On the occasion of Rescuer's Day, President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, congratulating them on their holiday and awarding them with state honors.
He emphasized that every day and night, following enemy attacks from Russia, all necessary services are present on-site: firefighters, those who clear debris, and provide first aid. Additionally, sapper teams, mountain rescuers, aviation, chemists, psychologists, and engineers are also engaged when needed.
«Thousands of Ukrainian lives have been saved thanks to your dedicated work. Numerous infrastructure facilities have been preserved due to your promptness and professionalism. It is also essential to highlight the work of the evacuation teams «Phoenix», which evacuate people from under fire, working in extremely harsh conditions», – noted Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Head of State also thanked all the caring individuals who come to assist professional rescuers.
The President called for everyone to always remember those who gave their lives saving others. The attendees honored the fallen rescuers with a moment of silence.
«The cruelty of the Russians manifests, unfortunately, in repeated strikes. Often such strikes occur precisely when rescuers have already begun providing assistance after the first hit. This is done specifically to reduce the chances of saving lives and intentionally target those who save lives», – said Volodymyr Zelensky.
The President awarded the «Golden Star» order to Hero of Ukraine, Lieutenant Colonel of the Civil Defense Service Viktor Kuzmenko. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, he has participated in 49 operations to eliminate the consequences of attacks on critical and civil infrastructure in Poltava region. Notably, in February he led a group of rescuers to extinguish a fire following a Russian strike on the gas processing plant area, where high-pressure gas pipelines caught fire. Following that, his group arrived in Poltava, where Russia launched a missile strike on a residential building. Viktor Kuzmenko personally rescued a woman from the rubble, and another 17 people were saved under his leadership within the first 30 minutes. During the elimination of a large-scale fire at an oil depot in the village of Kachanove, which erupted due to a Russian shelling, he led the extinguishing of a 5,000 cubic meter oil tank for three consecutive days, even when his protective clothing melted. Thanks to this, a detonation was avoided, rescuers' lives were saved, and a regional-scale disaster was averted.
In addition, the Head of State awarded 21 rescuers with orders of «For Courage» of II–III degrees and one rescuer – with the Order of Princess Olga of III degree.