On Territorial Defense Day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the warriors serving in the ranks of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and presented them with state awards.
The Head of State thanked the soldiers, sergeants, and officers of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces for their service and dedication to Ukraine – all those who have truly proved themselves in defending the Ukrainian state and the Ukrainian people.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, the Territorial Defense Forces helped unite the nation, as more than 100,000 Ukrainians joined the ranks of the Territorial Defense within the first month of the full-scale war.
“Today, 25 brigades of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine operate alongside all other components of our Defense and Security Forces. Territorial Defense brigades and battalions fight on the front line, play an important role in battles along the border, and are involved in covering key sectors. Forty-six warriors of the Territorial Defense Forces have been awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, and thousands more have received other state honors,” the Head of State emphasized.
The President stressed that the life and success of Ukraine depend on the performance of every defender and that it is essential to remember the price of defense in wartime. The memory of fallen heroes was honored with a moment of silence.
The President presented the Cross of Military Merit to Sergeant Yevhenii Tsurskyi. Since the first days of the full-scale war, he has defended the Kirovohrad and Mykolaiv regions and took part in the liberation and stabilization operations in the Kherson region. Since June this year, he has been performing combat missions in the Zaporizhzhia sector, where on July 23 one of the enemy’s largest assaults in this direction took place – nearly 50 occupiers supported by heavy equipment. The position held by Yevhenii Tsurskyi was attacked by over ten Russians on motorcycles and vehicles, supported by an armored fighting vehicle. Thanks to his leadership and actions, the assault was repelled and all the occupiers were eliminated. That same month, despite being wounded, he carried a wounded brother-in-arms who could not walk on his own for two kilometers to the medical evacuation point.
The Head of State also presented the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, III class, and the Orders “For Courage,” II and III class, to other defenders.
