March 17, 2016. From right: Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces - First Deputy Defense Minister, Army General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Ivanov, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev at the Kremlin's St. George's Hall before a ceremony to present state awards to the officers and military-industrial sector experts for distinguished service during the counter-terrorism operation in Syria. The ceremony was led by
President Vladimir Putin.