President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored Ukrainian defenders with the highest state awards and presented orders and distinctions to the families of fallen warriors awarded posthumously.
“We are presenting Ukraine’s state awards to the people on whom everything depends – the Ukrainian state, Ukrainian independence, Ukrainian future. Between us and Russia stands only one real and strong barrier – Ukrainians who are fighting for the freedom of our state and working to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself,” the Head of State stressed.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked all branches of Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces and stressed that Ukrainians are not only fighting for their state on their own territory, but are also bringing the war back to Russia, where it came from.
“We are conducting operations on Russian territory. Our long-range sanctions against Russia for this war are working– they are truly working every night, every day. We are fighting for Ukraine in the diplomatic arena and ensuring Ukraine’s defense with the necessary weapons and support. It is extremely difficult, but we have it all. For the fifth year, we have been standing against an enemy that is larger than we are, but that does not achieve what it sought, and still seeks,” the President noted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on everyone to always remember those who gave their lives for Ukraine. Those present honored the memory of the fallen warriors with a minute of silence.
The Head of State presented the families of fallen Heroes of Ukraine with the Orders of the Golden Star. Those awarded posthumously include:
Chief Sergeant Anton Voitenko. He took part in assaults on enemy positions and detected enemy groups in the Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions. In particular, he carried out combat missions as part of assault groups in the areas of Kamianske and Stepove in the Zaporizhzhia region. This helped hold a critical stretch of terrain and maintain fire positions. Anton Voitenko was killed on August 14, 2025, as he maneuvered the vehicle, absorbing a Russian drone strike and saving the lives of five of his brothers-in-arms.
Major of Police Mykola Hetmanov. In 2022–2023, he carried out combat missions in the Kharkiv region. He repelled enemy assaults and personally eliminated 14 occupiers. In October 2025, an assault group under his command eliminated Russian forces that had infiltrated Kupyansk. During a firefight, Major Hetmanov eliminated two occupiers while shielding several of his brothers-in-arms, but he later died from his wounds.
Junior Sergeant Vasyl Kilar. Under his command, a section of strike unmanned aerial systems destroyed more than 50 occupiers in the vicinity of Mala Tokmachka over just two and a half months in 2024. In the Donetsk region, as part of an FPV drone crew, he destroyed enemy groups and equipment, helping to repel the enemy’s assaults. Vasyl Kilar was killed on May 29, 2025, in the area of Zelenyi Kut, when, during a Russian FPV drone attack, he shielded a brother-in-arms with his own body.
Lieutenant Colonel Ruslan Petrenko. In March 2022, in the Chernihiv region, he conducted a special operation to install surveillance equipment at a height of over 100 meters, while under constant enemy fire. He took part in counter-sabotage operations in the Chernihiv and Sumy regions. Under his command, a UAV unit was also established, which enabled artillery to strike 180 enemy targets. Ruslan Petrenko was killed on February 1 this year as a result of a Russian FPV drone attack.
Senior Soldier Vitalii Sydoruk. He carried out combat missions in the Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions. On multiple occasions, he saved wounded brothers-in-arms: he covered an evacuation team, provided medical assistance, and organized evacuations. In December 2023, near the village of Synkivka in the Kharkiv region, he adjusted artillery fire on enemy positions using a UAV. As a result, it was possible to break through and relieve a position from encirclement. Vitalii Sydoruk was killed on May 30, 2024, during a Russian shelling attack in the Donetsk region.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented the families of fallen service members with Crosses of Military Merit. They were awarded posthumously to:
Senior Lieutenant Serhii Bulban. In April 2024, under enemy fire, he laid 12 anti-tank mines, on which a Russian T-72 tank was destroyed. He established minefields that led to the enemy losing three T-80 tanks and four occupiers. Despite being wounded, he remained on the battlefield, provided assistance to brothers-in-arms, and evacuated them. In 2025, he shot down an enemy FPV drone with small arms, saving a brother-in-arms’ life. Serhii Bulban was killed on December 5, 2025, in the Kharkiv region as a result of a shrapnel wound.
Junior Sergeant Volodymyr Merezhko. Twice wounded in battle, he returned to the ranks after recovery. During fighting in the Donetsk and Sumy regions, the mortar unit under his command destroyed about a company of occupiers. In July 2024, under conditions of mass enemy drone use and counter‑battery fire, he ensured effective strikes against the enemy, enabling the repulsion of seven assaults and the defense of positions. Volodymyr Merezhko was killed in October 2024 while repelling an enemy assault.
Senior Soldier Andrii Starovoit. Serving in an anti‑tank battalion, he directed the defense against enemy assaults. In combat, he eliminated more than ten occupiers, and through his actions, over twenty Russian invaders were destroyed. In December last year, he organized the defense of positions and repelled three enemy assaults. Andrii Starovoit was killed on January 17 this year in the Donetsk region as a result of a mine explosion.
The President honored five Heroes of Ukraine with Orders of the Golden Star. The highest state award was presented to:
Lieutenant Andrii Ishchenko. In September–October 2025, he organized the defense on the Kupiansk axis as commander of his unit, conducted aerial reconnaissance, and held defensive positions. During the fighting, the troops under his command eliminated around 200 occupiers and captured eight more. Under Andrii Ishchenko’s leadership, more than 50 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines were also deployed along key defensive directions.
Colonel Valerii Koretskyi. Between August and December 2024 in the Donetsk region, together with his unit, he destroyed around 120 occupiers and wounded nearly 200 more. In 2025, he planned an operation to destroy enemy ammunition depots and led assault actions in the Pokrovsk direction. In November, during a battle near Udachne, he destroyed an armored personnel carrier and four occupiers with an RPG. He ensured the evacuation of three brothers-in-arms wounded in a Grad strike.
Sergeant Roman Kharchenko. Since August 2022, he has been carrying out combat missions in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. He was among those who initiated the FPV drone direction within his battalion in 2023. In May last year, he was wounded in an FPV drone strike, underwent long-term treatment, and returned to his unit, where he mastered drones used to intercept “shaheds.” Overall, Roman Kharchenko has destroyed 70 pieces of equipment, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and armored personnel carriers, as well as more than 90 enemy UAVs.
Soldier Dmytrii Yashchenko. During a clearance operation in the private sector of Pokrovsk, he personally eliminated five occupiers. During the battle, he was wounded, provided first aid to himself, and continued to carry out his combat mission. For 17 days, he single-handedly held a position, repelling more than nine Russian assaults and eliminating around 20 occupiers.
Major Roman Yashchenko. In 2025, the unit under his command, through the coordinated use of FPV drone crews, struck and eliminated more than 5,600 occupiers. In particular, in December 2025, UAV operators hit nearly 40 shelters containing enemy personnel. January of this year was the most successful month: the unit eliminated more than 800 occupiers and wounded more than 600.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented six defenders with Crosses of Military Merit. The award was received by:
Lieutenant Colonel Andrii Vinnytskyi. First-class pilot. Since February 2022, under conditions of intense enemy air defense resistance and continuous shelling, he has been destroying enemy equipment and personnel using Mi-8, Mi-17, and Mi-24 helicopters. He carried out missions in the Kherson and Donetsk regions, conducted medical evacuations of wounded from Mariupol, destroyed enemy “shaheds,” and organized complex combat operations involving coordination between helicopter aviation and drones.
Junior Sergeant Andrii Volochii. He remained continuously in positions for 242 days in the Zaporizhzhia region, together with his brothers-in-arms, holding the defense near Prymorske. During one of the Russian assaults, he personally eliminated two occupiers and disrupted the attack. He prevented an enemy attempt to outflank the position, and under enemy artillery fire moved to a wounded brother-in-arms, provided assistance, and helped evacuate him.
Junior Sergeant Oleksandr Zoria. He carried out combat missions in the Donetsk and Sumy regions. As part of aerial reconnaissance crews, he conducted more than 100 combat sorties using drones, identified over one hundred enemy targets, and carried out more than 50 UAV strike adjustments. As a result, nearly 30 occupiers were destroyed, along with ammunition depots, howitzers, electronic warfare antennas, vehicles, motorcycles, buggies carrying infantry, MLRS systems, a mortar, and a field gun.
Colonel Mykhailo Kusiak. Commander of the 81st Separate Airmobile Slobozhanska Brigade. In just one and a half months in 2025, the troops under his command repelled more than 60 assaults involving enemy artillery, heavy equipment, and aviation in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian defenders destroyed more than 160 armored vehicles, shot down 2,600 UAVs, and eliminated nearly 840 occupiers. In January of this year alone, dozens of Russian offensive operations were disrupted.
Staff Sergeant Ihor Moisak. In November 2024, he carried out more than 10 combat crossings of the Vovcha River in the Kharkiv region under continuous enemy shelling. In 2025–2026, he took part in the evacuation of brothers-in-arms, repelling enemy assaults, and reconnaissance operations. He identified and eliminated an enemy artillery spotter, and after a building collapse caused by a Russian strike, he managed to free himself from the rubble and saved three brothers-in-arms.
Sergeant Roman Shykor. He took part in combat operations in the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions. He eliminated six occupiers and captured one. This made it possible to obtain intelligence on the location of enemy positions, firing points and equipment, as well as the call signs and names of Russian commanders. In August 2025, a reconnaissance group under his command was ambushed. During the battle, Roman Shykor was wounded, administered first aid to himself, and, under enemy fire, managed to reach a shelter.
The President also awarded defenders the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, I class, and “For Courage”, I class.