06-25-2002, 10:03 AM
For political reasons at the very least, he would never wear his USSR/post-USSR awards on his civilian clothes. For most Russians, doing so would recall the very negative images of Brezhnev's self-aggrandizement while he was General-Secretary. Currently, you see veterans wearing their awards rarely, usually only on Victory Day. It is much more common, however, to see them wearing their ribbon bars everyday on their jackets. WWII veterans still get some benefits from the State--i.e. free trolleybus travel so there are economic reasons for them to still wear their awards.
