waton: Perhaps he wants to drive home the message: we are proud of, and have nothing personally against individual jw members, only fighting their teachings, organisation.
That is possible.
Who knows the full story? Are the Noviks even JWs? The jw-russia website has claimed them as their own. But maybe they used to be JWs and aren't anymore? And why would they accept an award from the man that Sanderson insinuates is the personification of the devil himself? And let that man, who opposes JWs so much, whose government's ban has resulted in "so much persecution!" of JWs in Russia, pin this medal on you?
Note the double headed eagle - the Imperial symbol of the Romanov family, the last monarchs of Russia. And the sun rays, signifying the divine nature of the State.
I don't know what has changed, but in my day as a JW, allowing a head of state that was responsible for banning Jehovah's special people, pin that to my chest would have been considered blasphemy. Wearing it would have meant the ultimate "Jehovah betrayal". As bad as, if not worse than, eating blood.