In his speech at the state awards ceremony held at the Grand Kremlin Palace, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, “Our country has faced many tests. But we have defended our sovereignty in the against them. Today, Russia is once again facing with the same challenge, and the soldiers on the front lines of the special military operation, the officers, the militia and the volunteers show rare courage and sacrifice. We are proud of each and every one of you.”

The Donetsk leader Denis Pushilin and the Luhansk leader Leonid Pasechnik received the First Class Order of Merit while Kherson Mayor Volodymyr Saldo and Zaporozhye Governor Yevgeny Balitsky were awarded with Third Class Merit awards.