On the Day of Ukraine’s Marine Corps, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the warriors and their families, presented the highest state awards, and handed over battle flags, ribbons of the honorary distinction “For Courage and Bravery,” and a ribbon bearing the honorary brigade name to unit commanders.
“Today, we congratulate one of our most effective fighting forces on their professional holiday. The Ukrainian Marines fight. They always fight wherever the situation is truly the hardest. Battles in the Donetsk region, especially the defense of the Pokrovsk direction, our Kursk operation, fighting in the south of Ukraine, the defense of Mariupol, and the defense of the Kherson region,” said the Head of State.
The President emphasized Ukraine’s pride in the 35th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Ostrogradskyi, the 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilinskyi, the 37th Separate Marine Brigade, the 38th Separate Marine Brigade named after Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi, and all units of the 30th Marine Corps.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 30 marines have already been awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, and hundreds more have received state awards specifically for their participation in combat operations.
The Head of State called on everyone to remember the price of Ukraine’s independence. Those in attendance observed a moment of silence to honor the fallen Ukrainian heroes.
The President recognized the marines with the highest state awards. In particular, he presented the Orders of the Golden Star to two Heroes of Ukraine, one of whom was awarded posthumously. They are:
Private Denys Kucherenko. He detected and destroyed enemy vehicles, personnel, and firing positions in the Kherson region. In May 2023, his reconnaissance group landed on the left bank of the Dnipro River, where they blew up a minefield and a group of Russian sappers deep in enemy territory. In summer, he ferried personnel and ammunition across the river by boat and evacuated the wounded. During one mission, he saved the life of a wounded brother-in-arms. Denys Kucherenko was killed on August 9, 2023, during the landing of a unit on the left bank of the Dnipro River.
Captain Yevhenii Shablo. He personally destroyed an enemy Ka-52 helicopter in the Zaporizhzhia region using a Javelin anti-tank missile system. In the Kherson region, he destroyed 2 IFVs, 4 vehicles, a tank, and over 20 occupiers. He repelled an enemy assault in the Vovchansk area. Since October of last year, he has been operating in the Kursk region. The Javelin crew under his command has been eliminating Russian positions, personnel, and equipment. In March of this year, he led the extraction of troops and weapons when marines risked encirclement near Sudzha.
Three marines received the “Cross of Military Merit” awards from the Head of State. The recipients were:
Major General Dmytro Deliatytskyi, commander of the 30th Marine Corps. In 2014, he remained loyal to his oath and led his unit out of temporarily occupied Crimea. In 2015, he oversaw the operation to liberate Shyrokyne and introduced the tactic of creeping advance. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he has commanded combat operations within the areas of responsibility of the Operational Tactical Groups “Donetsk,” “Kherson,” “Kharkiv,” and “Kursk.” Last year, units under his command destroyed or disabled dozens of tanks, AFVs, electronic warfare stations, hundreds of artillery systems, vehicles, boats, and eliminated thousands of occupiers.
Seaman Oleh David. In the fall of 2023, while setting up an ambush on one of the Dnipro islands, he engaged in an uneven battle with the occupiers. As a result, the enemy suffered losses and was forced to retreat. Last year, on the left bank of the Dnipro River, he mined key Russian objects and neutralized sabotage and reconnaissance groups. He repeatedly saved the lives of wounded brothers-in-arms.
Major Vladyslav Chupryna. In 2022, as commander of an air assault company, he thwarted an attempted enemy landing in the Odesa region. The units under his command broke through enemy defenses in the Kherson region. In 2023, he helped plan the offensive in the Staromaiorske direction and coordinated the Dnipro River crossing as part of the Operational Tactical Group “Kherson,” disrupting the enemy’s attempt to entrench near Krynky.
The President also honored defenders with the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, II and III class, “For Courage,” II and III class, and the Order of Princess Olga, III class.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy handed battle flags to the commanders of the 40th Separate Coastal Defense Brigade and the 67th Separate Gun Artillery Division of the 406th Separate Artillery Brigade.
The Head of State also presented honorary distinction ribbons “For Courage and Bravery” to the commanders of the 36th and 37th Separate Marine Brigades, and the ribbon bearing the honorary brigade name “Named after Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi” to the 38th Separate Marine Brigade.
