Cap of a Russian Federal State Civil Servant

Historical Significance

This is the cap of a general (or quivalent rank) of the Russian Federal Civil Service. These ranks are 1st, 2nd and 3rd Class Active State Councilor of the Russian Federation, with the 1st being equivalent to a General of the Army. The ranks are assigned by the President of Russia and held by top-tier administrative leaders, for example Deputy Ministers. 

Whilst other caps, such as the Army General's cap seen here, do not include maker's marks, this cap on the other hand does include a makers' mark, attributed to the Knyagininskaya Garment Factory, as seen in the Technical Gallery. The Knyagininskaya Garment Factory is a primary contractor for the Russian Federation's Ministry of Defence and other state agencies, and do so through state contracts. This cap is very similar to that of the Army General, with the same details, but remains unique for several distinct reasons. The first reason is the colouring, the cap is black rather than green, and many of the gold detailings on the polycephalus eagle (the Dvuglavyy Oryol (Double-headed Eagle)), the oak leaves and the sweeping laurel have been completed in silver. This has also been done with the buttons and the chinstrap. The same can be said of the cockade, however even the colours of the Ribbon of St. George are missing, replaced a blan . The reason this is the case is because, in Russian Heraldic Tradition, gold is reserved for the Military (as it is the Sword) and silver is the traditional metal for the Civil Service (as it is the Pen). This unique difference owes the wearer the respect of a General whilst marking them as a statesman rather than a soldier. 

It is likely that, within the Ministry of Defence, this cap was worn not by an active-duty military officer, but instead by a civilian (or in this case a civil servant). They may have served in several roles, such as in the Financial and Economic services or the Top Leadership Support (such as a Deputy Minister of Defence). The modern look of these caps is a result of uniform reforms which began in 2008 and were finalised in 2010 through Presidential Decree No. 293, which established the "officesnaya" uniform. Since this cap is dated 2018, it was produced in a time of significant military administrative expansion under Sergei Shoigu, the then Minister of Defence, which overhauled and modernised the MOD's infrastructure and logistics systems and militarised the appearance of the civil service. 

Select References & Further Reading:

• Presidential Decree No. 293 (11 March 2010)

• Presidential Decree No. 113 (1 February 2005)

• Federal Law No. 79-FZ "On State Civilian Service"

• Ministry of Defence. Order No. 529 (9 October 2020)

• Mollo, Boris. Uniforms of the Imperial Russian Army. Blandford.

• Galeotti, Mark. The Modern Russian Army 1992-2016. Osprey Publishing.

Header image: Chechnya, Russia. Photographer Unknown; December 11 1994. Image sourced via Public Domain.