The nine hunger strike participants, recipients of one of the country's most prestigious awards, began fasting July 6 to protest a bill that would effectively require Heroes and bearers of the Order of Glory to choose between a yearly benefit package and a monthly stipend of 25,000 rubles ($870).
Under the new law, recipients of Heroes of Russia and Order of Glory awards before Jan. 1, 2006, will be offered the choice, while all those decorated after that date will receive only the monthly stipend.
The protesters had hoped to open a dialogue with the government, focusing not on material compensation, but on their hero status. "This is not a question of money or benefits, but about our status as heroes," Valery Burkov, one of the strike organizers and chairman of the Heroes of the Fatherland organization, told reporters on July 13. "We want our contributions to be acknowledged with respect. For example, when the president passes by, heroes should be present. People will see this on television, and realize who we are."
Despite several meetings with government officials, the hunger strikers were unable to effect the changes in the law they had hoped for. "Currently, the ideas of those in power have prevailed -- that is, that what is needed is not a law about the status of heroes, but about the benefits and compensation due to them," Burkov said Sunday, Gazeta reported. "After the law came into effect, it was absolutely clear that continuing the hunger strike no longer corresponded with our goals."
The country's 944 Heroes of the Soviet Union and Russia and recipients of the Order of Glory received their awards for exceptional contributions to the country. Among the participants in the hunger strike were cosmonauts, aerospace life-support system testers and special forces veterans who fought in Chechnya.
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