Zelenskyy awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to a soldier who held his position for 491 days
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to Konstantin Vlasenko, a soldier in the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade. According to the Office of the President, the soldier spent 491 days at his combat post, 232 of them alone. Even after suffering a severe injury and losing both feet, he continued to monitor the movements of Russian troops and relay important information to his comrades.
The Office of the President announced the awarding of the medal to Kostyantyn Vlasenko on October 30. The soldier serves in the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Kostyantyn Ostrozky. For a long time, he held the “Vertun” firing position near the village of Synkivka in the Kharkiv sector. According to the Office of the President, the soldier carried out combat missions under constant Russian shelling. He prevented the enemy from advancing and maneuvering, destroying Russian troops and equipment even as they approached his positions. Vlasenko also coordinated the use of his unit’s firepower and drones.
On February 15, Russian drones and artillery completely destroyed the “Vertun” position. Kostyantyn Vlasenko and his comrade survived, but while retreating, they came under attack from enemy drones. The soldier sustained severe gunshot wounds to both legs, and his comrade went missing afterward. The wounded soldier managed to reach cover near a school. There, he administered first aid to himself. An attempt was made to evacuate the soldier using a ground-based robotic system, but Russian forces destroyed it before it reached the position.
Other evacuation methods were also dangerous. In particular, the possibility of retrieving the soldier on foot was considered; however, due to constant shelling, this option could have cost the rescuers their lives. Meanwhile, Kostyantyn Vlasenko’s condition was deteriorating. He lost one foot to gangrene, and according to the Office of the President, he had to amputate his other leg himself due to a wound he had sustained. Despite this, the soldier continued to monitor the enemy and relay important information about their movements to his comrades.
How the wounded soldier was evacuated
Kostyantyn Vlasenko was not evacuated until October 4. The operation was carried out through the joint efforts of soldiers from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade, the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade named after Koshovy Ataman Ivan Sirko, and the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Roman the Great. Preparations lasted several months. Military personnel from various units and a manufacturer of modular unmanned systems participated in the effort. To rescue the soldier, they used the Heavy Shot “Ayudag-6,” a heavy-duty, multifunctional hexacopter. It was retrofitted and adapted to transport the wounded soldier.
The technical preparation of the drone was carried out by Vlasenko’s comrades, Yuriy Haponyuk and Dmytro Melnychyn. On the ground, the team’s actions were directed by Senior Private Vasyl Prokopyvnyuk, while Senior Private Serhiy Stoyan directly piloted the hexacopter. The operation lasted just over an hour. After it was completed, Private Ruslan Chernov provided first aid to Kostyantyn Vlasenko and arranged for his transport to a medical facility.
The Office of the President specifically recognized the military personnel who participated in the rescue of the defender. Serhiy Stoyan has already received the “For a Life Saved” medal. The other participants in the operation are also set to receive state awards. According to the Office of the President, the relevant nominations have already been prepared.
The Verkhovna Rada supported the posthumous conferral of the title of Hero of Ukraine on Mykola Karpyuk and Viktoria Roshchina. The final decision on awarding the highest state honor is to be made by the President of Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to Major Marat Mambetov, who was the squadron commander of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade “Ghost of Kyiv.”
