The document is similar in format to the ID of a Hero of the Soviet Union. Bound in nice quality maroon leather with gold inscription "Laureate of the Lenin Prize" on the front cover. The document contains a photo of the recipient on the left page showing him in full dress uniform of a three-star general with a number of decorations - including a Medal of Honored Military Pilot of the USSR. The same page also has the date when the document was filled-out, May 1988, and shows that it was issued by the Lenin Prize Committee for the Field of Science and Technology. The r

The document is similar in format to the ID of a Hero of the Soviet Union. Bound in nice quality maroon leather with gold inscription "Laureate of the Lenin Prize" on the front cover. The document contains a photo of the recipient on the left page showing him in full dress uniform of a three-star general with a number of decorations - including a Medal of Honored Military Pilot of the USSR. The same page also has the date when the document was filled-out, May 1988, and shows that it was issued by the Lenin Prize Committee for the Field of Science and Technology. The right page has the name of the recipient and specifies that the award was bestowed on 18 April 1988 by a decree of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and Council of Ministers of the USSR. Note that the serial number of the certificate 3725 is not supposed to match the number of the Lenin Prize medal that was issued with it.

The document is in excellent, near mint condition. The cover shows practically no wear, its leather binding is perfect, with attractive gloss. The gold impression on the cover in nice and bright. The internal pages are immaculately clean.

The recipient, Leonid Agurin, was a prominent Soviet test pilot and leader in aviation research. He fought in WW2 as a Il-4 twin-engine bomber pilot, and in the early post-war years rose to command a long-range bomber regiment. While having the leadership position, he was also a consummate flyer and was among the first to master the landing of the Tupolev Tu-16 strategic bomber (aka "Badge") on an ice airfield in the Arctic Ocean. In 1961, Agurin was promoted to command 79th Heavy Bomber Division stationed at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan, in close proximity to the main Soviet nuclear testing site. During the second half of the 60s, he graduated from the General Staff Academy and took command of the 8th Separate Bomber Air Corps.

His career took a downturn in 1975, when two of his planes collided on the ground leading to the detonation of their munitions and a total loss of four Tu-16 bombers and two Mig-23 fighters. General Agurin was fired from his position but stayed in the military, and during the same year was reassigned to the Chkalov Scientific Research Institute of the Air Force as its deputy chief. He excelled at this post and within just three years became the director of the institute. On his watch, the institute completed testing of the new Tu-160 strategic bomber ("Blackjack") which remains the backbone of the Russian strategic bomber force to this day. Agurin was also directly involved in development and testing of numerous other key weapon systems for the Soviet military aviation and rocket forces. In 1982, he was promoted to Colonel General - an extremely high position in the Soviet Air Force. He retired five years later and in another year, was awarded with the prestigious Lenin Prize - clearly a token of recognition of his high achievements while at the helm of the Chkalov Institute. Col. General Agurin passed away in 1993 at the age of 69. A street in the city of Akhtubinsk in southern Russia has been named in his honor (during his tenure as bomber commander, one of the major airdromes used by Agurin's pilots was located in this city.)
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