President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented the Gold Star Orders to the Hero of Ukraine and the families of servicemen who were posthumously awarded this highest title. Additionally, continuing the initiative to provide housing for Heroes-defenders, the Head of State presented certificates for apartments.
The ceremony took place in the White Hall of Heroes of Ukraine at the Mariyinsky Palace in Kyiv.
"It is an exceptional honor to thank on behalf of our entire nation those Ukrainians whose bravery is extraordinary and whose names will live forever in the history of our independence. We are honoring the Heroes of Ukraine – soldiers and sailors, sergeants and officers who have shown themselves capable of feats whose significance impacts the life of the state, the morale of our warriors and the overall strength of Ukraine. These are people whose courage is inspiring. These are the warriors who behaved exemplarily in battles and who, without sparing themselves, showed absolute selflessness – absolute loyalty to the task of defending Ukraine and taking care of their brothers-in-arms. I am grateful to every Hero! I thank every family that has raised such Ukrainians – such true Heroes of Ukraine," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, addressing the audience.
At the request of the President, the participants of the ceremony observed a moment of silence in memory of all Ukrainian defenders who gave their lives for the sake of Ukraine.
"May Ukrainians' respect for the feat of our Heroes be eternal," the President said.
The Head of State handed over the Gold Star Order to the family of the fallen Hero of Ukraine, Captain Volodymyr Barchuk, who was the commander of a territorial defense rifle company. In June 2022, units under his command successfully repelled attacks by Russian subversive reconnaissance groups near Dementiivka in Kharkiv region. During the battle, the captain sustained several wounds and, being surrounded by enemy forces without the possibility of evacuation, was killed.
The President presented the Gold Star to the parents of the operator of the special forces group of the frogmen unit, Senior Seaman Roman Bukalo, who participated in the ATO in the east of Ukraine, in particular in the battles for Luhansk airport, and after the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion returned from Germany and joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Roman Bukalo was involved in an offensive operation in the Kherson direction. He died in December 2022 while carrying out a combat mission.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also handed over the Order to the family of Junior Sergeant Roman Vovchyk, who was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. In August 2022, during an artillery shelling in Kharkiv region, Roman Vovchyk provided first aid to a seriously wounded brother-in-arms and organized evacuation from the battlefield, saving his life. However, returning to his position, he himself suffered fatal shrapnel wounds.
The Gold Star was awarded by the President to the family of the Hero of Ukraine, helicopter squadron commander Captain Vladyslav Horban, who, from the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion, carried out sorties in Mykolaiv region and destroyed many enemy vehicles. He was killed during a combat mission in early March 2022.
The President also handed over the Order to the family of the fallen Soldier Yaroslav Oliynyk, who in June 2022 repelled an assault on Ukrainian positions in the Bakhmut district of Donetsk region. He was trying to pull a seriously wounded brother-in-arms out of the combat zone and was fatally wounded by an enemy sniper.
The Gold Star was handed over to the wife of the Chief Sergeant of the motorized infantry brigade Maksym Rymskyi, who performed combat missions in Mykolaiv, Kherson and Donetsk regions during the full-scale war. In December 2022, while evacuating a wounded brother-in-arms, Maksym Rymskyi came under enemy machine gun fire and was fatally wounded.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also presented the Order to the wife of the commander of an engineering-sapper company, Senior Lieutenant Oleksandr Tovstonoh. He was killed by an enemy shell in Donetsk region in October 2022 while clearing unexploded ordnance. Oleksandr managed to move the ordnance to a safe distance from the personnel and the bridge guarded by the company when one of them detonated.
In the ranks of the State Border Guard Service, border guard inspector Chief Sergeant Artem Popov, who participated in the battles for Kreminna and Zhytlivka in Luhansk region in 2022, was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. In January 2023, in the area of Bakhmut, Artem Popov, as part of a combined unit, took part in the assault on previously lost positions. The border guards managed to push the enemy back and inflict significant losses, but Artem Popov was killed in this battle. His wife received the order from the Head of State.
The President presented the Gold Star to the family of the commander of the special forces group, Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Orlov, who in March 2022 timely detected an enemy group at a checkpoint and was one of the first to engage in battle with the occupiers. The enemy subversive group was completely destroyed, but the Lieutenant Colonel suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
The Order was also handed over to the parents of the fallen Hero of Ukraine, mortar battery commander Captain Andriy Soroka of the National Guard, who was repeatedly distinguished by heroic actions and the destruction of enemy armored vehicles and soldiers. In August 2022, under heavy enemy fire near Maryinka, the Captain carried his severely wounded comrade off the battlefield and continued to hold the defense and fire. Last autumn, during the neutralization of an enemy subversive group, he saved the life of another comrade. In late October, Andriy Soroka's platoon stopped an enemy assault near Pavlivka. Under fire from the occupiers, the Captain pushed his comrade into a dugout and was killed by a mine explosion.
The President also personally presented the Gold Star Order to the Hero of Ukraine, Senior Sergeant Viktor Nasonov. In January 2023, he captured a wounded occupier. In February, near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Viktor Nasonov sustained a bullet wound to his leg in a battle with the enemy, but refused to be evacuated and continued fighting. In addition, under enemy fire, the Senior Sergeant assisted his wounded comrade-in-arms and, after evacuating him, returned to his position to repel the next enemy attack.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy continued to implement the initiative under which all Ukrainian defenders who have been awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, and family members of those who have been posthumously awarded this title, will be provided with housing by the state.
"We have established a new tradition in our country – to make Ukraine's gratitude to its Heroes quite specific and tangible. Every Hero of Ukraine will receive an apartment from the state. Without any bureaucracy. And this is the least the state can do now to make everyone feel that Ukrainian gratitude will not remain merely words. Families of soldiers and sailors. Families of sergeants and petty officers. Families of officers. Ukraine is grateful to you," the President said.
Certificates for apartments were handed over by the Head of State to the following AFU servicemen: Major Vladyslav Bandar, Junior Sergeant Andriy Holovko, Colonel Denys Dykyi, Captain Ihor Dykun, Lieutenant Colonel Artem Sharkov, Senior Sergeant of the National Guard Viktor Nasonov, and the mother of the fallen Hero of Ukraine Captain Andriy Soroka.
The event was attended by: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhny, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Shaptala, Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, First Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksandr Pavliuk, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko, Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Malyuk, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov, and Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Roman Mashovets.
