, he received a membership card of the Union of Journalists of the USSR. Along with it, Brezhnev also received another badge: Leonid Ilyich received the right to wear a badge confirming his membership. And Leonid Ilyich received a number of awards more than once, and noticeably more often than others. For example, besides Brezhnev, only Marshal Zhukov became a Hero of the Soviet Union four times. And along with the award of Hero of Socialist Labor, he turned out to be the owner of five “Golden Stars” at once, and no one else received such an honor except him.

The number of foreign awards of Leonid Brezhnev is impressive. According to various estimates, it ranges from five to seven dozen. Among them are orders and medals of Argentina, Afghanistan, Guinea, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, East Germany, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Yemen, Mongolia, Peru, Poland, Yugoslavia, Ethiopia, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Romania. Some of them were established several centuries ago, many are still awarded today.

Many different independent sources write about the awards of the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev. And, oddly enough, each source names a different number of orders and medals. It just seems that periodicals set themselves the goal of denigrating and trampling this medal lover into the dirt, but do not set themselves the goal of counting how many awards there actually were.
In some articles there were mentions of more than 200 awards of the Secretary General, someone wrote that he was awarded all the USSR awards, except for a set of Mother Heroine awards.

Conventionally, Leonid Ilyich’s awards would be better divided into 3 categories: received during the war, received in the period between the end of the war and his ascension to the post of General Secretary, and received while serving as General Secretary. So let's start counting.

Military awards of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev:

1. Order of the Red Star

From the above list it is clear that the number of awards Leonid Brezhnev has is more than modest. Only 5 orders (of which 2 are Orders of the Red Banner) and 2 medals.
After L.I. Brezhnev took the post of First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee in 1964, the flow of awards to him increased significantly. From the end of the war until he took the post of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Leonid Brezhnev earned the following awards:

So, it is clear that from the end of the war until the beginning of 1964, when L.I. Brezhnev took the highest post in the country and his awards increased significantly. The result is this:
Orders – 4 pcs. (4 Orders of Lenin)
Medals – 10 pcs. (including the medal of the Hero of Social Labor)

In 1964 L.I. Brezhnev takes an active part in the removal of N.S. Khrushchev, the then leader of the country and heads the secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee. During this period, and until his death in 1982, he received a real stream of awards.

1. medal “Twenty years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (1965)
2. medal “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 11230 with the award of the Order of Lenin No. 382246 (Decree of the PVS of the USSR dated December 18, 1966)
3. Order of the October Revolution – 2 pcs. (1967)
4. medal “50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR” (1967)
5. medal “For valiant work. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" (1969)
6. medal “30 years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (1975)
7. medal “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 97 with the award of the Order of Lenin No. 425869 (Decree of the PVS of the USSR dated December 18, 1976)
8. honorary weapon - a personalized saber with a gold image of the State Emblem of the USSR (12/18/1976)
9. medal “60 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR” (1977)
10. Medal “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 5 with the presentation of the Order of Lenin No. 432408 (Decree of the USSR PVS dated 12/19/1978)
11. Order of “Victory” (Decree of the PVS of the USSR 02/20/1978).
12. Medal of the laureate of the All-Union Lenin Prize (04/20/1979)
13. medal “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 2 with the presentation of the Order of Lenin No. 458500 (Decree of the USSR PVS dated 12/18/1981)
14. medal “In memory of the 1500th anniversary of Kyiv” (1982)

Argentina:
Order of the May Revolution, 1st class (1974)

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA):
Order of the Sun of Freedom (1981)

People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB):
Golden Star of the Hero of the People's Republic of Belarus - 3 awards (1973, 1976, 1981)
Order of Georgiy Dimitrov - 3 awards (1973, 1976, 1981)
medal "100 years of liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke" (1978)
medal "30 years of the Socialist Revolution in Bulgaria" (1974)
medal “90 years since the birth of G. Dimitrov” (1974)
medal "100 years since the birth of G. Dimitrov" (1982)

Hungarian People's Republic (HPR):
Order of the Banner of the Hungarian People's Republic with diamonds – 2 awards (1976, 1981)
honorary veteran of the Krasny Chepel plant

Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV):
Gold Medal of the Hero of Labor of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1982)
Order of Ho Chi Minh, 1st class (1982)
Order of the Golden Star (1980)

Republic of Guinea:
Order of Independence (1961)

German Democratic Republic (GDR):
Gold Star of the Hero of the GDR - 3 awards (1976, 1979, 1981)
Order of Karl Marx – 3 awards (1974, 1979, 1981)
Order of the Great Star of Friendship of Peoples with diamonds (1976)
Medal "For Merit in Strengthening the GDR" (1979)

Indonesia:
star and badge of the Order "Star of Indonesia" 1st class - 2 awards (1961, 1976)

Democratic People's Republic of Korea (PRC):
Order of the State Banner, 1st class (1976)

Republic of Cuba:
Gold Star of the Hero of Cuba (1981)
Order of José Martí (1974)
Order of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes (1981)
Order of Playa Giron (1976)
medal "20 years of the storming of the Moncada barracks" (1973)
medal "20 years of the Revolutionary Armed Forces" (1976)

Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR):
Golden Star of the Hero of the Lao PDR (1981)
Gold Medal of the Nation (1982)

Mongolian People's Republic (MPR):
Golden Star of the Hero of the MPR (1976)
Golden Star of the Hero of Labor of the MPR (1981)
Order of Sukhbaatar – 4 awards (1966, 1971, 1976, 1981)
medal "30 years of Victory at Khalkhin Gol" (1969)
medal "40 years of Victory at Khalkhin Gol" (1979)
medal "50 years of the Mongolian People's Revolution" (1971)
medal "50 years of the Mongolian People's Army" (1971)
medal "30 years of Victory over Japan" (1975)

Republic of Peru:
Order of the Sun of Peru, 1st class (1978)

Polish People's Republic:
Grand Cross of the Order "Virtuti Militari" (21 July 1974)
Grand Cross of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland, 1st class (1976)
star and badge of the Order of Merit of the People's Republic of Poland, 1st class (1981)
Cross of Grunwald, 2nd class (1946)
medal "For the Oder, Neisse, Baltic" (1946)
medal "Victory and Freedom" (1946)
Honorary metallurgist of the Guta-Warsaw plant
Honorary builder of the Katowice Iron and Steel Works (1976)

Socialist Republic of Romania:
Order of the Star of Romania, 1st class (1976)
Order "Victory of Socialism" (1981)

Finland:
star and badge of the Order of the White Rose, 1st class (1976)
Order of the White Rose with chain (1976)

Czechoslovak People's Republic:
Golden Star of the Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic - 3 awards (05/5/1970, 10/26/1976, 12/16/1981)
Order of Klement Gottwald - 4 awards (1970, 1976, 1978, 1981)
Order of the White Lion "For Victory" 1st class (1946)
star and badge of the Order of the White Lion with chain (1973)
Military Cross 1939 – 2 awards (1945, 1947)
medal "For bravery in front of the enemy" (1945)
War Commemorative Medal (1946)
Dukela Commemorative Medal (1960)
medal "20 years of the Slovak National Uprising" (1964)
medal "50 years of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia" (1971)
medal "30 years of the Slovak National Uprising" (1975)
Medal "For Strengthening Friendship in Arms" 1st class (1980)

Socialist Ethiopia:
Order of the Star of Honor (1980)

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia:
Order of the Star of Yugoslavia, 1st class (1962)
Order of Liberty (1976)

The result is a picture like this. L.I. Brezhnev had 44 orders, 22 medals and 14 Gold Stars of foreign countries. The total amount is exactly 80 awards.
The following must be added to this list:
Marshal's star with the rank of Army General
Marshal's star with the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union (05/07/1976)

Prizes and other awards L.I. Brezhnev:
medal of the laureate of the International Lenin Prize “For strengthening peace between nations” (06/12/1973)
Gold Peace Medal named after F. Joliot-Curie (11/14/1975, from the World Peace Council)
UN Gold Peace Medal named after O. Gan (1977)
medal of the laureate of the G. Dimitrov Prize (11/23/1978)
Medal of the All-Union Lenin Prize Laureate (04/20/1979)
Gold medal of the International Peace Prize "Golden Mercury"
Gold medal named after Karl Marx (1977, from the USSR Academy of Sciences)
badge “50 years in the CPSU” (from the CPSU Central Committee)
Gold medal of the World Federation of Trade Unions (02/15/1982)

Honorary titles:
Honorary citizen of Dnepropetrovsk (08/21/1979);
Honorary citizen of Tbilisi (05/21/1981);
Honorary cadet of the 1st tank company of the armored school of the Trans-Baikal Military District (12/17/1981);
Honorary citizen of Kyiv (04/26/1982);
Honorary citizen of Baku (09/24/1982);

After the death of the Secretary General, his awards were handed over to the order storehouse of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. According to the inventory, the following number of awards were handed over:
five Gold Hero Stars,
16 orders of the USSR
18 USSR medals,
two marshal stars with diamonds - an army general and a marshal of the Soviet Union, an honorary weapon with a gold image of the State Emblem of the USSR,
42 orders and 29 medals of foreign countries.

Now let's do the math.
5 Gold Stars of Hero were handed over (4 Stars of Hero of the USSR and 1 Hero of Social Labor). The quantity is the same.
16 orders of the USSR - coincides with the number of awards presented
18 USSR medals - Brezhnev had 22 medals in total. What 4 medals were not returned by relatives?
Two marshal stars - coincides (stars of an army general and a Marshal of the Soviet Union)
There is an honorary weapon - a personalized saber, but the award Mauser, which Leonid Ilyich received in 1943, is missing. Maybe he handed it over immediately after the war, or maybe his relatives left it as a souvenir. It's unclear yet.
42 orders and 29 medals of foreign countries. This results in a total of 71 awards handed in. I counted 80. Some things were taken away from Brezhnev after his death. Order of Victory 21.09.1989 and Grand Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari 10 July 1990

If we count all the awards that Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, had, we will get the following figure. USSR awards - 38 awards; awards of foreign countries – 80 awards; awards – 8 awards; badge “50 years in the CPSU” - 1 award; Marshall Stars – 2 awards; honorary weapon - 2 awards. The total number of awards is 131 units.
True, after his death, 2 awards were canceled, so at the moment the number of awards will be 129 units.
So the rumors about the supposedly 200 orders and medals have no basis in reality, although the true number of awards is very close to the indicated number.

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev - General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Born on December 6 (19), 1906 in the village of Kamenskoye, Yekaterinoslav district, Yekaterinoslav province, now the city of Kamenskoye (in 1936-2016 - Dneprodzerzhinsk) Dnepropetrovsk region of Ukraine, in the family of a metallurgist. Russian. He began his working life at the age of 15. After graduating from the Kursk Land Management and Reclamation Technical School in 1927, he worked as a land surveyor in the Kokhanovsky district of the Orsha district of Belarus, in the Kursk province and in the Urals - as the head of the district department and deputy chairman of the executive committee of the Bisertsky District Council, first deputy head of the Ural Regional Land Administration. In 1923 he joined the Komsomol. Member of the CPSU(b)/CPSU since 1931. After graduating from the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute in 1935, he became an engineer at the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Plant.

In October 1935 - October 1936 L.I. Brezhnev served in active military service: cadet of the Trans-Baikal Armored School, political instructor of a tank company of the 14th Mechanized Corps in the Trans-Baikal Military District.

From October 1936 to May 1937 he worked as director of the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical College. In May 1937 L.I. Brezhnev was elected deputy chairman of the executive committee of the Dneprodzerzhinsk City Council for construction and urban management. From May 1938 - head of the Soviet trade department, and from February 1939 - secretary for propaganda of the Dnepropetrovsk regional committee of the Communist Party (b) of Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, L.I. Brezhnev is in the active army, assigned to political work. Deputy head of the political department of the Southern Front (06/28/1941-09/16/1942), deputy head of the political department of the Black Sea Group of Forces (10/8/1942-04/1/1943), head of the political department of the 18th Army (04/1/1943-05/9/1944), deputy head of the political department 4th Ukrainian Front (05/9/1944-05/12/1945), head of the political department of the 4th Ukrainian Front (05/12/1945-07/9/1945). He carried out extensive organizational and political work directly in formations, units and subunits to mobilize personnel to solve combat missions.

At the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow on June 24, 1945, Major General Brezhnev L.I. took part as a commissar of the consolidated regiment of the 4th Ukrainian Front (commander of the consolidated regiment - Guard Lieutenant General, Hero of the Soviet Union A.L. Bondarev). Initially, he continued to serve in the Red Army: head of the political department of the Carpathian Military District (07/9/1945-07/18/1946). On July 18, 1946 he was transferred to the reserve.

Since August 30, 1946, L.I. Brezhnev - 1st Secretary of Zaporozhye, from November 22, 1947 - 1st Secretary of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. From June 26, 1950 - 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Moldova. From October 25, 1952 to March 5, 1953 - Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.

Since August 1953 - again in military service. From March 5 to May 21, 1953 Brezhnev L.I. - Head of the Political Directorate of the USSR Naval Ministry. From May 21, 1953 to February 27, 1954 - Deputy Head of the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy. Since February 1954 - in reserve.

From February 6, 1954 - 2nd, and from August 6, 1955 - 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. Since March 6, 1956, Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and candidate member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. Since June 29, 1957 - member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. During this period, on behalf of the Central Committee, he dealt with the development of heavy industry and construction, the development and production of the latest military equipment and weapons, equipping the Soviet Armed Forces with them, and the development of astronautics.

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated June 17, 1961 “for outstanding achievements in the creation of rocket technology samples and ensuring the successful flight of the Soviet man into outer space” Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor with the Order of Lenin and the Hammer and Sickle gold medal.

From May 7, 1960 to July 15, 1964 L.I. Brezhnev - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. At the same time, from June 22, 1963 - Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.

At the plenum of the CPSU Central Committee on October 14, 1964, L.I. Brezhnev was elected First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and confirmed as Chairman of the Bureau of the CPSU Central Committee for the RSFSR.

Since April 8, 1966 L.I. Brezhnev - General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, at the same time since June 16, 1977 - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated December 18, 1966 “for outstanding services to the Communist Party and the Soviet state in communist construction, in strengthening the country’s defense capability and great merits in the fight against the Nazi invaders at the front during the Great Patriotic War in connection with the 60- birthday anniversary" Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 18, 1976, “for outstanding services to the Communist Party and the Soviet state in communist construction, active, fruitful work to strengthen peace and security of peoples, for great personal contribution to the victory over the Nazi invaders in the Great Patriotic War war, in strengthening the economic and defense power of the Soviet Union and in connection with the 70th anniversary of his birth, the Marshal of the Soviet Union was awarded the Order of Lenin and the second Gold Star medal.

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated December 19, 1978 “for outstanding services to the Communist Party and the Soviet state in strengthening the economic and defense power of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War and in the post-war period, for tireless work in the struggle for peace and in connection with the day birth" was awarded the Order of Lenin and the third medal "Gold Star".

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated December 18, 1981 "for outstanding services to the Communist Party and the Soviet state in strengthening the economic and defense power of the Soviet Union, great personal contribution to achieving victory over the Nazi invaders during the Great Patriotic War, restoration and further development of the national economy of the USSR in the post-war period, tireless activity in the struggle for peace, for the fruitful leadership of communist construction and in connection with the 75th anniversary of his birth" was awarded the Order of Lenin and the fourth Gold Star medal.

L.I. Brezhnev L.I. was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 3rd-10th convocations (1950-1982).

L.I. Brezhnev died on November 10, 1982. He was buried in Moscow on Red Square near the Kremlin wall. There is a granite bust on the grave.

Military ranks:
brigade commissar (June 1941),
Colonel (12/15/1942),
Major General (11/2/1944),
Lieutenant General (08/04/1953),
Army General (03/22/1974),
Marshal of the Soviet Union (05/07/1976).

He was awarded eight Orders of Lenin, two Orders of the October Revolution, two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky 2nd degree, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, the Red Star, medals, and numerous foreign orders. Honorary citizen of the city of Dnepropetrovsk (1979).

On February 20, 1978, he was awarded the highest Soviet military order "Victory", but the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, by its Decree of September 21, 1989, canceled the 1978 Decree on awarding Brezhnev L.I. the Order of Victory, as contrary to the statute of this order.

Awarded the International Lenin Prize "For Strengthening Peace Between Nations" (1973), the Lenin Prize for Literature (1979).

Bronze bust of L.I. Brezhneva L.I. installed in the city of Dneprodzerzhinsk. On September 16, 2004, a monument to L.I. was unveiled in the hero city of Novorossiysk. Brezhnev. Monuments were also erected in Moscow and Vladimir. Name L.I. Brezhnev from 1982 to 1988 wore the city of Naberezhnye Chelny (Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic), areas in Moscow and Dneprodzerzhinsk. His name was given to the Oskol Electrometallurgical Plant, the Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant production association, the Novorossiysk Cement Plant, and the Volgodonsk Atommash Production Association. All titles were canceled in 1988. In Moscow, memorial plaques are installed on the house in which he lived, and in Kursk on the building in which he studied.

Essays:
Lenin's course: Speeches and articles. T. 1-9. M., 1973-1983;
Memories. M., 1983.

Full list of awards of L.I. Brezhnev.

State awards of the USSR:

4 medals “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Soviet Union (12/18/1966 - No. 11320, 12/18/1976 - No. 97/II, 12/19/1978 - No. 5/III, 12/18/1981 - No. 2/IV)
Medal "Hammer and Sickle" of the Hero of Socialist Labor (06/17/1961)
8 Orders of Lenin (2.12.1947 - No. 66231, 18.12.1956 - No. 281153, 17.06.1961 - No. 344996, 18.12.1966 - No. 382246, 2.10.1971 - No. 401096, 18.12.1976 - No. 425869, 12/19/1978 - No. 432408, 12/18/1981 - No. 458500)
Order of "Victory" (02/20/1978 - No. 20), award canceled by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR 09/21/1989
2 Orders of the October Revolution (03/14/1979 - No. 58256, 12/18/1980 - No. 87064)
2 Orders of the Red Banner (03/27/1942 - No. 23636, 05/29/1944 - No. 8148/2)
Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd degree (05/23/1945 - No. 1182)
Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (09/18/1943 - No. 11025)
Order of the Red Star (03/16/1943 - No. 102567)
Medal "For Military Merit"
Medal "For the Defense of Odessa"
Medal "For the Defense of the Caucasus"
Medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw"
Medal "For the Capture of Vienna"
Medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945"
Medal "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945"
medal "For the restoration of ferrous metallurgy enterprises of the south" medal "For the development of virgin lands"
medal "In memory of the 250th anniversary of Leningrad"
medal "In memory of the 1500th anniversary of Kyiv"
medal "40 years of the USSR Armed Forces"
medal "50 years of the USSR Armed Forces"
medal "60 years of the USSR Armed Forces"
medal "Twenty years of victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
medal "Thirty years of victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
Medal “For Valiant Labor. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of V.I. Lenin"
Lenin Prize Laureate Medal (04/20/1979)
Honorary weapon - a personalized saber with a gold image of the State Emblem of the USSR (12/18/1976)

Foreign awards:

Argentina Award:
Order of the May Revolution, 1st class (1974)
Award of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan:
Order of the Sun of Freedom (12/16/1981)
Awards of the People's Republic of Bulgaria:
3 Gold Stars of the Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (8.09.1973, 12.1976, 12.1981)
3 orders of Georgiy Dimitrov (8.09.1973, 12.1976, 12.1981)
medal "100 years of liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke" (1978)
medal "30 years of the Socialist Revolution in Bulgaria" (1974)
medal “90 years since the birth of G. Dimitrov” (1974)
medal "100 years since the birth of G. Dimitrov" (1982)
Awards of the Hungarian People's Republic:
2 Orders of the Banner of the Hungarian People's Republic with diamonds (12/17/1976, 12/18/1981)
Awards of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam:
Gold Medal of the Hero of Labor of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (12/21/1981)
Order of Ho Chi Minh, 1st class (12/21/1981)
Order of the Golden Star (07.1980)
Award of the Republic of Guinea:
Order of Independence (02.1961)
Awards of the German Democratic Republic:
3 Gold Stars of the Hero of the German Democratic Republic (12/13/1976, 12/18/1979, 12/18/1981)
3 Orders of Karl Marx (10.1974, 12.18.1979, 12.18.1981)
Big Star of the Order of Friendship of Peoples with diamonds (12/13/1976)
Medal "For Merit in Strengthening the GDR" (1979)
Indonesia Awards:
2 stars and insignia of the Order of the Star of Indonesia, 1st class (1961, 1976)
Award of the Democratic People's Republic of Yemen:
Order of the Revolution October 14 (09.1982)
Democratic People's Republic of Korea Award:
Order of the State Banner, 1st degree (08/19/1982)
Awards of the Republic of Cuba:
Gold Star of the Hero of Cuba (12/15/1981)
Order of José Martí (01/29/1974)
Order of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes (12/15/1981)
Order of Playa Giron (12/15/1976)
medal "20 years of the storming of the Moncada barracks" (1973)
medal "20 years of the Revolutionary Armed Forces" (1976)
Awards of the Lao People's Democratic Republic:
Gold Star of the Hero of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (12/15/1981)
Gold Medal of the Nation (12/15/1981)
Awards of the Mongolian People's Republic:
2 Gold Stars of the Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic (12/14/1976, 12/1981)
4 Orders of Sukhbaatar (1966, 1971, 12/14/1976, 12/1981)
medal "30 years of Victory at Khalkhin Gol" (1969)
medal "40 years of Victory at Khalkhin Gol" (1979)
medal "50 years of the Mongolian People's Revolution" (1971)
medal "50 years of the Mongolian People's Army" (1971)
medal "30 years of Victory over Japan" (1975)
Award of the Republic of Peru:
Order of the Sun of Peru, 1st class (06.1978)
Awards of the Polish People's Republic:
Grand Cross of the Order “Virtuti Militari” (07/21/1974, award canceled 07/10/1990)
Grand Cross of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland, 1st class (1976)
star and badge of the Order of Merit of the People's Republic of Poland, 1st class (12.1981)
Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 2nd class (1946)
medal "For the Oder, Neisse, Baltic" (1946)
medal "Victory and Freedom" (1946)
Awards of the Socialist Republic of Romania:
Order "Star of Romania" 1st class (11/24/1976)
Order "Victory of Socialism" (12.1981)
Finnish Award:
star and badge of the Order of the White Rose, 1st class (12/16/1976)
Awards of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic:
3 Gold Stars of the Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (5/5/1970, 10/29/1976, 12/16/1981)
4 orders of Klement Gottwald (05/5/1970, 10/29/1976, 05/1978, 12/16/1981)
Order of the White Lion "For Victory" 1st class (1946)
star and badge of the Order of the White Lion with chain (02.1973)
2 Military Crosses 1939 (1945, 1947)
medal "For bravery in front of the enemy" (1945)
War Commemorative Medal (1946)
Dukela Commemorative Medal (1960)
medal "20 years of the Slovak National Uprising" (1964)
medal "50 years of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia" (1971)
medal "30 years of the Slovak National Uprising" (1975)
Medal "For Strengthening Friendship in Arms" 1st class (1980)
Socialist Ethiopia Award:
Order of the Star of Honor (10.1980)
Awards of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia:
Order of the Star of Yugoslavia, 1st class (1962)
Order of Liberty with Diamonds (1976)

Awards from international and public organizations
medal of the laureate of the International Lenin Prize “For strengthening peace between nations” (06/12/1973)
Gold Peace Medal named after F. Joliot-Curie (11/14/1975, from the World Peace Council)
Medal of the State Prize named after K. Gottwald (03.1975)
UN Gold Peace Medal named after O. Gan (09.1977)
Gold medal named after Karl Marx (11/16/1977, from the USSR Academy of Sciences)
medal of the laureate of the G. Dimitrov Prize (11/23/1978)
Gold medal of the International Peace Prize “Golden Mercury” (10/13/1980)
badge “50 years in the CPSU” (from the CPSU Central Committee) (1981)
Gold medal of the World Federation of Trade Unions (02/15/1982)