On the occasion of the first anniversary of the liberation of Kherson from Russian invaders, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded state awards to Ukrainians who resisted the invaders, liberated the city from Russian occupiers, restored security and the rule of Ukrainian law, saved lives, treated the wounded and sick, volunteered and helped overcome the consequences of Russian aggression.
The Head of State signed the relevant Decree No. 747/2023 of November 10 this year.
The President presented state awards to ten doctors, employees of local government authorities, the city military administration, employees of public utilities, and volunteers who demonstrated steadfastness in the face of the occupiers and contributed to the liberation of Kherson.
Six employees of public utilities from other regions who distinguished themselves during the recovery efforts after the Russian terrorist attacks on the city were awarded.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also awarded more than a hundred servicemen of the Armed Forces, the Security Service, the National Guard, the National Police, the State Emergency Service and the State Border Guard Service who participated in the liberation of Kherson.
In particular, Ukrainian defenders were awarded the Presidential Cross of Military Merit, the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, I, II and III class, "For Courage", I, II and III class, Danylo Halytskyi, medals "For Military Service to Ukraine", "For Impeccable Service", III class, "To the Defender of the Homeland" and "For Saved Life".
Among those awarded posthumously are 15 servicemen of the 194th territorial defense battalion of the Kherson region. On March 1, 2022, while in combat positions near the Kherson Lyceum and in the Lilac Park in Kherson, they engaged in combat and temporarily stopped the advance of the invaders' convoys at the cost of their lives.
The Order of Princess Olga, III class, was awarded to Natalia Shatilova, acting head of the Dnipro District Organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society in Kherson, a volunteer who took an active part in public resistance to the Russian invaders during the occupation. Even after her detention and imprisonment, Natalia Shatilova continued to work, helping civilians who remained in the city and region.
Serhiy Melashych, chief specialist of the department of the Kherson City Military Administration, was awarded the Order of Merit, III class. He was engaged in the search, purchase and delivery of drones to the Kherson resistance movement. After the de-occupation of Kherson, Serhiy Melashych took an active part in saving people from the consequences of the Kakhovka HPP dam explosion.
Natalia Chornetska, head of the Korabelnyi District Council in Kherson, was awarded the Order of Princess Olga, III class. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, she organized a humanitarian headquarters in the council building. Up to 100 volunteers worked at the headquarters every day. Together with other residents of Kherson, Natalia Chornetska participated in protests on Svobody Square. After the de-occupation of the community, she returned to the city and took on a huge amount of work on humanitarian issues.
The Order "For Courage", III class was awarded to Serhiy Ivashchenko, head of the Antonivka district of the Kherson city territorial community. During the occupation of the Kherson city territorial community, he organized and independently provided humanitarian aid to residents despite the risk to his life. After the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP dam, he began to actively address the issue of evacuating residents from the flooded area of the district.
Ihor Lapin, head of the Inhulets district of the Daryivka village council of the Kherson district of the Kherson region, was awarded the Order "For Courage", III class. From the first days of the occupation, he defended the Kherson region in the ranks of the territorial defense forces and was seriously injured. On March 1, 2022, he took part in repelling armed aggression in a combat position. Thanks to the courageous actions of the territorial defense forces during an unequal battle, the movement of Russian troops was halted. Since December 2022, Ihor Lapin has been working in a local government and is in charge of the community's functioning.
Serhiy Orekhov, Deputy Head of the Kherson City Military Administration of the Kherson district of the Kherson region, was awarded the Order of Merit, III class. Under his direct supervision, from the first days of de-occupation, the community established round-the-clock maintenance and emergency repair of critical infrastructure facilities in the city, which was under constant enemy fire. Serhiy Orekhov assisted and was directly involved in the fortification of the defense lines.
The Order of Merit, III class, was awarded to Volodymyr Sahaidak, acting director of the Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation of Children, a municipal institution of the Kherson Regional Council. Together with the Service for the Protection of Children and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Ukraine, during the occupation, he managed to prevent 52 children from being deported and supported families with children in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson. Volodymyr Sahaidak organized the work of the institution's staff in such a way that every child was protected and received family-based care.
Vitaliy Khomukha, head of the surgical department of the Kherson City Clinical Hospital named after O. S. Luchansky, received the honorary title of Honored Doctor of Ukraine. He took an active part in providing emergency surgical care, treatment and rehabilitation of the AFU servicemen and civilians. Vitaliy Khomukha hid Ukrainian defenders during searches in the department. After the de-occupation of Kherson, he provided emergency surgical care to wounded soldiers and civilians suffering from mine-blast injuries.
The Head of State also awarded the Order of Merit, III class, to Serhiy Rybas, acting head of the surgical department for young children at the Kherson Children's Regional Clinical Hospital. The department where Rybas works treats children with mine-blast injuries and congenital malformations. During the war and occupation, the doctor performed operations on about 500 children, 30 of whom were injured as a result of hostilities. Together with volunteers, Serhiy Rybas helped the Armed Forces of Ukraine with medicines.
Volunteer Oleh Silvestrov was posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage", III class. He took an active part in gathering information and acted with the Armed Forces combat group behind enemy lines. On August 29, 2022, a special forces unit of the Russian Federal Security Service arrived at the group's base and tried to destroy it. Oleh Silvestrov was the first to encounter the enemy, engaged in combat, and at the cost of his own life, ensured the withdrawal of the main combat group of the Ukrainian military along the planned route.
Hennadiy Ponomarenko, Deputy Director of the Department - Head of the Housing Policy Directorate of the Department of Infrastructure, Housing and Utilities Policy of Ivano-Frankivsk City Council, was awarded the Medal "For Labor and Valor". Since July 14, 2023, he has been leading a team of Ivano-Frankivsk utility workers operating in Kherson and clearing the city's streets of silt and household waste.
Mykola Huryev, Deputy Director of KALUSHAVTODOR of the Kalush City Council, was awarded the Medal "For Labor and Valor". Since June 27, 2023, he has been leading a team of utility workers from Kalush, who have been clearing the territory of the Kalynivka territorial community in the Kherson region from silt and household waste.
The honorary title "Honored Builder of Ukraine" was awarded to Viktor Velychko, Deputy Head of the Department - Head of the Technical Supervision Directorate of the Capital Construction Division of the Department of Construction and Architecture of the Rivne Regional State Administration, who participated in the restoration of the residential sector in the Kochubeivka territorial community of the Kherson region.
Volodymyr Klymchuk, head of the fire department of the Vyshnivets village council in Ternopil region, was awarded the Medal "For Labor and Valor". He organized the work of the brigade and participated in the liquidation of the flooding caused by the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP dam in June 2023.
Maksym Hlushchenko, director of the Smila utility company "Komunalnyk" in the Cherkasy region, was awarded the medal "For Labor and Valor". He is actively involved in helping the regions affected by military aggression, including Kherson.
Vasyl Shuliak, a driver of PBS Limited Liability Company from the Zakarpattia region, was awarded the medal "For Labor and Valor" for performing tasks to eliminate the consequences of the emergency in Kherson caused by the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP dam as part of utility crews and other services.