Fallen soldier of 59th SMIB, Pavlo Petrychenko, awarded title of Hero of Ukraine (posthumously)
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, along with the Order of the Golden Star, to Junior Sergeant Pavlo Petrychenko of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade (SMIB) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, an activist who was killed last year in Donetsk region.
The corresponding decree was published on the website of the President’s Office, Censor.NET reports.
"For personal courage and heroism demonstrated in the defense of the state’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for selfless service to the Ukrainian people, I hereby decree:
To award the title of Hero of Ukraine, along with the Order of the Golden Star, to Junior Sergeant PETRYCHENKO Pavlo Viktorovych (posthumously)," the decree states.
As a reminder, Sergeant Pavlo Petrychenko of the 59th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and civic activist was killed on April 15, 2024, during combat against Russian invaders in Donetsk region.
At the onset of the full-scale invasion, he was involved in developing Serhiy Prytula’s volunteer center, and by April 2022, he had joined the Armed Forces.
In late March 2024, he raised a critical public issue by launching a petition to restrict access to online casinos for military personnel during martial law. The petition received over 26,000 signatures. Following this, President Zelenskyy announced that steps were being prepared to regulate online gambling in Ukraine.
Petrychenko served as a UAV unit commander in the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. He was awarded the Iron Cross by Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
