At the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a ceremony to present the Golden Star Order to defenders who were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. The ceremony took place in the White Hall of Heroes of Ukraine. Relatives of the fallen soldiers received the awards from the hands of the head of state. How it happened was reported in the Internet representation of the head of state, UNN reports.
There is no state power without the personal power of its people. There is no national pride without people you are really proud of when they are with you, when they are your brothers. This is an honor for the state - these are our soldiers. I thank everyone. I thank the mothers and fathers of Ukrainian heroes for their sons. I thank all our people, our soldiers for Ukraine's independence. Today, I handed over the Golden Star orders, which recognize the best Ukrainian soldiers.
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At the beginning of his speech, the head of state emphasized that Ukraine continues the tradition of gratitude to its best soldiers, those who distinguished themselves with the greatest bravery and heroism in battles for the sake of Ukraine.
"Every story of our soldiers who have been awarded the highest title of Hero is the pride of our country. And it will always be so. These are people who have shown the power of their own will to make Ukraine free," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. ...I thank you all for Ukraine's independence. I ask you to always honor the courage of our people who gave their lives for the sake of our country and people. May their memory always be bright," the Head of State said.
The participants observed a minute of silence in memory of all those who died for the freedom and independence of Ukraine.
Almost all of the awards for Ukrainian heroes were given to their relatives, as the defenders were awarded posthumously. However, on this day, three Ukrainian defenders were also honored, receiving their "Gold Stars" from the President personally.
In particular, Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented the Golden Star to Hero of Ukraine to Captain Oleksandr Nastenko, whose unit carried out offensive operations in Donetsk region. During the battles in November 2023, the captain was the first to reach the enemy's positions and destroyed the enemy. Thanks to the skillful actions of Oleksandr Nastenko, his unit took over enemy positions.
Captain Eduard Sabanin was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine and the Order. Between March and October 2023, the unit under his command destroyed and neutralized 52 tanks and other armored vehicles of the occupiers. During the battles in Luhansk region, the captain was seriously wounded, but despite this, he evacuated his comrades from under fire and provided first aid to a wounded soldier.
Also, the "Golden Star" Hero of Ukraine from the hands of the President was also awarded to Sergeant Oleh Fedorov, who participated in the battles in Kherson region as part of an armored group. As a result of coordinated actions, the Russian occupiers were driven out of the village of Sadky. In November 2022, a combat vehicle under the command of Oleh Fedorov occupied a line on the banks of the Dnipro River near the village of Kozatske, cutting off the occupiers' safe escape routes.