President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the events on the occasion of the Day of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and presented high state awards, honorary insignia and battle flags to military units.
"Today we are celebrating an important day for our beloved Ukraine - the professional day of the forces whose main task is to save lives. And the servicemen of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine honorably fulfill this important task, achieve the powerful results our state needs and gain real glory for each and every one of us, for the whole of Ukraine," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, addressing the servicemen of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the President, during the full-scale war, Ukrainian pilots have carried out more than 14 thousand combat missions, the Air Force has shot down more than 3.5 thousand aircraft, helicopters and missiles of the occupiers and more than 2 thousand enemy attack drones.
"I thank all of you, Ukrainian warriors, for every downed Russian missile and every destroyed enemy drone," the Head of State said.
Separately, the President noted the important success of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in destroying Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, with which Russia has long tried to intimidate not only Ukraine, but also Europe and the whole world.
"This cult has been debunked forever. Our warriors have clearly proved that if the defenders of life have the Cossack character, our domestic air defense systems, and the air defense systems of our partners, then the terrorists do not stand a chance. No "Kinzhal" will help Moscow," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The Head of State said that Ukraine is working every day to create a reliable sky shield for our country, which can become the basis of a sky shield for the whole of Europe.
"And it is only a matter of time before we have F-16s in the Ukrainian skies, which will add even more power to our defense. The Ukrainian Air Force has already become the most powerful in all the years of its existence, and it will become even more powerful," he added.
At the same time, as the President emphasized, any equipment is worth something only in the hands of brave, worthy and professional warriors, such as the Air Force servicemen. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, since the beginning of the Russian aggression, 42 defenders of Ukrainian skies have been awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, 26 of them posthumously. State awards have been presented to 3198 servicemen of the Air Force, posthumously to 280 of them.
The attendees observed a minute of silence in memory of the Air Force servicemen who gave their lives for Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed gratitude to everyone in the world who helps protect Ukrainian skies and people's lives.
“When we talk about our Air Force, we talk about lifesavers. When we congratulate the Air Force on their professional holiday, we thank them for the thousands of lives saved in cities and villages, in every corner of independent Ukraine. Ukraine can fight and live because of our warriors who are clearing our skies of Russian evil. And the time will come when there will be no place in the Ukrainian skies for any Russian fighter jet, any Russian missile or any occupier's drone,” the President is convinced.
The President presented state awards to the Air Force servicemen.
In particular, he handed over the "Gold Star" Orders to the relatives of Colonel Mykhailo Matiushenko and Major Yuriy Krasylnikov. The pilots were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. On June 26, 2022, their crew, as the most experienced, performed a dangerous mission to destroy the enemy's Pantsir anti-aircraft missile system on Zmiinyi Island despite difficult conditions and shelling. The military coped with the task, but their aircraft was hit by enemy air defense systems and crashed in the Black Sea near Zmiinyi.
The Head of State also presented the "Gold Star" of the Hero of Ukraine to Chief of Staff - Deputy Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Vyacheslav Shamko. Since the beginning of Russia's armed aggression, he has been directly involved in the organization of air defense, in particular in the cities of Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, Dnipro, etc. Vyacheslav Shamko constantly organizes and supervises the use of air defense forces and means, as well as measures to find the best ways to improve the effectiveness of the state's air defense. Thanks to the skillful command of the Lieutenant General, the subordinate units of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed more than 3 thousand enemy air targets.
Lieutenant Colonel Rostyslav Lazarenko, who has performed more than 360 combat missions since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, also received the highest state award from the President. He personally destroyed more than 100 pieces of enemy equipment (tanks, armored vehicles, motor vehicles, fuel and lubricant tanks). The group under his personal leadership performed more than 2.7 thousand combat missions with minimal losses of personnel.
In addition, the President awarded the servicemen of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi of the I, II and III degrees, the Orders "For Courage" of the II and III degrees, the Order of Danylo Halytskyi, medals "For Military Service to Ukraine" and "For Impeccable Service" of the III degree.
In order to recognize the combat merits, courage and bravery of the personnel of the military units, Volodymyr Zelenskyy also presented the Presidential Insignia "For Courage and Bravery" to the 204th Sevastopol tactical aviation brigade of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 540th Ivan Vyhovskyi Lviv anti-aircraft missile regiment of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Honorary names were also awarded: "Pivdenobuzka" - to the 19th separate brigade of radio and radio-technical intelligence of the special purpose of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, "Nikopol" - to the 301st anti-aircraft missile regiment of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, "named after Colonel Ruslan Tiukh" - to the 34th separate aviation squadron of unmanned aerial vehicles of the 383rd separate brigade of unmanned aerial vehicles of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
