State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. From left: Russian TV presenter Sati Spivakova, President of the Moscow International Performing Arts Centre Vladimir Spivakov and Artistic Director of Theater of Satire Aleksandr Shirvindt before the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian composer Aleksandra Pakhmutova (center) before the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Ural Airlines aircraft captain Damir Yusupov (center) before the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. From left: Russian figure skating coach Elena Tchaikovskaia, Russian journalist Anatoly Tchaikovsky, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Issues of Family, Women and Children Oksana Pushkina and Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Irina Rodnina at the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Chairman of the Russian Mufties Council, Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of Russia Ravil Gainutdin before the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and President of the Russian Public Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Fund Natalia Solzhenitsyn (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Head of the Moscow Scientific Research Institute for Children's Emergency Surgery & Trauma Leonid Roshal (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Rector of Saint Petersburg State University Nikolai Kropachev (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Chairman of the Russian Mufties Council, Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of Russia Ravil Gainutdin (left), Russian President Vladimir Putin (center) and Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Dagestan Magomedali Magomedov (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and President of the Union of Architects of Russia Nikolay Shumakov (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Leader of the Russian Communist Party, member of the State Duma Committee on Issues of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Contacts with Fellow Countryman Gennady Zyuganov (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Artistic Director of Theater of Satire Aleksandr Shirvindt (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on international Affairs Irina Rodnina (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Chairman of the Federation of Independent Unions of Russia Mikhail Shmakov (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Member of the State Duma Committee on international Affairs Artur Chilingarov (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Shaykh al-Islam, Chief Mufti, Chairman of the Central Muslim Spiritual Board of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Chairman of the Federation of Independent Unions of Russia Mikhail Shmakov (second from right) and President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Aleksandr Shokhin (right) before the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. From right: Russian composer Aleksandra Pakhmutova, Head of the Moscow Art Academic Theater (Gorky MKhAT) Tatiana Doronina, Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Dagestan Magomedali Magomedov and Representative of the Belgorod Region administration in the Federation Council of Russia Nikolai Ryzhkov before the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Ural Airlines aircraft captain Damir Yusupov (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Representative of the Belgorod Region administration in the Federation Council of Russia Nikolai Ryzhkov (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Russian composer Aleksandra Pakhmutova (center) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Russian composer Aleksandra Pakhmutova (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Head of the Moscow Art Academic Theater (Gorky MKhAT) Tatiana Doronina (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and rector of the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute, actor Yevgeny Knyazev (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Ural Airlines aircraft captain Damir Yusupov (right), Head of the Moscow Art Academic Theater (Gorky MKhAT) Tatiana Doronina, Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Dagestan Magomedali Magomedov (left) before the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of Russia Ravil Gainutdin (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Head of the Moscow Art Academic Theater (Gorky MKhAT) Tatiana Doronina (right) during the ceremony.

State decorations awarding ceremony in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Russian composer Aleksandra Pakhmutova (right) during the ceremony.

The ceremony of presenting state awards in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in culture, medicine, sports and production. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and President of the Gorky Moscow Art Academic Theater Tatyana Doronina (right) during the ceremony.

Ceremony of presenting state awards in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in the fields of culture, medicine, sports, and production. Figure skating coach Elena Chaikovskaya after the ceremony.

Ceremony of presenting state awards in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented orders and medals for outstanding achievements in the fields of culture, medicine, sports, and production. Figure skating coach Elena Chaikovskaya after the ceremony.