The epaulettes for the military personnel of the Navy were introduced a month later, on February 15.

In the Russian military, epaulettes first appeared on clothing under Peter the First. Since 1762, an attempt was made to introduce the epaulettes as the special marks of distinguishing the soldiers and officers.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the epaulettes in the army and navy were cancelled as a symbol of inequality by the decree of the CPC of the RSFSR.  The military ranks were cancelled as well. The military servicemen were differed only by the position. The stripes on the sleeves in the form of geometric shapes, which marks the position of the soldier, were implemented as the insignias during the Civil War.

The insignias on combat arms and insignias of the military commanders of the Red Army were established in January 1919. The first insignias of the Navy were introduced in September 1921.

The first insignias in the form of a five-pointed star on top of the wreath of laurel and oak branches, with the emblem in the form of a hammer and a plow in the center, were used by the Red Army on the left side of the chest and on the left buttonhole. In the Navy, the first insignias in the form of shoulder patches of red color with a red star in a gold edging were sewn on the left sleeve.

The new insignias for the military personnel of the Red Army, the epaulettes, were introduced in the USSR Armed Forces on January 6, 1943, during the Great Patriotic War.