On the Day of the Marine Corps of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the defenders and presented them with state awards. He thanked every sailor, sergeant and officer of the marine units and emphasized that they had already made a significant impact on the course of the war. “You have proven yourselves in combat since the first days of the war, taking part in each of the truly strategic battles on our southern and eastern borders. These include the defense of Zmiinyi Island, of the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions; hard combat work in the Kherson region, which to a large extent determines the fate of this war; and the defensive operations in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” the Head of State noted. The President also added that Ukraine will continue to enhance the strength of the Marine Corps and it will always remain a special kind of troops: in importance, equipment, and respect. “It is impossible to imagine the strength of Ukraine without your strength – the strength of the Ukrainian Marines. Ukraine is proud of you. Ukraine relies on you. And all our people must always remember that such tough strength, such hard work, such strength of yours and such heroism of the Marines is accompanied by an extremely tough battle path and, unfortunately, losses – painful losses,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized. The memory of all the Marines who sacrificed their lives in the battles for Ukraine and its independence was honored with a minute of silence. The President presented the warriors with state awards. The Cross of Military Merit was awarded to the following: Master Sergeant Ihor Hrabovoy. The unit under his command destroyed about a platoon of the Storm-Z group during a battle. Since last October, he has been performing combat missions with his unit near the village of Krynky in the Kherson region. During this time, Ukrainian servicemen pushed the Russian invaders out of their positions, gained and expanded the bridgehead. Ihor Hrabovoy has personally eliminated five occupiers. Lieutenant Colonel Vasyl Sosnovskyi. Last summer, under his command, a strike was launched at concentration points of armored vehicles and a T-72 tank with its crew was destroyed. Since last fall, he has been performing combat missions with his unit near the village of Krynky. During this time, the warriors destroyed more than 30 pieces of equipment and about a hundred Russian invaders. Sailor Taras Kharchenko. This February, near the village of Krynky, he evacuated 13 seriously wounded warriors. Later, his unit was caught under fire while conducting reconnaissance and making passages through mine barriers, but despite this, they managed to set a new route for the units' movement and made the passages. Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored one more warrior with the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, I class, another one with the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, II class, and four others with the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, III class. One defender received the Order “For Courage”, II class, and ten others – the Order “For Courage”, III class.