MOSCOW, June 12 (RIA Novosti) - President...

In a lavish Kremlin ceremony, the star of the show was Valentina Tereshkova, who became the first woman in space in 1963, but there were also medals for Yevgeny Kaspersky of the eponymous anti-virus software, and the three creators of the Smeshariki children"s animated series.

Tereshkova dedicated her award to the people who worked to put her in space, and employees of public organizations.

"This work may not seem appreciated, but I am glad that worldwide, in every country, we have a lot of friends who are interested in [Russia"s] science and culture," she said.

Kaspersky expressed the hope that his award would be a signal to all the other computer companies that there would be recognition for their hard work.

He said Russia had talented engineers, whose efforts were necessary for the country"s success in the world, but called for more to be done to preserve and improve the national education system.

"It is possible that this will be 10 to 15 years

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