The President of Ukraine presented the Heroes of Ukraine awards to eleven Ukrainian servicemen. For two of them, the relatives had been receiving the award.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Defense of Kyiv, received the Golden Star.

The respective Decree had been published on the Head of State’s website.

Militarnyi reports about this.

Oleksandr Syrskyi was awarded the Hero of Ukraine title “for his personal courage, significant contribution to the protection of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

The website of the Office of the President reports that under Oleksandr Syrskyi’s command, the counterattacks against the much larger enemy forces had been organized and led to significant losses on their side. Subsequently, the settlements of the Kyiv region were liberated. As a result, the enemy was forced to retreat beyond the state border.

The award ceremony took place in the White Hall of the Mariinsky Palace, which will now be called the White Hall of the Heroes of Ukraine.

“We are now where before the war, our state’s leadership was meeting with the leaders of other states. This place is called the White Hall of Mariinsky Palace. I had also held meetings with leaders of many states that this war uncovered as friends and partners or vice versa. And from today, I have the great honor to reward our best here. You are the leaders of our state,” Zelensky said.

Also, the Star of a Hero had been awarded to:

• Viktor Nikolyuk, Commander of the troops of the Operational Command “North”, prevented the rapid advance of the enemy in the directions of Gomel – Kyiv, and Konotop – Kyiv, which in turn prevented the blockade of the capital from the Northeastern side;
• Colonel Oleksandr Mostovyi, who successfully attacked a Russian IL-76 MD military transport aircraft, two enemy helicopters and destroyed the enemy;
• Colonel Denys Dykyi, whose regiment is leading fierce defensive battles against the  units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for the city of Okhtyrka and its surroundings;
• Lieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav Ponomarenko, under whose leadership a special task force in Hostomel destroyed 20 units of BMPs of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and its personnel;
• Lieutenant Colonel Andriy Kruhlov, destroyed two helicopters and a plane. During this combat mission, he had removed the Buk M1 SAM unit from the enemy MLRS strikes and escaped getting captured;
• Major Roman Darmohray planned out and organized the defense of the settlements of Pukhivka, Rozhivka, and Kalynivka in the Brovary district of the Kyiv region. After almost four hours of fighting on March 9, 17 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, and 55 enemy fighters had been destroyed.
• Senior Lieutenant Andriy Herus, who shot down an enemy IL-76 MD aircraft of the Russian Federation with the paratroopers on a MiG-29 aircraft in an air battle over Kropyvnytskyi, which prevented it from landing with weapons;
• Staff Sergeant Roman Hrishak. His actions had repeatedly stopped the enemy’s advance, and significant losses in personnel and equipment were inflicted in the Sumy region, in particular near Hlukhiv, Baturyn, and other positions.

The President had presented the Order of the Golden Star to the family of the 2nd Rank Captain Mykola Nikonov, who was posthumously awarded the Hero of Ukraine title.

Under his leadership, the group conducted a daring special operation in the occupied Novoazovsk, going 70 km deep into the enemy’s rear and blowing up the occupiers’ military reserves.

During the 12 days of defending Mariupol, his unit destroyed six units of military equipment and about 50 units of enemy manpower.

The order was also awarded to the parents of Senior Lieutenant Andriy Khomenko, who destroyed five BMP-3 units and two enemy tanks back in early March in the Stanytsia Luhanska district of the Luhansk region. He had accurately adjusted the artillery fire against the enemy column, after which he successfully evacuated the personnel of the assault battalion.

He died during the destruction of enemy troops in the Mykolayiv region, while the unit was destroying 30 enemy servicemen and 10 units of equipment.