The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, signed decrees awarding the honorary title 'Hero City of Ukraine' to 16 cities in seven regions of Ukraine. This was stated by the head of state during an address to the Ukrainians.
Zelensky awarded the title of 'Hero City of Ukraine' to 16 cities Vitaliy Saenko
"Today, on this Day of Defenders, on Pokrov, we celebrate more hero cities - cities of heroes. I signed a decree. Cities that have saved thousands of lives of our people. Cities that are defending our entire state - in the full sense of these words," noted Zelensky.
As the president explained, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, these are Pavlohrad, Nikopol, Marhanets; in the Donetsk region - Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, Konstantynivka, Pokrovsk, Sloviansk; in Zaporizhzhia - Huliaipole, Orikhiv; in Mykolaiv region - Voznesensk and Bashtanka; in Sumy region - Sumy, Trostianets; in Kharkiv region - Kupiansk, and in Khmelnytskyi region - Staro Konstantyniv.
As the head of state explained, Pavlohrad is a city of strength for Ukraine, a city that serves as a strategically important evacuation center for our people, a city that has become a hospital base for the wounded from the front.
Also, Nikopol is a truly heroic industrial city, under numerous shelling. "A city that continues to work," added Zelensky.
At the same time, Marhanets is subjected to strikes every day. "This is a city that struggled after the Russians blew up the Kakhovka dam, but which endures. And this is thanks to its community, the heroism of our entire Dnipropetrovsk region and every region that helped," noted the president.
Moreover, Druzhkivka is one of the brightest cities of Donbas, now scarred by Russian shelling, but a city that defends itself and protects.
Kramatorsk is one of the foundations of Ukrainian industry, one of the strongest centers of all Eastern Ukraine. A city that has been defending the state since 2014.
Konstantynivka stands against extreme Russian brutality, and the community holds strong in the city, and the city holds strong.
Pokrovsk is a hero that means so much for Ukrainian defense. "And this is a city of many of our heroes, our warriors, who are holding strong in fierce battles in the Pokrovsk area, in the Pokrovsk direction, and in the city itself, destroying the occupier in a way that is globally felt. The world sees this heroism," emphasized Zelensky.
Sloviansk is a symbol city, the city from which the defense of Ukraine began, and a city that empowers our warriors now, working to defend Donbas.
Huliaipole has a great history, and it is a century of Ukrainian strength in the South. "And now the city is defending the region and the state," emphasized the president.
Orikhiv is subjected to constant shelling and holds very strong positions in our defense. Voznesensk and Bashtanka are cities of people who did not surrender despite everything, who fought. "These are cities that allowed Ukraine to thwart Russian plans to capture our South," emphasized Zelensky.
Sumy is a hero city, a city of heroes, and a city that the Russians prepared to capture and even announced it, but did not and will not succeed. "One of the biggest failures of the Russian Federation," stated the head of state.
Trostianets is a city that heroically held out in 2022. "Now it is on defense. And it was there, in Trostianets, in the first year of this war, that the wide offensive of the Russians on Akhtyrka, on Lebedyn, on Sumy was stopped," reminded the president.
Kupiansk is a city where it is particularly difficult now, where fighting continues, which suffers from Russian treachery, cruelty, but which is defended by truly heroic people, who heroically protect Kharkiv region from Russia.
Staro Konstantyniv is a city of strategic importance for our entire state, for defense, aviation. "Almost 460 Russian strikes have been made on Staro Konstantyniv during this war - the city heroically endures," reported the president.
"The resilience of each is the resilience of all of Ukraine, and the heroism of the people begins with the courage of each of our hearts," emphasized Zelensky.
As the head of state reminded, in 2022, a special title was established specifically for Ukrainian cities that provided Ukraine with the opportunity to endure in that extremely difficult year. Initially, ten cities were awarded the title of hero cities. These are Bucha, Volnovakha, Hostomel, Irpin, Mariupol, Mykolaiv, Akhtyrka, Kharkiv, Kherson, Chernihiv.
