19 defenders were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, including the fallen pilot Dzhus
1 October 2024 13:58
Pilot Andriy Pilshchikov, call sign “Dzhus”, was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. Presidential Decree No. 658/2024 of 30 September was published on the President’s website on 1 October, the Day of Defenders of Ukraine.
“For personal courage and heroism in defending the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, selfless service to the Ukrainian people, I hereby decree: to award the title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the Golden Star to Andriy Borysovych Pilshchikov, Major (posthumously),” the decree reads.
In total, President Zelenskyy has awarded 19 servicemen the title of Hero of Ukraine, ten of them posthumously.
For personal courage and heroism in the defence of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, selfless service to the Ukrainian people, the President of Ukraine has decided to award the title of Hero of Ukraine and the Order of the Golden Star:
- Voloshyn Dmytro Serhiiovych – Colonel;
- ORL Tymofii Romanovych – Junior Sergeant;
- Bohdan Oleksandrovych Tsymbal, Lieutenant;
- KROKOVTSYI Oleksandr Volodymyrovych, Sergeant;
- Manko Valentyn Mykolaiovych, Lieutenant Colonel;
- Serhiy Serhiyovych Serhiyenko, soldier;
- FEDOROVSKYI Oleksandr Mykolayovych, soldier;
- SHEMETA Dmytro Serhiiovych, junior lieutenant;
- Oleh Viktorovych Shyriayev – Captain.
The President also awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the Golden Star:
- BAHNIUK Serhii Kalenykovych – soldier (posthumously);
- BADIKA Denys Mykhailovych – senior lieutenant (posthumously);
- BOMBELI Vladyslav Oleksandrovych – junior sergeant (posthumously);
- DEMCHYK Andrii Volodymyrovych – soldier (posthumously);
- ZAMOTSKOI Ihor Vadymovych – junior sergeant (posthumously);
- Pilshchykov Andrii Borysovych – Major (posthumously);
- Svishch Oleksandr Oleksandrovych, a soldier (posthumously);
- STANKUS Artur Albertasovych – soldier (posthumously);
- Tymus’ Yurii Volodymyrovych – Lieutenant Colonel (posthumously);
- Vitaliy Olehovych KhARCHENKO, a senior soldier (posthumously).
On 25 August last year, two L-39 aircraft collided in the sky over Zhytomyr region while performing a combat mission. The collision killed three pilots of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade: Majors Viacheslav Minka and Serhiy Prokazin, as well as Captain Andriy Pilshchikov, call sign Juice.
Since the beginning of the Great War, Pilshchykov has been involved in the air defence of the capital, and was one of the “Ghosts of Kyiv”.
The Ukrainian Air Force later shared that Pilshchikov had been dreaming of F-16s in the Ukrainian sky.
