Volodymyr Zelensky awarded the head of the farming enterprise «OAZIS-R» and a volunteer from Kherson region Oleksandr Kyrychyshyn the Order “For Merit” III class.
The head of state signed the corresponding decree on the Day of the Ukrainian Volunteer.
Before the start of the full-scale war he ran an agricultural business. After Russia’s invasion on 24 February 2022, he left the farm and joined the ranks of Ukraine’s defenders.
During his service he took part in battles to liberate the right bank of Kherson region. Ukrainian servicemen, including Kyrychyshyn, took occupiers prisoner, captured enemy equipment, and evacuated wounded comrades from the battlefield.
During the occupation his farming enterprise was looted and almost completely destroyed by Russian forces. According to preliminary estimates, the damage amounted to about 150 million hryvnias.
After completing his service, Kyrychyshyn returned home and began restoring the farm.
Most of the fields have already been demined, machinery has been repaired and new equipment purchased, the land is being sown again and crops are being harvested.
Also on the Day of the Ukrainian Volunteer in the Kochubeivska community paid tribute to the fallen defender of Ukraine Volodymyr Heshka. His mother was presented with the posthumous state award.