The Estonian President's Chain of Office

The badge of office of the President of Estonia — the Collar of the Order of the National Coat of Arms — is the insignia worn by the head of state. The original has been in Russia's hands since 1940: it was seized during the Soviet occupation, taken to Moscow, and has never been returned to Estonia.

President Konstantin Päts (1934). His chain of office — the Collar of the Order of the National Coat of Arms — was taken to Moscow in 1940.

The state's highest insignia

The Order of the National Coat of Arms is Estonia's highest decoration, and its collar is the badge of office of the President of the Republic of Estonia. The chain was designed by the artist Paul Luhtein in 1936; the order was established by a decree of 7 October 1936, and President Konstantin Päts wore the chain from 1938.

It is a massive gold piece — 48 gold links weighing roughly 800–900 grams in all. Four of the links are set with one ruby (from South Africa), three sapphires (from Sri Lanka) and 94 diamonds. A gold state eagle hangs from the chain, and the insignia also includes a gold breast star (87 mm across).

The badge (gold state eagle), breast star and sash of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, at the exhibition of Estonian state decorations in the National Library of Estonia. The same gold eagle and star belong to the president's chain of office.

How the chain ended up in Moscow

President Päts wore the chain for the last time on 17 July 1940. After the Soviet occupation began, the occupation authorities arrested the president and took his possessions, the chain of office among them. It was carried off to Moscow and kept in the USSR Finance Ministry's precious-metals depository, where it was recorded as merely about 500 grams of gold. In 1963 the chain was moved to the Kremlin Armoury, where it remains to this day.

Russia has not returned it

Estonia has demanded the insignia back for over two decades, regarding the chain as unlawfully removed during the occupation. Russia has not returned it. A representative of the Kremlin Armoury has acknowledged that the chain might in future be put on display — not returned. Thus the Russian state, even after Estonia's restoration of independence, still physically holds the badge of office of the Estonian head of state.

A new chain in 2008

Because the original is in Russia, after the restoration of independence Estonia had no physical chain of office. For the Republic of Estonia's 90th anniversary in 2008 a new chain was made after the original — produced by three Estonian firms — and the president wears this copy as the insignia of office to this day.

See also: Communist crimes against Estonia's minorities · No one escaped the Soviet Union.

Sources: Riigivapi teenetemärgi kett — Vikipeedia; Order of the National Coat of Arms — Wikipedia; Kremli Relvapalat võib Pätsi keti näitusele panna — ERR; Moskva pole tagastanud Pätsi ametitunnust — Postimees; Riigivapi teenetemärk — president.ee.