The USSR Medal for Combat Service (Russian

Russian language

Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...

: Медаль "За боевые заслуги") was a Soviet military medal

Medal

A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...

 awarded for "combat

Combat

Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....

 action resulting in a military success", "courageous defense of the state border

Border

Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...

s", or "successful military and political training

Training

The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...

 and preparation".

It was created on October 17, 1938 by the decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Like the Medal for Valor

Medal for Valor

The Medal "For Courage" was the highest military medal that could be awarded to a soldier of the Soviet Union for bravery on the field of battle...

, its status was revised to prevent the medal from being given for years of service (a practice that was rampant in USSR) rather than actual bravery during a battle. More than 5,210,000 medals were awarded between 1938 and 1991.