A pyrotechnician from Kryvyi Rih received the Order "For Courage" from President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (VIDEO)

A ceremony to commemorate the Day of Ukrainian Statehood took place at Sofiivska Square in Kyiv. Among the honorees was a pyrotechnician from Kryvyi Rih, Lieutenant Colonel of the Civil Protection Service, Oleksiy Kozhem'yaka. He was awarded the Order "For Courage" II degree by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. This information was shared on the page of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on Facebook.

-        "It was very pleasant and touching. Especially since two Heroes of Ukraine were being awarded right next to me!" - shared Oleksiy Kozhem'yaka, expressing his emotions.

Oleksiy Kozhem'yaka graduated from the Kamyanets-Podilskyi Engineering Institute with a specialization in "Management of Engineering and Sapper Units." He has been working in the structure of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine for 27 years, with 17 of those years dedicated to demining.

He emphasizes that currently, the most significant danger in Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk regions comes from minefields left by Russian occupying forces. The complexity of demining lies in the fact that the enemy leaves many mines with "surprises."

In the past six months alone, Kryvyi Rih pyrotechnicians have destroyed more than 2,000 explosive devices in the territories of Kharkiv and Kherson regions. For their work, they utilize a mechanized demining machine, which is employed in the most challenging areas.

Earlier in Odessa, the commander of the Ukrainian Naval Forces awarded a 15-year-old volunteer girl. Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa presented the honorary breastplate of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, "For Support to the Military," to 15-year-old Lidia Nemlii, who is known among volunteers as "Mishka."