Volodymyr Zelenskyy Posthumously Conferred the Title of Hero of Ukraine on Andriy Parubiy, Hennadii Afanasiev, Stepan Chubenko, and Volodymyr Vakulenko

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed decrees posthumously conferring the title of Hero of Ukraine on Andriy Parubiy, Hennadii Afanasiev, Stepan Chubenko, and Volodymyr Vakulenko.

The Head of State noted that Ukraine is expanding its tradition of respect and gratitude precisely on Defenders' Day, on the Feast of the Intercession. According to the President, since the beginning of the full-scale war, the highest title of Hero of Ukraine has been conferred exclusively on warriors. During this time, 722 servicemembers have been honored, including 445 posthumously.

"Today, I signed decrees awarding the title of Hero of Ukraine to four more Ukrainians - tragically, posthumously: Andriy Parubiy, Hennadii Afanasiev, Stepan Chubenko, and Volodymyr Vakulenko. These were special people. And they too were defenders - defenders of the idea of Ukraine, of our independence," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

Andriy Parubiy, a Member of Parliament of Ukraine across several terms, had been active since the late 1980s and in 1990 was elected deputy of the Lviv Regional Council. During the Revolution of Dignity, he was one of the leaders of the Maidan Self-Defense and served as commandant, organizing the tent camp and maintaining public order. In 2014, he served as Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, and in 2016-2019 as Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. On August 30, this year, Andriy Parubiy was murdered in Lviv.

Hennadii Afanasiev, a servicemember and civic activist, took part in pro-Ukrainian rallies from the first days of Russia's occupation of Crimea. In May 2014, he was arrested and spent 767 days in Russian captivity, enduring harsh treatment, torture, and psychological pressure. After his exchange in 2016, he campaigned for the release of Ukrainian political prisoners and authored a book about his imprisonment, Rise After a Fall. With the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Hennadii Afanasiev was killed in action on December 18, 2022.

Stepan Chubenko, a schoolboy from Kramatorsk and goalkeeper of the local FC Avangard, took part in pro-Ukrainian rallies during the Revolution of Dignity. He supported Ukrainian servicemembers and elderly residents of his city. He openly voiced patriotic views and removed the flag of the terrorist "DPR" from the city square. In the summer of 2014, returning from a friend in Kyiv to Kramatorsk through temporarily occupied Donetsk due to the absence of direct rail connection, he was detained by Russian militants. For several days, the terrorists brutally tortured Stepan before executing him by firing squad on July 27.

Volodymyr Vakulenko, a writer and civic activist, authored 13 books, including children's, translated into several languages. A participant of the Revolution of Dignity, he was wounded in Mariinsky Park. In 2015-2016, he engaged in volunteer activities. In March 2022, his native village of Kapytolivka in the Kharkiv region was occupied by Russian troops, who raided his home and repeatedly took Volodymyr Vakulenko away for interrogations. Shortly after, contact with him was lost. Following the liberation of Izyum, Volodymyr Vakulenko's grave was discovered at a mass burial site.

"Their lives were different, and they came from different parts of our country - Lviv region, Crimea, Donetsk region, Kharkiv region - but each of them has now become, for many, an embodiment of that very Ukraine which has shown its character and stood firm against Russia. We honor all our Heroes. We remember. And we thank everyone who devotes their life to Ukraine," the President underscored.