President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented state awards to the Heroes of Ukraine and handed the Orders of the Golden Star to the families of fallen warriors.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that since the start of the full-scale war, over 110,000 Ukrainian men and women from across the Defense and Security Forces had been awarded state decorations.
“Our task is to never lose everything we’ve already achieved. Our task is to solidify the strength of the Ukrainian people and to multiply it. And also – to preserve the memory of all that our people have done to defend Ukraine, of every heroic deed, of every operation by our forces that has, in many ways, changed the course of military history around the world. Today, the world will learn from Ukrainians how to defend their home. From people like you, your loved ones, and all our heroic warriors,” said the President.
Those present observed a moment of silence to honor the memory of all heroes, past and present, who gave their lives for Ukraine.
The Head of State awarded the Order of the Golden Star to the families of the fallen warriors. The following Heroes of Ukraine were awarded this title posthumously:
Captain Ivan Vakhovskyi. In February and March 2022, he completed 12 combat sorties, including evacuating 19 wounded from Mariupol. On March 31, as part of a group of Ukrainian helicopters, he flew a combat mission to the besieged Azovstal plant. On the return flight, the group came under enemy fire. The crew, which included Ivan Vakhovskyi, drew enemy fire upon themselves, allowing three other helicopters to escape, at the cost of their own lives.
Senior Soldier Oleksandr Kandaurov. In the Kyiv region, he led a group defending the Velyka Dymerka – Zherdova – Hoholiv road and destroyed a column of Russian vehicles. In the Kharkiv region, he eliminated enemy infantry with precise fire and took command of a unit. In the Luhansk region, he captured enemy positions and stopped a sabotage and reconnaissance group. In the Donetsk region, during an assault by Russian occupiers, he destroyed a tank and an IFV with a grenade launcher. Oleksandr Kandaurov was killed on September 25, 2022, during a heavy artillery and tank shelling.
Junior Lieutenant Vasyl Kovylin (NGU). On May 7 last year, while on combat duty, he spotted an enemy group and engaged in combat with them. Under heavy fire, he assisted and evacuated wounded Ukrainian soldiers. He continued to fight after that and repelled the assault, but a subsequent shelling struck his position.
Lieutenant Colonel Vasyl Kopan (NGU). Participated in planning offensive operations in the Luhansk region, which resulted in the liberation of 5.03 sq. km of Ukrainian territory, the elimination or wounding of about 650 occupiers, 17 taken prisoner, and destruction of military equipment. On September 7 last year, Vasyl Kopan, together with his brothers-in-arms, engaged in combat with the enemy in the settlement of New York. As a result of shelling, he sustained a fatal injury.
Soldier Yaroslav Martsinovskyi. In August 2023, as part of an assault company, he was clearing enemy trenches near Robotyne. During the movement of the assault group, an enemy grenade landed nearby. As Yaroslav Martsinovskyi attempted to throw it away, it detonated. He shielded his brothers-in-arms from most of the shrapnel with his body but was killed instantly by the blast.
Colonel Oleksii Mes. As a squadron commander, he completed over 70 combat sorties to destroy air targets, air defense systems, weapons, and Russian aviation and military equipment. He mastered the F-16 quickly and flew 32 combat sorties with it. Oleksii Mes was killed on August 26 last year while repelling a massive Russian attack, at the controls of his F-16. During his final combat sortie, he destroyed two cruise missiles and a strike UAV.
Junior Sergeant Serhii Myroniuk. In the Donetsk region, he commanded an assault squad, repelling up to 10 enemy assaults daily and organizing counterattacks. During one such assault, he was wounded and concussed but continued fighting for hours. On July 24, 2023, during a trench-clearing operation, his group was ambushed. He died covering a brother-in-arms.
Junior Sergeant Pavlo Petrychenko. A civic activist before the full-scale invasion. In March 2022, he was volunteering, and in April he joined the Armed Forces. He defended Ukraine as part of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade: he carried out reconnaissance flights, identified concentrations of enemy equipment and personnel, and coordinated the work of artillery and strike drones. Pavlo Petrychenko was killed on April 15 last year near Krasnohorivka as a result of a munition dropped from an enemy drone.
Senior Soldier Anatolii Tehza. In 2023, he commanded a special forces group in the Bakhmut sector. He carried out fire adjustment tasks, assault operations, medical evacuations, and object mining. At least 247 enemy troops were eliminated, along with observation posts, firing positions, and ammunition depots. On July 14, 2023, his group was providing fire support to a motorized infantry brigade and engaged in combat, during which Anatolii Tehza was killed by a shell explosion while covering the group's withdrawal.
Sergeant Volodymyr Todor. In 2022, he led an air assault platoon in the Donetsk region near Soledar and Klishchiivka. He personally destroyed enemy personnel and equipment and evacuated the wounded under fire. In January 2023, in the Luhansk region, his unit captured an enemy stronghold, eliminating 19 invaders. Volodymyr Todor personally held off the enemy counterattack, destroying four occupiers and an IFV, but went missing in action during the battle.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also honored the warriors who were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. The “Golden Star” was awarded to the following:
Lieutenant General Vasyl Maliuk (Security Service of Ukraine). Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Security Service of Ukraine warriors, led by Vasyl Maliuk, have struck over 1,700 Russian tanks, more than 3,000 armored vehicles, nearly 250 air defense systems, and over 550 electronic warfare systems. The Security Service has carried out critical special operations: the detonation of the Crimean Bridge, strikes on 11 Russian warships, the capture of enemy personnel, and attacks on military airfields, weapons depots, oil facilities, and defense plants inside Russia. The Security Service counterintelligence continues to eliminate terrorists and saboteurs, detain arsonists and bombers, and has uncovered 102 Russian spy networks.
Major Robert Brovdi (call sign Madyar). Commander of the 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade. In May–June 2022, he founded the drone reconnaissance unit "Madyar's Birds," which grew into a battalion, then a regiment, and in December last year became a brigade. His unit defended Kherson, Soledar, Bakhmut, and Avdiivka. From June 2023 to January 2025, the unit hit over 17,000 enemy targets, 5,300 of them destroyed.
Junior Lieutenant Oleksandr Haran. He provided fire support to marines on an island on the left bank of the Dnipro River, personally eliminating over 30 invaders. Despite multiple injuries, he continued missions. In May last year, he led a marine group on Frolov Island, maintaining fire control over it and nearby islands for 26 days.
Lieutenant Colonel Volodymyr Zhdanov (NGU). In the Serebrianskyi Forest area, he personally eliminated five occupiers and, under enemy fire, covered the retreat of his brothers-in-arms, disrupting the enemy's advance. Near Stelmakhivka, he eliminated ten more invaders, ensured the evacuation of the wounded, and held his position to the very end, despite suffering a severe injury.
Lieutenant Andrii Kiyanenko. While carrying out combat missions as part of an assault group in the Donetsk region, he eliminated 75 Russian occupiers and five IFVs. The units he served in, as well as the assault groups under his command, reclaimed positions, halted enemy advances, and denied the occupiers opportunities to retreat or seize populated areas.
Senior Soldier Roman Omelianenko (NGU). During reconnaissance, he relayed coordinates that led to the destruction of 10 armored vehicles, 4 mortar teams, 15 UAVs, and about two enemy platoons. He personally eliminated at least nine occupiers, continued fighting despite being wounded and provided ammunition to his brothers-in-arms.
Colonel Ihor Parkhomenko. Su-25 pilot, a full recipient of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky. Carried out 293 combat sorties, 257 of which were strike missions, including the destruction of a bridge in temporarily occupied Oleshky and a Russian military column. During fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ihor Parkhomenko lost his son, 25-year-old pilot Serhii Parkhomenko, who was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. His younger son, Mykyta, also serves in the defense of Ukraine’s skies.
Colonel Pavlo Rozlach, Deputy Commander of the 8th Directorate of the Air Assault Forces Corps. He defended Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Sumy regions, as well as in the Kursk region. During an operation in the Kursk region, he organized additional reconnaissance of routes along the contact line, which enabled units to cross the state border without losses. In particular, warriors of the 80th Air Assault Brigade advanced dozens of kilometers over several days, broke through multiple lines of defense, reached designated positions, and held them.
Senior Lieutenant Vladyslav Stotskyi (NGU). He led a group of National Guardsmen that conducted reconnaissance and transmitted enemy coordinates, enabling the destruction of dozens of pieces of equipment and enemy personnel. During one of the enemy’s massive assaults, he directed fire on enemy vehicles, eliminated approximately a squad of occupiers, and also saved a wounded brother-in-arms.
Junior Lieutenant Viacheslav Fesiura. A volunteer since 2014, commander of an assault group, continues to defend Ukraine despite being repeatedly wounded. In 2024–2025, he personally led assault and defensive operations in the Donetsk region, during which his group eliminated over 25 occupiers, repelled numerous attacks, recaptured lost positions, and contributed to stabilizing the front line.
Sailor Vasyl Kharkevych. In October last year, he repelled Russian attacks and defended Ukrainian positions in the Donetsk region. Thanks to his actions, at least 10 enemy assaults were thwarted. During hand-to-hand combat, he captured a Russian occupier. On October 16, he sustained injuries from an enemy drone strike that led to the amputation of his leg. He administered first aid to himself, called for an evacuation team, and is still recovering in a medical facility.
The President also awarded the Cross of Military Merit to Major Oleksandr Popovych and Lieutenant Colonel Kostiantyn Revutskyi.
Oleksandr Popovych took part in battles near Avdiivka, Vuhledar, Maryinka, and Krasnohorivka, where, under his command, enemy tanks, IFVs, vehicles, and mortar crews were destroyed. In the Kherson region, as part of an operational-tactical group, he carried out a Dnipro River crossing and organized a landing near Krynky.
Kostiantyn Revutskyi carried out combat missions in the Luhansk and Donetsk sectors and led offensive operations in the Kursk region. In September–October of last year, the unit under his command repelled several dozen enemy assaults. As a result, the enemy suffered significant losses, and many Russian servicemen were taken prisoner.
In addition, the Head of State presented Orders "For Courage" III class and Orders of Princess Olga III class to Ukrainian female defenders.
