Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak met with Chief of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Serhii Deineko and Chief of the 15th Mobile Border Guard Detachment "Steel Border," Colonel Valerii Padytel.
Andriy Yermak congratulated Serhii Deineko and Valerii Padytel on the recent anniversary of the establishment of the Guard Brigade "Steel Border."
The participants discussed issues related to further technical equipment of the brigade to strengthen it and increase the efficiency of task performance.
"Over almost 10 years of war, border guards have demonstrated that they are an example of bravery and resilience. It was the fighters of the State Border Guard Service who were among the first to engage in combat during the full-scale invasion, heroically holding back significantly superior enemy forces. It is very important for the President and our team that each military brigade has maximum support for effective task execution, including the border guard brigade. So today, I want to take a closer look at the needs of the 'Steel Border' brigade, which I oversee, to expedite their provision as quickly as possible," said the head of the President's Office.
Serhii Deineko described the "Steel Border" brigade as one of the most successful, as over the nine months of performing combat tasks, its units have not lost any positions, the fighters work together smoothly, have high morale, and are motivated to defend the country and fight the occupiers.
"All of this is thanks to the system of working with people and the respect shown to them. We see every soldier, sergeant, officer," said the chief of the State Border Guard Service.
Commander of the "Steel Border" Valerii Padytel told Andriy Yermak that the brigade's soldiers are currently performing tasks to defend the state border and on the front line. According to him, the brigade's warriors are highly motivated.
Separately, Serhii Deineko and Valerii Padytel thanked Andriy Yermak and all those involved on the state side for their assistance in returning border guards from captivity, including Captain 1st rank, Commander of the Mariupol detachment of the State Border Guard Service Maritime Security Petro Melnyk. The soldiers of this unit, together with border guards from the Donetsk detachment, led by Valerii Padytel at that time, and other Ukrainian defenders, defended Mariupol. During the previous POW exchange, 26 border guards were released from Russian captivity.