Awards to the Best

Forces can be proud of. Very much has been done. The still existing problems are being addressed. Today’s army can be said to have become a powerful rapid deployment force. We will the current problems according to the plans we have drawn up,” Minister Marchuk said.

That there are certain problems in the army does not mean at all that we should ignore the successes of those who loyally serve the Fatherland. This is what President Leonid Kuchma told Minster Marchuk when he received him on the eve of the function. Under presidential edict, Colonel Eduard Frantskevych was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Third degree, and Colonel Anatoly Piliavsky and Lieutenant-Colonel Oleksiy Taran received Order of Danylo of Halych, for a considerable personal contribution to Ukraine’s defense capability, high professionalism and on the occasion of the twelfth anniversary of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Dozens of officers received Military Service in Ukraine, Distinguished Service, and Fatherland’s Defender Medals, as well as other awards. The Minister of Defense also awarded UAH 2000 cash prizes to the winners in the contest for the best coverage of military and patriotic issues in literature and art.

On the eve of Ukrainian Armed Forces Day, the General Headquarters hosted a ceremonial reception during which Defense Minister Yevhen Marchuk awarded Ukraine’s best officers. Opening the ceremony, the Defense Minister congratulated the Fatherland’s defenders on the holiday, and wished then and their families all success, happiness and prosperity. According to the minister, the Armed Forces are today a reliable guarantor of Ukraine’s security. “In spite of the well-known problems, the Armed Forces have everything at their disposal to protect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of our state... There are many things the Armed