Single page format, measures approx. 14.5 x 21 x cm (5½" x 8¼"), standard size for a Soviet "large" campaign medal certificate. The document is hand-signed by Captain 2nd cl. Dubrovskiy, Commander of the 1st Minesweeper Brigade, Black Sea Fleet, and has a round ink stamp of the unit.

The document is in good condition. It has been folded for storage as was customary and has developed the usual separations along the fold lines. It however remains sound and shows none of the usual repairs with a backing tape to the verso. There are some wrinkles but the document is otherwi

Single page format, measures approx. 14.5 x 21 x cm (5½" x 8¼"), standard size for a Soviet "large" campaign medal certificate. The document is hand-signed by Captain 2nd cl. Dubrovskiy, Commander of the 1st Minesweeper Brigade, Black Sea Fleet, and has a round ink stamp of the unit.

The document is in good condition. It has been folded for storage as was customary and has developed the usual separations along the fold lines. It however remains sound and shows none of the usual repairs with a backing tape to the verso. There are some wrinkles but the document is otherwise intact, free of significant wear to the edges or soiling. The written text and stamp are clear and completely legible

Based on available archival information, Ivan Senkevich was born in 1911 in Belorussia. He joined the Soviet armed forces in 1933 and in 1941-42, fought at Odessa and Sevastopol as commander of a minesweeper of the Black Sea Fleet. In December 1941, during the second unsuccessful German attempt to storm Sevastopol, Senkevich docked his minesweeper Mina ("Mine") in close proximity to the enemy and provided direct fire support to the Soviet ground troops. His courageous actions in this engagement helped to silence two enemy artillery batteries and repel the attack. In May 1942, Senkevich was temporarily acting as skipper of the minesweeper Yakor ("Anchor") which successfully escorted the tanker Moskva from Sevastopol to Batumi while repelling repeated attacks of German torpedo bombers. In the process, the minesweeper shot down one of the enemy planes and damaged another.

In January 1945, Senkevich was belatedly recommended for an Order of the Red Banner for his actions at Sevastopol and on 3 April 1945, the award was bestowed upon him by an order of the Commander of the Crimea Defense Zone, Black Sea Fleet. By that time, Senkevich had been seriously wounded in combat and lost his leg but uncharacteristically, remained on active duty in the military. He continued to serve with the Soviet navy until at least 1951 and received an Order of the Patriotic War, 1st cl. in 1946, a Medal for Combat Service in 1945 and an Order of the Red Star in 1951, the latter two obviously for the length of military service.

Research Materials: photocopy of the award commendation for the Order of the Red Banner and synopsis of military service and awards from the Russian archival website PodvigNaroda.ru
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