Marshal of the Russian Federation (Russian: Маршал Российской Федерации, Marshal Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the highest military rank of Russia, created in 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It ranks immediately above General of the Army and Admiral of the Fleet (also called Fleet Admiral in some English-language texts), and is considered the successor to the Soviet-era rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union.
A Marshal of the Russian Federation outranks Generals of the Army (four stars), General Colonels (three stars), General Lieutenants (two stars) and General Majors (one star). It is roughly equivalent to General of the Army (United States) and Field Marshal.
The only officer to have held the rank is the former Minister of Defence Igor Sergeyev, who had been elevated from the General of the Army of the Strategic Rocket Forces.
The insignia for Marshal of the Russian Federation is similar to the one for the Marshal of the Soviet Union, with the Soviet crest replaced by the Russian one. An officer who is given this rank would also wear the Star of the Marshal.
Some U.S. military sources claim there is a corresponding naval rank, Admiral of the Fleet of the Russian Federation, but Russian regulations contradict this claim. This assumption is probably based on Soviet rank system, where a similar honorary rank did exist. The Russian navy uses both army and deck rank titles and any Russian Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral considered for further promotion would probably become a Marshal of the Russian Federation.
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