Measures approx 7 ½" x 11 ½"; very unusual and colorful artwork shows portraits of Stalin and Lenin, a healthy looking man in a formal suit holding the red banner and poster "82 Days Ahead of Plan!", and a railway train speeding through the forest. One cannot help but notice that the cars pulled by the steam locomotive are none other than the teplushki used for transporting GULAG prisoners.

There is a slogan near the top "Death to German Invaders!" and under it, Stalin's quote stating that the Patriotic War has shown how Soviet people can perform miracles and win in most difficult situations (this sounds particularly cynical on a GULAG document).

The citation states that Koganov awarded with this NKVD certificate for completing 82 days ahead of schedule the laying of the Western arm of main track off the Construction Project #500. The code name of refers to the construction of the Baikal-Amur Railroad which started in the early 30s, was abandoned during the initial period of the war and re-started in 1943. Even though the railroad was late declared a Komsomol "Shock" construction project, the lion share of work was always done by prison labor; it was largely completed to great fanfare only during the Brezhnev era.

Hand-signed at the bottom by Director of the Nizhniy Amur Camp State Security Commissar (General) Petrenko, Deputy Director of the Construction Project #500 State Security Captain Tarasov and the Chairman of the Trade Union Committee Alekseev.

The document is in excellent condition: has only a single horizontal fold, no other wear, stains or damage to the margins.