The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Aleksy II awarded on October 15, 2004 the General Director and the Chairman of the Management Board of OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel Mikhail Prokhorov with the Order of the Saint Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, Second Class.

According to the Regulations on Awards of the Russian Orthodox Church this Order is one of the highest awards that is granted to “clergy as well as to non-clergy members who made significant contribution to spiritual renewal of Russia”.

This high award of the Russian Orthodox Church was previously granted to the Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Mr S.V. Lavrov, Heads of several subjects of the Russian Federation, Russian writer Mr A.I. Solzhenitsyn.