SBU officers, jointly with servicemen of the Joint Forces Operation and local authorities, laid flowers at the monument to the fallen anti-terrorist operation officers near the battlefield on the outskirts of the town of Sloviansk.

"We commemorate those who gave their lives for Ukraine. We thank the warriors who went through the war and continue their struggle in the east of our country, " said the head of the SBU CSO "A" in the Joint Forces Operation area.

On May 5, 2014, large-scale combat operations between Ukrainian servicemen and IAF members took place. The hours-long battle turned the anti-terrorist operation into a full-scale conflict for the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The same day, armored personnel carriers of the SBU CSO "A" and the National Guard moved towards the town of Sloviansk. Near ​​the Semenivka railway crossing, the military came under ambush. Despite inferior numbers, the Ukrainian servicemen accepted battle.

As a result, the SBU lost two officers of the Center of Special Operations "A": Colonel Oleksandr Anishchenko and Major Ruslan Luzhevskyi. The fallen servicemen were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the Gold Star (posthumously). Warrant officer of the National Guard of Ukraine Viktor Dolinskyi was awarded the Order for Courage posthumously.

Seven years have passed since the bloody battle, however the history of Ukraine will forever remember the feat of Ukrainian officers.

Sloviansk was the first Ukrainian city captured by Russian sabotage groups during the war in the east of the country. It was liberated by Ukrainian troops in less than three months.

Memory eternal to the Heroes!