On Border Guard Day, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with servicemembers of the State Border Guard Service, congratulated them on their professional holiday, presented state awards, and bestowed upon SBGS units the ribbons of the honorary distinction “For Courage and Valor.”
The Head of State emphasized that border guards are holding the line of statehood along the border with Russia, defending Ukraine’s sovereignty, and, together with all components of the Security and Defense Forces, repelling enemy assaults on the frontline.
“Without the strength of our border guards, it is impossible to imagine the true strength of our state. I am grateful to you that Ukrainian border guards, all our border guard units, and the intelligence of our Border Guard Service are truly effective. We are proud of the formed combat brigades ‘Pomsta,’ ‘Forpost,’ ‘Steel Border,’ ‘Hart,’ and the mobile border detachment ‘DOZOR,’” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
The President thanked the border guard detachments serving in the Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa regions, as well as rapid response units, border aviation, and the Maritime Guard.
“We remember what such strength and such protection cost Ukraine. We remember that these are brutal battles every day. On the border of our state, in our border communities, on the frontline, in our Black Sea, and on the enemy’s territory, when we conduct our entirely just operations to bring the war back to the territory from which it came to our home,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The Head of State called on everyone to remember each warrior who gave their life for Ukraine. Those present honored the fallen defenders with a moment of silence.
The President presented the Order of the Golden Star to the family of fallen Hero of Ukraine Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Shirpal.
In 2014, Leonid Shirpal led a border guard unit near the village of Astakhove in the Luhansk region. During one of the attacks, he led his subordinates out from under fire, provided assistance to the wounded, and evacuated them. He obtained critical intelligence. In July, he initiated the creation of a composite unit to detect and eliminate terrorists, as well as engineering and mine barriers along Ukraine’s state border. During one of these operations on July 10, 2014, the infantry fighting vehicle carrying Leonid Shirpal hit a mine near the Dovzhanskyi checkpoint.
The Head of State awarded the Orders of the Golden Star to Heroes of Ukraine Chief Sergeant Vladyslav Zamura and Master Sergeant Oleksandr Olifirenko.
Vladyslav Zamura has been defending Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since 2024. As an operator of a heavy strike bomber drone Vampire, he has carried out nearly 2,700 combat sorties. As a result, more than 500 Russian occupiers have been eliminated and nearly 130 wounded. In October last year, the enemy attempted to advance more than 20 times in the Kostiantynivka direction. Under artillery cover, Russian forces sought to push back Ukrainian units. Vladyslav Zamura took command of six unmanned aerial system crews and coordinated their actions, enabling the timely detection and elimination of enemy assault groups.
Despite being wounded, Oleksandr Olifirenko led his troops to positions and planned evacuation routes for the wounded last year on the border of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In July, when the enemy attacked simultaneously from three directions with six battalions, he established new firing positions and observation posts. He led a group of border guards, organized ambushes and fire support for units, eliminated seven occupiers, and evacuated three severely wounded brothers-in-arms. In August, he conducted a special operation together with UAV crews to extract 20 Ukrainian warriors from a tactical encirclement.
The President also awarded two more border guards with the Cross of Military Merit. The recipients were:
Major Oleksandr Kravchenko. He reinforced the state border in the Rivne region and formed several mobile fire groups to protect infrastructure facilities. From May to September 2025, a border guard unit under his command, together with other units, repelled about 15 enemy assaults in eastern Ukraine and eliminated nearly 20 occupiers in small arms engagements.
Sergeant Stepan Cheypesh. Risking his life, he reconfigured fortifications and established additional evacuation routes after the enemy attempted to destroy positions and disrupt logistics of his unit in the Luhansk region. Together with his brothers-in-arms, Stepan Cheypesh repelled seven Russian assaults while being semi-encircled. In October last year, he evacuated two Ukrainian warriors with severe injuries caused by an enemy FPV drone strike on their position.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also awarded border guards with the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, II and III class, the Orders “For Courage,” II and III class, and the Orders of Princess Olga, III class.
The Head of State presented the ribbons of the honorary distinction “For Courage and Valor” to the 25th Border Guard Detachment, the 26th Separate Aviation Squadron, and the Bohdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
