Zelenskyy presents awards to fighters of Ukraine's Security Service and National Guard

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has taken part in the celebrations on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the 9th anniversary of the National Guard and awarded the military.

Source: President's Website; Press service of Ukraine’s National Guard

Details: Addressing the generals, officers, sergeants and cadets of the SSU, the Head of State noted the actions of the renewed combatant Security Service of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy noted that the details of many of the Security Service's tasks and combat operations could be disclosed only later, after Ukraine's victory.

"But all Ukrainian men and women can already be sure that the Security Service of our state will add more and more heroic pages to our national history, the history of the new independent Ukraine," said the President

Zelenskyy presented state awards to the Security Service fighters. In particular, he handed over the Gold Star Order to the family of a fallen Hero of Ukraine. The Head of State also awarded the 3rd Class Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the 2nd and 3rd Class Orders For Courage, the Orders of Danylo Halytsky, medals For Military Service to Ukraine and To Defender of the Homeland.

On Friday, 24 March, 334 officers of the National Guard graduated, including 263 graduates of the National Academy of the National Guard and 71 graduates of the Kyiv Institute of the National Guard. 11 graduates received gold medals, and 22 have the status of combatants.

The Head of State emphasised that the National Guard had become one of the key elements of the overall system of defence of the Ukrainian state that prevents Russia from defeating Ukraine: both during the years of war in Donbas and from the first minutes of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy presented the Order of the Golden Star to Major Vadym Yashchenko, who was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. Yashchenko performed combat missions to kill the Russian military in Kharkiv Oblast, consolidate positions to ensure the advance of Ukrainian units and mop-up of the liberated settlements.

In June 2022, the Major provided first aid to a wounded guardsman, but during the evacuation of the victim, he himself sustained a mine-blast injury, multiple shrapnel wounds and traumatic amputation of his toe. However, risking his own life, Vadym saved his comrade.

Major Dmytro Bashkintsev, Hero of Ukraine, also received the order from the President. The major and his group performed a number of important combat missions in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.

Colonel Oleksandr Pivnenko, who was also awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, also received the Golden Star. Pivnenko took part in the defence of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast. His National Guard unit has repeatedly destroyed Russian equipment, killed manpower, and helped evacuate civilians.

In addition, Zelenskyy presented high state awards to nine other National Guardsmen.

At both events, a minute of silence was observed in memory of the fallen soldiers and all the defenders who gave their lives in the battles for Ukraine's independence.

Reference: 25 March is the Day of the Security Service of Ukraine, and 26 March is the Day of the National Guard of Ukraine.

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