On the First Day of the New Year, the President Honored Medical Workers, Energy Specialists, Rescuers, Civic Activists, Volunteers, and Educators with State Awards

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the first decree of 2026, conferring state awards on 53 Ukrainians from various regions of the country. Twelve of them are from Kyiv and Kyiv region, six from Dnipro region, four from Kherson region, three from Khmelnytskyi region, two each from Volyn, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kirovohrad, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions, and one each from Vinnytsia, Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Zakarpattia, Lviv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Cherkasy regions, and Bukovyna. They are medical workers, energy specialists, cultural workers, civic activists, volunteers, public utilities staff, veterans, educators, a trolleybus driver, rescuers, and two children.

Recipients of the Order of Merit, III class, include:

Mykola Bykhovets - a feldsher from the Khmelnytskyi region, who in 2022 defended Bucha from Russian occupiers and later took part in battles in the Bakhmut and Slovyansk directions, where he came under mortar fire and was severely wounded. After being discharged to the reserve, he works at a medical center.

Vitaliia Veremeienko - a volunteer from the Sumy region. Her NGO supports regional hospitals, critical infrastructure, internally displaced persons, children, and people with disabilities, overseeing more than 60 military units. Together with a volunteer team, her NGO has delivered over 3,000 generators and generator stations, tablets, drones, and around 40 vehicles to warriors on the frontline.

Denys Vinokurov - an electrical technician from the Dnipro region. He took part in mitigating the consequences of Russian shelling, including restoring control and power supply lines for equipment.

Ruslan Hodomskyi - an electrical line worker from the Mykolaiv region. He consistently takes part in restoring damaged power transmission lines after Russian strikes.

Serhii Horb - a thermal network repair specialist from the Dnipro region. With his involvement, equipment was modernized, making it possible to ensure stable heat supply for residents of apartment buildings in Kryvyi Rih.

Ihor Kukobko - a volunteer and chef from the Chernihiv region. In 2022, during the Russian siege of Chernihiv, his NGO helped evacuate people by buses and boats, provided food for military personnel and civilians, and supplied medical facilities with medicines and essential supplies.

Valerii Manarkha - a volunteer from the Chernivtsi region. He has been fighting the consequences of a stroke for eleven years. Using a walker, he completed five charity marathons, raising more than 1.5 million hryvnias for the needs of Ukrainian warriors.

Roman Pushka - a protopresbyter of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the Chernihiv region and a volunteer. He provides humanitarian and social support to people with disabilities, children, veterans, older persons, and the families of fallen and missing servicemembers.

Volodymyr Satyr - a fitter from the Dnipro region. He made a significant contribution to ensuring uninterrupted water supply in Kryvyi Rih under martial law and helped eliminate the consequences of Russian missile strikes.

Yurii Seriohin - a landscaping worker from the Dnipro region. He helped address the consequences of Russian missile strikes, took part in restoration work at the Karachunivska Dam, and carries out urban landscaping and beautification work.

Volodymyr Symanyshyn - a veteran of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Ternopil region. He defended Ukraine in the Bakhmut and Luhansk sectors. In July 2023, he sustained injuries to both arms, which required the amputation of his hands. During rehabilitation, he began painting. His solo exhibitions, "Life with Faith in Victory," were held in cities across Ukraine, as well as in Warsaw and Prague.

Almas Khaziiev - an ambassador of the Dnipro region veteran project "TytanyUA." He took part in the defense of Ukraine, including in the Bakhmut area. He sustained two injuries that led to the amputation of both legs. He currently works at the Mechnikov Hospital, where he supports servicemembers and veterans during treatment and rehabilitation and helps resolve social and everyday issues.

Yan Sheptytskyi - a volunteer who, at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, moved to Lviv from Poland to help Ukraine directly on the ground. He is a co-founder of a company engaged in the production of aerial and space vehicles and related equipment.

The Head of State also awarded the Order "For Courage," III class. Those honored include:

Vitalii Bidiuk - a member of a public formation for the protection of public order from the Zhytomyr region. At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, he gathered information on enemy deployments and assisted local residents. During one of the shellings, he saved the life of an injured child. In March 2022, occupying forces shot at the vehicle he was in, causing him to sustain severe injuries.

Oleh Burlachko - a head of a unit of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Kyiv region. He was involved in eliminating the consequences of Russian shelling, including at the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant. On January 24 last year, together with his colleagues, he rescued a woman from a house in Hlevakha that was damaged by a Russian drone attack.

Oleksandr Kovtun - an electrical line worker from the Mykolaiv region. He has repeatedly taken part in repairing damage caused by Russian artillery shelling and drone attacks. Last year, he twice prevented a potential blackout at a combined heat and power plant by rapidly restarting the facility from a cold start and ensuring the uninterrupted operation of the energy system.

Oleksandr Kubrak - a power plant operator at the Kherson Combined Heat and Power Plant. He took part in repairing damage after Russian shelling and repeatedly operated critically important equipment independently, ensuring its stable and uninterrupted operation.

Liudmyla Stotska - a trolleybus driver from the Sumy region. On October 7 last year, a Russian drone attacked her trolleybus. Liudmyla Stotska provided first aid to an injured person and independently drove the damaged vehicle to the depot.

Those awarded the Order of Princess Olga, III class include:

Holnur Amentaieva - a volunteer and war veteran from Kyiv. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, she served as a senior combat medic, ensuring the evacuation of the wounded. After discharge due to age, she develops methodological materials for patronage services of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, trains personnel, and assists veterans and the wounded with treatment, military medical commissions, prosthetics, and the processing of documents and benefits.

Maryna Zhuravliova - a nurse from Slovyansk. From the second half of 2022, her hospital operated as an evacuation hub for residents of the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Luhansk regions, a hub that Maryna Zhuravliova effectively led. In 2022-2023 alone, the hub received tens of thousands of people.

Olha Ostapchuk - the head of the Mental Health Center at the Volyn Regional Psychiatric Hospital. She served in the military from February 2022 to March 2025. Since May last year, she has headed the center. Under her leadership, psychological assistance is provided to servicemembers, veterans, and their families.

Olena Panfiorova - a civic activist and co-founder of the NGO "Batky SOS" from the Kyiv region. She is an initiator and active participant in projects aimed at reforming the education system, preventing illegal fundraising from parents, and protecting the rights of children in schools and kindergartens.

Iryna Selnytska - a civic activist, a member of the board of the NGO "Veterans of ATO of the Luhansk Region," and a member of the Council of Families of Fallen Defenders under the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine. From 2014 to 2025, she implemented more than 30 cultural and social initiatives aimed at community development, support for servicemembers and the families of the fallen, and the psychological rehabilitation of those affected by the war.

Olena Sulima - the chief nursing officer of the Kryvyi Rih City Hospital. She contributed to the opening of a rehabilitation center where more than 5,000 patients have received treatment. The center provides physical and psychological rehabilitation and restores function in injured limbs.

Nataliia Tarabalka - the founder and head of the NGO "Know Your Dream" named after Stepan Tarabalka, and the mother of a fallen Hero of Ukraine - military pilot Stepan Tarabalka from the Ivano-Frankivsk region. She joined the ranks of military chaplains of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and became the first woman chaplain. She also opened a wellness center specializing in rehabilitation services for wounded servicemembers and psychological support for the families of fallen military personnel.

Olena Khmelnytska - the head of the NGO "Warriors of Light. Rubizhne" from the Luhansk region, which provides art therapy for servicemembers undergoing treatment and rehabilitation in medical facilities in the Ternopil region. The organization continuously supports various units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by delivering essential equipment, gear, vehicles, medicines, and other supplies.

Diana Shevchuk - the head of the NGO "Mother's Wings" from the Volyn region, which she founded after losing her son in the Ilovaisk encirclement. Since 2015, under her leadership, the organization's volunteers have been producing camouflage nets and "ghost" camouflage suits for servicemembers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and units of the security forces.

Oleh Mazurkov was awarded the Medal "For Saved Life." He is the head of the Stavnytsia branch of the Medzhybizh Lyceum in the Khmelnytskyi region. In February 2024, during a missile strike, he rescued a neighboring pensioner who was unable to escape on her own from a burning house. Under Oleh Mazurkov's leadership, the lyceum takes part in fundraising for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and in organizing charitable initiatives.

The Medal "For Labor and Valor" was awarded to:

Valentyn Honcharuk - an electrical line worker from the Odesa region. He took part in restoring power supply and damaged housing. As a volunteer, he delivered drinking water to Mykolaiv.

Oleksandr Solovei is a pump station operator from the Kherson region. He ensures the operation of water supply systems under constant Russian artillery shelling and drone attacks.

Yevhen Koliada was honored with the Award of the President of Ukraine "Golden Heart." He is a volunteer from the Kharkiv region. He personally delivered medicines and food to military personnel and civilians. Under his leadership, the charitable organization evacuated more than 54,000 people and delivered over 58 tons of food and 335 tons of medical aid.

Those honored with the Award of the President of Ukraine "Future of Ukraine" include:

Davyd Kibukevych - a ten-year-old student of the Kirovohrad Regional Center for Children's and Youth Creativity. He organized street concerts, through which he raised approximately 200,000 hryvnias in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Svitlana Rubliova from the Poltava region. The seven-year-old girl creates protective charms, drawings, and writes letters and fairy tales for servicemembers. She donated a solar panel to defenders, which she received for winning a competition with a fairy tale about Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky.

The honorary title Honored Artist of Ukraine was conferred on:

Hanna Mudra - a vocalist from the Kyiv region. She is a participant in charity events and concerts held in frontline areas for servicemembers and internally displaced persons. She is engaged in volunteer activities and tours combat zones with concerts.

Volodymyr Tsyvinskyi - an actor and leading stage artist of the Kyiv Academic Drama and Comedy Theater on the Left Bank of the Dnipro. He staged the satirical play "Give Back the Body" about Ukrainians' resistance to the enemy. In 2023, he created the interactive children's play "Kotyhoroshko," which serves a therapeutic function for children during the war.

The honorary title Honored Teacher of Ukraine was conferred on:

Yevhenii Atamasenko - a chemistry teacher from the Kyiv region. He is a finalist of the Global Teacher Prize Ukraine 2025 and the winner in the "Chemistry Teacher" category. He has distinguished himself through innovative approaches, the creation of a STEM space, and efforts to establish an open STEM station for students.

Svitlana Didenko - a Ukrainian language and literature teacher from Vinnytsia. She organized volunteer activities at her school, where camouflage nets and trench candles are produced, flags are sewn, and charitable initiatives are carried out in support of the military.

The honorary title Honored Arts Worker of Ukraine was conferred on:

Dennis Adu - a jazz musician and composer from Kyiv. As an ambassador of Ukrainian culture, he collaborates with many international musicians. He took part in charitable educational initiatives and concerts to promote Ukrainian art in Norway, the United States, Poland, and Bulgaria.

Valentyna Mandzii - the head of the folk youth dance ensemble "Vesnianka" from the Khmelnytskyi region. She organized a touring charity campaign in support of Ukrainians abroad and servicemembers. Through concerts and festivals, more than 240,000 hryvnias were raised for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The honorary title Honored Donor of Ukraine was awarded to Yurii Kotniuk, a combat medic from the Rivne region. As a donor, he has given blood and plasma more than 120 times. He took part in combat operations in the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Sumy regions.

The President also conferred the honorary title Honored Energy Worker of Ukraine on Yevhen Pokhodnia from the Kherson region. He organized the work of an energy enterprise after the de-occupation of Kherson and coordinates repair crews during enemy shelling.

The honorary title Honored Doctor of Ukraine was conferred on:

Artem Abramenko - a doctor from the Kyiv region. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, he has performed approximately 500 surgeries on wounded servicemembers, including those with severe and multiple injuries.

Kateryna Vilchevska - the head of Ukraine's only hemostasis pathology center at Okhmatdyt National Specialized Children's Hospital, which she herself established. More than 2,000 patients receive treatment there each year. She implemented an application-based system and modern medicines currently used by over 120 children and 80 adults, and initiated the creation of Ukraine's first register of patients with hemophilia.

Yurii Dmytruk - an orthopedic trauma surgeon at the Okhmatdyt National Specialized Children's Hospital. In July 2024, after a Russian missile struck the hospital, he provided surgical care to the injured despite being wounded himself and helped clear debris from the destroyed building.

Oleh Zelenchuk - a surgeon at the Heart Institute. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, he has performed surgeries on internally displaced persons and wounded servicemembers. In total, he has carried out more than 3,000 operations on the heart and major blood vessels.

Andrii Kaulko - a surgeon from Zaporizhzhia. Under martial law, he has performed more than 500 emergency surgeries, including procedures for polytrauma, blast injuries, and gunshot wounds.

Oleksandr Kvasha - an anesthesiologist at the Heart Institute. He successfully provided anesthetic care during an artificial heart implantation. He was among the first in Ukraine to introduce myocardial protection techniques into pediatric and neonatal cardiac surgery.

Yurii Mikheiev - a combat medic and a major of the medical service. He organized the work of eight surgical departments. Since July 2022, he has personally provided surgical care to more than 1,300 servicemembers, and under his leadership, more than 18,000 operations have been performed.

The honorary title Honored Healthcare Worker of Ukraine was conferred on:

Hennadii Butakov - a paramedic from the Kirovohrad region. After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, he assisted civilians and military personnel in the Kherson, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions and met evacuation trains carrying internally displaced persons.

Larysa Varchenko - a senior feldsher from the Kherson region. During the occupation, despite enemy bans, she organized the operation of a medical transport vehicle and assisted patients. She continues to provide care to residents of the de-occupied areas of the Kherson region.

Vitalii Osipov - a medical technician from the Cherkasy region. As part of an evacuation team, he repeatedly visited de-occupied areas of the Kherson region. He took part in evacuating critically ill children from hospitals in the Zaporizhzhia region and helps transport the wounded from active combat zones to hospitals in the Cherkasy region.

The honorary title Honored Artist of Ukraine was conferred on:

Vasyl Liulka - an artist from Kolomyya. He has created more than 3,000 paintings and 10 interior panels on Carpathian themes, with a total area exceeding 100 square meters.

Mykhailo Khodanych - a senior sergeant and artist-sculptor from the Zakarpattia region. He is the designer and illustrator of dozens of children's, fiction, and scientific books, as well as educational programs for students. After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, he joined the Territorial Defense Forces, while continuing to create sketches of his brothers-in-arms.