President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the farewell ceremony for CEO of Pivdenne Design Office Oleksandr Degtyarev.
The ceremony took place at the Palace of Culture of Machine Builders in Dnipro.
The Head of State laid flowers at the coffin of the deceased and talked to Oleksandr Degtyarev's relatives, expressing his condolences.
The President stressed that the death of Oleksandr Degtyarev is a great loss for the rocket and space industry of Ukraine and the whole world.
"He was a great Ukrainian designer, an outstanding scientist. He did a lot. He has been the director of Pivdenne Design Office for many years in a row, beginning as an engineer. My condolences to the family and friends," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The Head of State initiated the posthumous awarding of the title of Hero of Ukraine to Oleksandr Degtyarev.
"I think that this man deserves to be a Hero of Ukraine, because he is a patriot who glorified Ukraine all over the world," the President said.
He noted that the achievements of people like Oleksandr Degtyarev remains in the history of the state.
"The main thing today is not to forget and support the company. I promise that this will definitely be done," Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured.
The Head of State also stressed the importance of developing Ukraine's space industry. He noted that too little attention had been paid to this area in recent years.
"I think we have a great chance, because the mind is still there, and knowledge was passed on to young students. Therefore, we will definitely develop the industry, the country must build rockets, build and launch its satellites," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
