Russia

Starshy praporshchik Ста́рший пра́порщик
Rank insignia for the army and air force
Country	Soviet Union (1981-1991) Russia
Service branch	Russian Ground Forces Russian Air Force Russian Police
Formation	12 January 1981
Next higher rank	Junior lieutenant
Next lower rank	Praporshchik
Equivalent ranks	Starshy michman

Soviet Army and Militia

In the Soviet Military, the ranks of starshy praporshchik and starshy michman were introduced in 1981, in an attempt to recreate a corps of contract non-commissioned officers similar to master sergeants and chief petty officers, the role that was previously reserved for senior drafted personnel. Contrary to Western practice of assigning the senior sergeant ranks to veteran soldiers, the Soviet ranks of starshina and sergeant were routinely assigned to 20-year-old soldiers at the end of their 2-year draft. The praporshchiks were aged volunteers and were expected to have more authority over draftsmen than similarly aged sergeants; they are placed in a separate category of "master non-commissioned officers" (praporshchik and michman).

**Shoulder boards USSR and Russian Federation (1971 − 1994):**
Everyday uniform
Mechanized infantry, shoulder board army (general) land forces (general)	Technical troops, engineers, armour, artillery, missile troops (including: MT ground forces SMT, Air defence MT), Vehicle transport troops, construction troops	Air Force Naval aviation Airborne forces	FSIN MES Russia Militia (until 2011) Police (from 2011)

Starshy praporshchik

Praporshchik ranks of the Russian armed forces from 1994

1994-2010	Ground Forces (Army)		Air Force		Airborne Troops		Field uniform

	Starshy praporshchik	Praporshchik	Starshy praporshchik	'Praporshchik	Starshy praporshchik	Praporshchik	Starshy praporshchik	Praporshchik
from 2010	Ground forces (Army)		Air Force		Airborne troops		Fields uniform
					N/A	N/A
	Starshy praporshchik	Praporshchik	Starshy praporshchik	Praporshchik	Starshy praporshchik	Praporshchik	Starshy praporshchik	Praporshchik