Zelenskyy responded to a petition to award Stepan Giga the title of Hero of Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reviewed a petition to award the title of Hero of Ukraine to People’s Artist Stepan Giza. The response noted that an online petition alone does not constitute grounds for granting this title. The decision is made in accordance with established state procedures.
This was reported with reference to the website of the Office of the President.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy reviewed the petition, which gathered over 25,000 signatures. The document details citizens’ appeal to award the title of “Hero of Ukraine” to People’s Artist of Ukraine Stepan Petrovych Giga for his “outstanding, long-standing contribution to the preservation, development, and promotion of Ukrainian culture, and for the formation and affirmation of Ukrainian national identity.”
“Thank you to everyone who joined this petition for your active civic stance and desire to honor the memory of the renowned Ukrainian artist Stepan Giga (posthumously),” the president’s website states.
It is noted that the title of Hero of Ukraine is a state award and the highest honor in Ukraine, conferred upon citizens of Ukraine for performing an outstanding heroic act or achieving an outstanding professional accomplishment.
This nomination may be submitted to the President by the Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, the Office of the Prosecutor General, ministries, and other state bodies.
“The bodies authorized to submit proposals for state awards send a proposal and a standard award letter addressed to the President of Ukraine, specifying the specific merits of the individual that served as the basis for the request to award them a state honor,” reads Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s response.
The statement also notes that an online petition is not a direct basis for conferring the title of Hero of Ukraine. Therefore, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to review the matter of conferring the title of Hero of Ukraine on Stepan Giza and to submit relevant proposals.
Recently, a petition appeared on the Office of the President’s website proposing to posthumously award People’s Artist Stepan Giza the title of “Hero of Ukraine.” The author of the petition, Galina Papazova, emphasizes that the singer’s contribution to the development of Ukrainian song is not merely a creative achievement but a part of the cultural code that has been shaped over decades.
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