President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska met with Ukrainian children and presented the newly established “Future of Ukraine” award.
“You are our future. I am proud to have such children – children with such values, with such a sense of right and wrong. I would like to thank you for your actions, for your courage, and most of all – for your compassion,” the Head of State noted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy added that the award will become an annual tradition, as Ukraine has many strong, brave, and worthy people.
“A hero is not someone who is never afraid or never cries. A hero is someone who, even when afraid, still does the right thing. And I want to thank you again for what you’ve done and for who you are,” said Olena Zelenska.
The children honored with the award had experienced occupation, deportation, and the loss of loved ones, provided aid to those in need; they also have been supporting Ukrainian defenders, and volunteering.
Among them is Dmytro Amalskyi, 16, from the Mykolaiv region, who, during a house fire, rescued his nine-year-old brother from the flames, handed him to their mother, and then tried to put out the fire himself.
Zakhar Babak, 8, from Lutsk. He has joined his mother every week for 22 months in rallies supporting prisoners of war and those missing in action, after his father, a serviceman, was taken captive.
Andrii Balabanov (14), Nazar Donets (11), and Artem Shemyhon (14) from the Kharkiv region, who helped pull a man out of the water after he fell through the ice – before rescuers arrived.
Marharyta Hariaha, 11, who survived a bombing in Mariupol that killed nine of her relatives. Rescuers were able to help her, her mother, and their neighbors only because Marharyta was calling for help from under the rubble.
Adriana Hoi, 16, from the Khmelnytskyi region, who performed CPR on a two-year-old boy hit by a car before medics arrived. Thanks to this, they were able to save him and bring him to the hospital in a stable condition.
Illia Zavalnyi, 17, from the Zhytomyr region, used branches to save a friend who had fallen through the ice. With no one else nearby, he provided all necessary aid by himself.
Kiril Illiashenko, 13, who, during a Russian missile strike on Sumy on April 13 of this year, rescued passengers from a bus that had caught fire after being hit. Despite receiving three shrapnel wounds to the head, he broke a window, got out, and helped others escape.
Mark Komarov, 15, a boxer from Enerhodar, who, while living under occupation, refused to compete for Russia in sports events.
Diana Kostyria, 8, who, during the occupation of the Kherson region, sang the Ukrainian anthem, hung Ukrainian flags and personal drawings with national symbols on her house each day, and quickly hid them whenever she heard Russian occupiers approaching.
Olha Laktionova, 16, from the Kherson region, who rescued a girl from under the ice on the Inhulets River.
Two teenagers, Maksym Myronets (15) and Pavlo Podvyshennyi (14), from Rivne region, who, despite a strong current, saved a drowning woman and called for medical and police assistance with the help of their friends.
Kira Obedynska (15) and Oleksandr Radchuk (14), who were deported from Mariupol and lost their families, but found the strength to speak out on international platforms about Russia’s crimes.
Kostiantyn Orekhov, 14, from the Kyiv region, who in 2022 rescued his sister and grandfather after a Russian missile struck their home.
Tymofii Poteriailo, 16, from Dnipro, who assisted victims and rescuers at missile strike sites, pulled an almost unconscious woman from broken glass, and played the bandura to raise funds in support of Ukrainian warriors.
Ilona Tarasova, 17, who from the first days of occupation in her village in the Kharkiv region risked her life to pass information about enemy movements to Ukrainian defenders.
Kyrylo Shavkun, 16, who rescued people by boat after the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. Despite threats from occupiers, he encouraged his peers not to betray Ukraine.
Due to a nationwide air raid alert, part of the meeting had to continue in a shelter. There, the children shared their stories and asked the President and First Lady how they prepare for important meetings, where they find strength, and how they manage to find the right words in the most difficult moments.
“The war inevitably affects all of us, without a doubt. But I cannot allow myself to relax, because of the responsibility I carry and my role as President of Ukraine. I simply don’t have the right to be soft or uncertain at times,” the Head of State explained.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also added that he draws inspiration from Ukrainians, primarily the warriors, who, despite all challenges, continue to fight and defend our homeland.
The “Future of Ukraine” Presidential Award is a new honor established by the Head of State by his decree on May 29, and already the next day, the first decree was issued awarding 24 children.
