President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented Orders of the Golden Star to Heroes of Ukraine, handed the awards to the families of fallen Heroes, and honored Ukrainian servicemembers with other state decorations.
“Every one of our Ukrainian positions today is the defense of our entire state. Every Ukrainian hero is the defender not just of a particular frontline sector, not just of some Ukrainian city or village. They are defenders of Ukraine’s independence, our entire culture, our entire people,” the Head of State said.
The President stressed that Russia seeks to take everything from Ukraine, which is why Ukrainians must understand the importance of unity in defending the country and honor the heroism of its warriors.
“We are doing everything to make Ukraine stronger every day – this is exactly what is needed. For every Russian strike, there is our response – and it will become even more tangible. For each of our fallen heroes, we will take revenge. And we will force Russia into peace – without any doubt. The day will come when this war ends, and when we guarantee real security for all Ukrainian children and for all our generations,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
The memory of all fallen warriors was honored with a moment of silence.
The Head of State presented Orders of the Golden Star to the families of fallen defenders. The title Hero of Ukraine was awarded posthumously to:
Senior Soldier Hennadii Afanasiev. He defended Kyiv, took part in the defense of Irpin and Bucha, and fought in the Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions. On December 18, 2022, together with a group of seven servicemembers, he held the line in the Luhansk region under enemy mortar, artillery, and tank fire despite the enemy’s much larger forces. Hennadii Afanasiev was killed while stopping the enemy’s advance toward Bilohorivka.
Senior Lieutenant Oleksandr Bondarenko. In December last year, near Pokrovsk, he took part in the seizure of an enemy defensive line and coordinated the actions of assault groups. Later, he carried out combat missions in Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions, including planning assault operations to reclaim positions from the enemy. On April 26 this year, he personally led an assault group to the frontline position but was fatally wounded during a firefight.
Lieutenant Colonel Serhii Kandyba (NGU). During the defense of Mariupol and the hard fighting at Azovstal, he personally eliminated about 40 occupiers, destroyed vehicles, disabled an IFV, three APCs, and an enemy tank. Thanks to him, the lives of at least a squad of wounded defenders and several dozen civilians were saved. Serhii Kandyba was killed on May 2, 2022, as a result of a mine explosion while covering the maneuver of his unit in battle.
Volunteer fighter Taras Karpiuk. He carried out special combat and reconnaissance missions in temporarily occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. On December 24, 2022, as part of a reconnaissance group, he infiltrated the enemy’s rear and successfully completed the mission. But while returning, the Ukrainian warriors were ambushed. The reconnaissance group fought until their last round.
Staff Sergeant Ivan Kedyk. He carried out combat missions in the Donetsk region and took part in the operation in the Kursk region. On August 13 last year, as part of a reconnaissance group, he detected an enemy ambush, but the enemy fired an anti-tank guided missile at his vehicle. Ivan Kedyk was killed as a result, but managed to transmit the exact coordinates of the ambush and the direction of the enemy’s likely attack, enabling the command to reroute the battalion’s main forces and avoid heavy losses.
Senior Lieutenant Ruslan Luknytskyi. In April 2022, while assaulting enemy positions on the outskirts of Popasna, his platoon was ambushed by a significantly larger number of occupiers and their equipment. Ruslan Luknytskyi was killed on April 24, 2022, while covering the withdrawal of Ukrainian defenders, saving the lives of ten servicemembers under his command.
Soldier Mykola Postovoi. During fighting in the Kharkiv region, he was wounded but refused evacuation and continued repelling the enemy’s assault. Despite the enemy’s numerical advantage, the unit under his command repelled four assaults, eliminated nine occupiers, and wounded eight more. On November 23 last year, he evacuated a wounded brother-in-arms under the intense activity of Russian attack drones. Almost reaching the evacuation point and saving the warrior’s life, Mykola Postovoi was severely wounded by an explosive dropped from a drone and died in a hospital.
Sailor Oleh Khomytskyi. He fought in the Donetsk and Kherson regions. Using drones, he eliminated nearly 130 occupiers and wounded more than 120, destroyed 20 enemy shelters and Russian equipment. He identified enemy positions that enabled the destruction of over 90 Russian troops, an enemy mortar, an EW station, two MLRS units, an armored vehicle, and a drone crew support point. On July 18 this year, enemy drones struck the UAV company’s remote piloting position, fatally wounding him.
The President also personally presented the Golden Star of the Hero of Ukraine to the Commander of the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade, Colonel Oleksandr Dovhach. He completed more than 150 combat sorties, striking enemy command posts, weapons, military equipment, personnel, infrastructure facilities, and communications assets. He also covered strike and bomber aircraft, as well as shot down drones and cruise missiles. Oleksandr Dovhach took part in the liberation of Zmiinyi Island, Kyiv and Kharkiv regions, and the right-bank part of Kherson region. He repeatedly carried out combat missions under direct threat to his life. Only this year alone, around 20 Russian missile launches targeted his aircraft, but Oleksandr Dovhach always completed every mission assigned to him.
The Head of State also awarded the Cross of Military Merit to Junior Sergeant Yevhen Minzhener. He conducted aerial reconnaissance near Krynky from April to September 2024. He also adjusted artillery and mortar fire while under constant enemy artillery and drone strikes. His work led to the destruction of dozens of enemy shelters, strongholds, guns, mortars, and assault groups.
In addition, the Head of State awarded warriors with the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, I and III class, and the Orders “For Courage,” I–III class.
