Kremlin stars, Five-pointed ruby-glass stars on the towers of the Moscow Kremlin, Russia

The Kremlin stars are five-pointed ruby-glass crowns on the spires of the Spasskaya, Nikolskaya, Borovitskaya, Troitskaya and Vodovzvodnaya towers of the Moscow Kremlin. Each star is framed by gilded copper edges and divided by raised gold lines into triangular panels that meet at a small central circle. Their span between points is 4.5 m on the Spasskaya and Nikolskaya towers, 4 m on the Troitskaya and 3.5 m on the Borovitskaya.

In 1935, the decision was made to remove the old eagles and replace them with these illuminated stars. The original versions made of precious stones were later swapped for lighter glass constructions to ensure stability.

The glowing red stars on the towers shape Moscow's nighttime skyline and are visible from many neighborhoods. Their design appears in souvenirs, artwork, and official representations across the city.

The stars are visible from different spots around Red Square and show up most clearly at night. A view from bridges along the river offers a good overview of several towers at once.

The first star, installed on the Spasskaya Tower on 25 October 1935, was decorated with a hammer and sickle made of semi-precious stones from the Ural mountains. The stones quickly lost their lustre and needed re-faceting, so in November 1937 the stars were replaced with ruby glass. The original Spasskaya star now stands at the Moscow North River Terminal.