On the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine fallen in the struggle for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the families of Ukraine’s Heroes and presented 16 Orders of the Golden Star and 22 certificates for apartments.
The President noted that today is a day when Ukraine pays special tribute to the memory of all fallen warriors.
“Since the beginning of this struggle, from the first operations in 2014 and in the current battles at the front, our state, our Ukrainian people can rely on the courage and dedication of many Ukrainians – truly heroic men and women who are carrying Ukrainian life on their shoulders and with their personal strength,” the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the Ukrainian state and people will stand firm in this war.
"So that our children and grandchildren, and their children and grandchildren, can live safely on their own land and according to their own rules, with the Ukrainian character that is so inspiring to the whole world today and that deserves to fully manifest itself in a truly peaceful and free life. And this will happen. And this will be the best and most worthy honoring of the memory of all Ukrainians whose lives were unfortunately cut short on the battlefield," he said.
Those present observed a minute of silence in memory of all the warriors who gave their lives for Ukraine.
The President presented the Orders of the Golden Star to the families of the fallen Heroes of Ukraine. The highest state honor was awarded to:
Soldier Viktor Kuchuk. In positions under full enemy fire control, where only water and radio batteries could be delivered by drones, he held the defense for 7 days: personally destroying 23 Russian occupiers and 2 armored vehicles. On July 18 last year, he led a group in an assault on enemy positions and suffered multiple injuries from artillery strikes. Viktor Kuchuk died but managed to order his group to clear the trench.
Sergeant Leonid Yanhol. During one of the battles in the Zaporizhzhia direction, he was wounded but continued to hold back the enemy's advance until reinforcements arrived. He covered the evacuation of the wounded, saving the lives of 13 brothers-in-arms and eliminating 9 occupiers. Leonid Yanhol was killed on July 23 last year during enemy artillery and tank shelling.
Senior Sergeant Yuriy Sikyrynskyi. He carried out combat missions in the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Donetsk regions. During an assault on June 14, 2023, he ordered his group to gain a foothold in enemy positions while he and another unit leader returned under fire to bring reinforcements. Yuriy Sikyrynskyi heard a shot from a self-propelled artillery unit and shielded his brother-in-arms, but both died in the explosion.
Senior Sergeant Oleksandr Kolodiazhnyi. A veteran since 2014, he defended Donetsk Airport and was part of the group that raised the national flag over the new terminal. He was wounded three times but returned to the front after treatment. In June 2019, during a reconnaissance mission, he was severely injured by an anti-personnel mine. Oleksandr Kolodiazhnyi was evacuated but died in the hospital.
Soldier Pavlo Dumanskyi. On November 20, 2022, he spotted a Russian tank entering the position his unit was defending and preparing to fire at the trench. With no time to warn others, Pavlo Dumanskyi decided to shield his brothers-in-arms with his body. He saved their lives but died from the shell explosion.
Colonel Serhiy Li. In the Zaporizhzhia direction, the commander of a combined unit seized an enemy stronghold and held it for two days, preventing the enemy's advance. The Russian invaders remotely mined the stronghold, but Colonel Li managed to lead his fighters out of the encirclement. Serhiy Li died on October 9 last year from a gunshot wound while retreating after mining the front edge of the battalion's defense area.
Senior Sailor Pavlo Malofeyenko. Near Avdiivka, he covered the retreat of the wounded with machine-gun fire until reinforcements arrived. He destroyed 7 Russian occupiers and held the position of the marines. On January 30, 2023, during one of the enemy assaults near Vodiane, Pavlo Malofeyenko was mortally wounded.
Junior Sergeant Serhiy Yarish. He was wounded but, under heavy fire, saved the life of his brother-in-arms and evacuated him and 3 other warriors from the battlefield. On August 9 last year, during shelling of marine positions, Serhiy Yarish sustained shrapnel injuries to his back. He and other warriors were trapped under the earth. The Junior Sergeant died from his wounds.
Senior Soldier Illia Dolmatov. In March 2022, he cleared a safe route through a minefield in the Kherson region, allowing a group of Ukrainian defenders to reach enemy positions and force the Russian occupiers to retreat. In the Donetsk direction, he provided aid to the wounded warriors and organized their evacuation. In September last year, Illia Dolmatov died while covering the retreat of his brothers-in-arms who had been ambushed.
Captain Eduard Sharan. The group he led stormed enemy positions in the Zaporizhzhia direction, clearing them and engaged in a second battle with the superior forces of the Russian occupiers, who began shelling. Eduard Sharan provided aid to the wounded, organized cover and evacuation, and continued to command his group. He evacuated one of the wounded on his back while continuing to fire at the enemy but sustained a fatal injury.
Staff Sergeant Mykola Bomko. On June 1 last year, he destroyed a T-72 tank along with the enemy unit commander. Despite being wounded, he helped his brothers-in-arms and evacuated them. He returned to take up a firing position and managed to disable another tank, but a shell from a different tank inflicted injuries to his torso and legs. He crawled to the tank and disabled it with a grenade but died from retaliatory fire.
Lieutenant Serhiy Hrytsenko. Commanding a mortar unit in the area of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region, he destroyed a T-72B tank, several "Tigr" armored vehicles, and a BTR-80. He led National Guardsmen in repelling enemy attempts to reclaim lost positions. On August 8 last year, during mortar shelling, Serhiy Hrytsenko ensured his subordinates were in a dugout before heading there himself, but he died from a mine explosion.
Major Anatoliy Loyuk. He repelled attacks in the Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions. On March 30, 2023, leading a "Stugna" anti-tank missile crew, he stormed an enemy position near Avdiivka, destroying an anti-tank missile complex and 8 occupiers, wounding 5 others. He continued to fight from his position but died from shrapnel wounds.
Major Ihor Puhach. He defended the Kharkiv region from the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion. Under his command, Guardsmen destroyed about 4 companies of Russian occupiers, 7 tanks, 13 armored personnel carriers, 22 vehicles, 4 MLRS, and 3 armored fighting vehicles. Personally, he eliminated about 100 Russian occupiers and 4 APCs. On June 28, 2022, a shell hit the shelter where Ihor Puhach was located, and he died from blast injuries.
Captain Denys Shevchenko. At a distance of 100 meters, he destroyed an enemy armored vehicle with a grenade launcher, killing the crew. In August last year, he defended the Serebrianske Forestry with his subordinates, halting the advance of "Storm-Z" troops. In battles in that area, he personally eliminated 11 Russian occupiers. Denys Shevchenko died on December 6, 2023, during artillery and mortar shelling of Guardsmen's positions near Yampil.
Captain Serhiy Kyrylenko. In February and March 2022, he participated in the defense of Mariupol. He saved the life of a wounded brother-in-arms, led a group of border guards out of complete encirclement, and evacuated two families from Mariupol. Last summer, he took part in the counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia direction. After breaking through the first defense line, Serhiy Kyrylenko was ambushed and injured. He managed to crawl out of the trench and warn his brothers-in-arms but died from critical blood loss.
The President also presented certificates for apartments to the families of 22 fallen Heroes of Ukraine. The documents were given to the relatives of 18 warriors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 3 National Guardsmen, and 1 border guard.