In Ukraine, the factory of heroes is running at full speed

Dozens of Ukrainian flags flutter in the wind near the small, half-destroyed chapel. In the cemetery of Chernihiv, in the north of Ukraine, the fighters who died at the front are buried along a large alley with the name in the form of homage: “Avenue of Heroes”. This February morning, Natalia Lysenko, a 52-year-old notary, came to meditate at the grave of her son, Giorgui, killed in Bakhmout three months earlier, at the age of 27. A military superior told him the news by telephone.

The speech is now well-honed: ” He is dead. Be proud of him, because he is a hero. » Wounded three times during his service, the young man had refused to return, despite the pleas of his relatives. He will soon receive the Hero of Ukraine medal – the highest honor – posthumously. For his mother, this does not mean much. “I would rather he be alive than have a medal, she sobbed. But he would have been happy to receive it, and it also counts for his little brother, so I’ll go get it anyway. »

Since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, Ukraine has offered the whole world the face of a heroic and united nation against Moscow. Abroad, this massive resistance commands all the more admiration as no one imagined the country capable of holding out against the Russian steamroller. On February 8, 2023, in the salons of the Elysée, in Paris, it is thus to pay homage to the “Ukrainian people” – and not just one man – that Emmanuel Macron awarded the Legion of Honor to Volodymyr Zelensky. ” It is too much for me, commented the Ukrainian head of state. This is why we attribute it, the president and I, to all the people. » The hero today is the entire population.

A medal “for having kicked the ass of the Russians”

Anxious to honor and encourage this resistance, kyiv has been handing out medals with a vengeance for more than a year. Soldiers aren’t the only ones receiving accolades for their sacrifice or prowess. The Ukrainian authorities massively reward the civilians who participate, at their level, in this fight judged “existential” for the future of their nation. A way to recognize their commitment and to call on the Ukrainians to continue their efforts as the war takes hold.

Vladyslav Mohylnyi received his medal after shooting down a Russian plane with a Stinger missile launcher at the start of the offensive. His battalion had just received this type of weapon supplied by the United States. No one yet knew how to use it. Perched on the roof of a building, under Russian fire, the 26-year-old found himself frantically searching for instructions on the Internet. “We would lie on the ground between two bursts and watch the tutorial on YouTube videos”, says the soldier, seated during a leave in a cafe in Tchernihiv, near the Belarusian and Russian borders.

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