The Head of State met with border guards and presented awards during his working visit to Khmelnytskyi region.

Volodymyr Zelenskyi congratulated the border guards on the Day of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, which Ukraine celebrated this week, and thanked them for protecting the borders and the strength shown in the battles with the russian invaders.

"Thank you to every unit, every soldier and commander of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine for being a truly strong support for our state. This is how it should remain in the future: we all expect from you no less professionalism and no less ability to multiply the Ukrainian experience of stability and victories in battles against the occupier," the president emphasized.

Those present honored the memory of the fallen defenders of Ukraine with a moment of silence.

The head of the state presented the "Golden Star" orders with the title of Hero of Ukraine to two servicemen:

Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Oleksiuk. At war since 2014. From the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, he organized independently and conducted combat training of personnel. He evacuated 34 dead and 105 seriously wounded comrades from the battlefield, despite heavy fire from the russian occupiers, mines and the constant operation of attack drones.

Master Sergeant Oleg Pryshnevskyi. He has been in the service of the State Security Service for almost 30 years. In January 2024, in Avdiivka direction, he ordered his subordinates to take wounded comrades to shelter, and he covered their retreat with machine gun fire, continuing to destroy the russian invaders.

Also, two border guards were awarded the President's Cross of Combat Merit:

Colonel Andriy Bizhyk. His personnel held courageously the defense in the area of Vodianyi, Vugledar, Novomykhailivka, Avdiivka and Krasnohorivka. Units under his leadership destroyed 43 units of armored vehicles, about 300 invaders and a russian su-25.

Staff Sergeant Dmytro Shvets. He repelled enemy attacks in Donetsk region. While performing one of the combat missions, he was wounded, but, despite this, he helped his wounded comrades and evacuated them to shelter.

The President awarded six more servicemen with Bohdan Khmelnytskyi orders of the III degree and eight servicemen with "For Courage" orders of the III degree.

The award "For Courage and Spirit" was awarded to three units: the 15th Mobile Border Guard Detachment, the 7th Carpathian Border Guard Detachment and the Intelligence Directorate of the Administration of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.