This section covers some of the many service and unit patches that are worn by members of the para-military forces of the Soviet Union.  This will cover the KGB and its affiliated agencies such as the border guards, as well as the Interior army and Militsia patches  The selection of patches, stripes, and chevrons we have to view are listed below.

• Branch of Service Patches
• Officer Cadet Stripes
• Late Soviet Militsia Patch

Back to Badges, Patches, and Awards
of the Soviet Superpower

Officer Cadet Stripes

The KGB patches were established by Order of the Chairman of the State Security Council on 24 November 1969 (1). This order decreed that all students of military schools would wear stripes to denote how many years of study they had completed.  These stripes were sewn on the left sleeve of the tunic and greatcoat one centimeter below the branch of service insignia.

All army stripes were thermally molded plastic on colored felt.  KGB stripes are on dark blue felt, Border Guard stripes are on green felt, and MVD stripes are on maroon felt.  Unofficially men called these stripes 'kursovki'.  We do not currently have KGB stripes in our collection.

Here is a patch of the militsia (police) of the late Soviet period.  These units fell under the MVD, but were often the law enforcement that citizens would most often see in their day to day lives.