The Pushkin Medal is awarded for the outstanding contribution to Russian language studies and teaching, the preservation of cultural heritage and the enriching and bringing together of different cultures.
With another decree, President Vladimir Putin conferred the Pushkin Medal on Leonid Lenz, a leading actor at the Mikhail Chekov Russian Theatre in Riga, Latvia, for his outstanding contribution to popularising Alexander Pushkin’s heritage and the Russian language and culture in Latvia.