Russian Lawmaker Blasts UK’s Denial of Convoy Medals

A senior Russian lawmaker blasted on Sunday the UK’s refusal to allow British World War II Arctic convoy veterans to be decorated with Russia's Ushakov medals. “The Government of Great Britain has prohibited its World War II veterans to receive medals for courage from Russia. This is a strange and unworthy decision,” State Duma international affairs committee head Alexei Pushkov wrote in his Twitter account. The Ushakov medal is a Russian state decoration first awarded by the USSR in 1944. The Ushakov medals were given to a group of veterans from several nations, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, in accordance with a presidential decree published in May 2012. Britain's wartime leader Winston Churchill called the Arctic Convoy routes "the worst journey in the world." Around 3,000 servicemen died while protecting the convoys.

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20130120/178902243/Senior-Russian-Lawmaker-Blasts-UKs-Denial-of-Convoy-Medals.html