July 15 marks Ukrainian Peacekeepers’ Day—an official holiday honoring members of peacekeeping organizations. This holiday was established by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on May 21, 2013, in recognition of the contribution and significance of Ukraine’s national peacekeeping contingent in strengthening peace and harmony in zones of military conflict.
Our country began participating in international peacekeeping and security operations in 1992 following the Verkhovna Rada’s adoption of the Resolution “On the Participation of Battalions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces in Conflict Zones in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia.”
The very next day, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine signed an order to form a peacekeeping unit. The 240th Battalion was formed in record time—just three weeks. It was composed of personnel selected from various military units across Ukraine.
On July 15, 1992, two aircraft carrying the battalion’s advance party took off from the Dnipropetrovsk airfield bound for Bosnia. The advance party consisted of 42 service members. After landing in Sarajevo, the Ukrainian peacekeepers immediately found themselves in the epicenter of hostilities. The city and the airfield were under fire from artillery and snipers. Right at the start of the international peacekeeping mission, seven servicemen were seriously wounded as a result of mortar fire on the airfield and our artillery radar complex. Unfortunately, our Senior Lieutenant Serhiy Topykha died of his wounds in the hospital. Despite the extremely difficult conditions, our peacekeepers carried out their assigned tasks with great professionalism. In just four months, they escorted more than 800 convoys carrying humanitarian aid!
During their participation in international peacekeeping operations, Ukrainian military personnel have gained significant experience and expertise. Ukraine is recognized by the international community as a reliable military partner.
Under the blue-and-yellow flag, more than 45,000 servicemembers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have participated in 27 international operations and missions in various regions of the world. Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Angola, Macedonia, Guatemala, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Croatia, Kuwait, Sierra Leone, Transnistria, Iraq, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Georgia, Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and others. Escorting humanitarian convoys, guarding facilities, patrolling areas of responsibility, participating in disarmament programs, rebuilding civilian infrastructure, demining, and serving as observer officers, mediators, and staff members of international peacekeeping mission headquarters—this is by no means an exhaustive list of the tasks that Ukrainian peacekeepers have carried out and continue to carry out.
In connection with the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine, by Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 114/2022 dated March 7, 2022, the national contingent and national personnel participating in international peacekeeping and security operations were recalled to Ukraine to assist in defending the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Ukrainian Peacekeepers’ Day is a day to honor those who, while far from home, have defended and continue to defend peace and stability. Their service is an example of dedication, fortitude, and faith that true peace is won not through fear, but through courage.