The document measures 14.5 x 20.9 cm (approx. 5½ " x 8¼ "). Shows an ink stamp of the 44th Separate Special Purpose (Spetsnaz) Engineering Brigade and hand-signed by the Brigade Commander, Colonel Nefedyev. Note the relatively early date of issue: most Soviet WW2 campaign medal documents of this kind were issued later in the war, in 1944-45.

The certificate is in very good condition. It has been folded in eight for storage as was customary and has developed separations along the folds at the edges that have been repaired with backing tape applied to verso. The edges are perfect, without tears, clips or "dog-ears". The document is immaculately clean, showing only the normal age toning and completely free of the usual soiling, stains or fingerprints. The artwork and printed text are perfect; the stamp and hand-written entries are clear and perfectly legible.

According to the information found on the Russian archival websites, Pavel Zharikov, the recipient of the certificate, was born in 1900 to an ethnic Russian family in Warsaw, the capital of Poland which was then a part of the Russian Empire. He fought in the Russian Civil War on the side of the Bolsheviks, took part in the Polish Campaign in 1920, and remained on active duty in the Red Army until 1937. In the pre-war period, he lived in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, where he reenlisted in the Red Army in May 1945 exactly one month before the Soviet invasion of the Soviet Union. He was at the front from the first days of the war and took part in the Battle of Stalingrad.

In August 1943, he was put in charge of 3rd Department of the staff of the 44th Special Purpose Engineering Brigade, 3rd Ukrainian Front. Initially created in early 1942 with the specific purpose of conducting sabotage operations in the enemy rear, his unit specialized in setting up remotely controlled explosive devices, laying minefields, installing wire entanglements and building fortifications. Zharikov excelled as a staff officer of the brigade and was therefore awarded with the Order of the Red Star in April 1944. In the last months of the war, he took part in the siege of Budapest, was awarded with an Order of the Red Banner in November 1944 for the length of service, and received another Order of the Red Star in July 1945.

Research Materials: photocopy of Major Zharikov's award commendation for the 1944 Order of the Red Star from the Russian Military Archives.