“Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the soldiers of the missile troops and artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the defense of the country and honored them with state awards.”, — write: www.president.gov.ua
On the occasion of the Day of Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Ukrainian defenders and honored them with state awards.
“From this year, December 4 is your special day. It is a great pleasure for me today to personally congratulate, award some of the best and thank you, your brothers. And to thank your relatives and friends for the fact that they constantly support you. It is so important to support your spirit and strength, because your accuracy and the extent to which you can destroy the enemy depends on such support and on all of us,” said the Head of State.
He noted that Ukraine will always remember the feat of all those who gave their lives for its independence. Those present honored the memory of the fallen defenders with a moment of silence.
The President thanked the soldiers of the missile troops and artillery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for the defense of the country and honored them with state awards. Volodymyr Zelensky presented the “Cross of Combat Merit” to three fighters. It was received by:
Captain Serhiy Babak. He defended Ukraine in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy Oblast, from the first day of the Kursk operation, he performed combat missions on the territory of Kursk Oblast. He repeatedly carried out artillery training in the most difficult areas of the offensive. Organized the work of an artillery battery to destroy enemy defense structures. Under his leadership, it was possible to eliminate up to 2 platoons of Russian invaders and more than 10 firing points.
Captain Maxim Shevel. He took part in the liberation of Kherson region, where he performed 20-30 fire missions every day. Only during the period from August 30 to November 11, 2022, the assembled gun artillery platoon under his command destroyed 9 self-propelled guns, 8 howitzers, 2 Grad anti-aircraft guns, 3 BMPs, 2 BRDMs, 5 mortars, 2 MT-LB and about 8 units of automobile enemy equipment. Since June of this year, the cannon artillery battery under the leadership of Maxim Shevel has been performing combat missions in the Kherson region.
Senior Lieutenant Oleksandr Shkriblyak. In March 2022, he repelled the attack of the Russian invaders on Mykolaiv. As part of a self-propelled artillery battery, he was surrounded, but he was able to independently evacuate the damaged self-propelled artillery unit together with the crew. Under his command, a calculation of 122-mm self-propelled guns “Carnation” destroyed a field ammunition depot, a T-72 tank, as well as a platoon base, assault groups and a group of UAVs. Thanks to this, it was possible to eliminate more than 80 Russian invaders.
The President also honored the defenders with the orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky I-III degrees, the orders “For Courage” II-III degrees, the Order of Princess Olga III degree and the medal “For Military Service to Ukraine”.
