On March 14, the Day of the Ukrainian Volunteer Fighter, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented Ukrainian servicemen with state awards, including the "Golden Star" Order of the Hero of Ukraine.
Awarding of Ukrainian volunteers
The President thanked every Ukrainian soldier, commander who fought for Ukraine, and everyone who worked for a joint Ukrainian victory.
Those present honoured the memory of all Ukrainian heroes of different times who gave their lives for Ukraine with a moment of silence.
Zelenskyy presented the Golden Star order:
Hero of Ukraine, junior lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Vitaliy Sukach, who voluntarily joined the Armed Forces in 2014.
To the family of the fallen Hero of Ukraine, junior sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Vasyl Polishchuk, who defended Ukraine since 2014 and performed combat missions in the east of the country.
In August 2022, during the enemy's offensive in the Kharkiv Region, he led subordinate personnel out of the fire, but suffered a life-threatening injury.
To the family of Chief Sergeant Vadym Zhukov, a soldier of the National Guard of Ukraine, who was posthumously awarded the title of the Hero of Ukraine.
He has been defending the country since 2014, and since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, he has been performing combat missions in Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, repeatedly distinguished himself with accurate shots from a grenade launcher.
Of the family of the fallen Hero of Ukraine, junior lieutenant Pavlo Trukhan, who, in February 2022, voluntarily joined the ranks of the defenders of the Motherland.
The commander of the machine gun platoon performed tasks in the east of the country. In April 2023, during an enemy assault on positions and shelling from mortars, a soldier was evacuating his comrades and was injured, incompatible with life.
The head of state awarded Oleksandr Slyusaryi, a senior lieutenant of the National Guard, the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky of the II degree.
Senior Lieutenant Vladyslav Roik and Major Dmytro Tarasenko from the Armed Forces of Ukraine and National Guard Captain Oleksandr Malyarenko were awarded the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky III degree.
The President also presented the service members with the Orders of Courage III degree and Danylo Halytskyi.
Day of the Ukrainian volunteer
Ukrainian Volunteer Fighter Day is celebrated in Ukraine on March 14.
On this day in 2014, the first 500 volunteer fighters of Maidan Self-Defense arrived at the Novi Petrivtsi training ground to form the first volunteer battalion. This battalion was later formed into the 1st Battalion of Special Purposes of the National Guard of Ukraine, named after General Kulchytskyi.
The day was established on January 17, 2017, by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
