The Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk presented state and departmental awards to the officers who make a daily contribution to the future Victory and have showed special courage in the fight against the enemy.

The award ceremony was held on the occasion of the 30^th anniversary of the SSU’s special purpose unit ‘A’.

‘Over the years, as independent Ukraine was growing, the SSU Special Force was developing dynamically. They gained combat experience to effectively defend Ukraine. Now we can see: that was the right way. Today, the SSU Special Operations Center ‘A’ performs extremely complex missions. Over time, the unit has become the best of the best, having written many pages in the history of our struggle and our future Victory. However, we are not resting on our laurels, we are moving forward,’ said Vasyl Maliuk.

According to him, the SSU Special Operations Center ‘A’ sets high professional standards not only for the Defence Forces, but also for colleagues abroad. As a result, many Ukrainians want to join the unit to serve and defend the country.

The SSU Chief thanked the Special Force for their unique missions behind enemy lines and high performance at the front, including over 1,000 russian tanks destroyed by the SSU, most of which were results of the ‘A’ unit’s efforts.

‘Every serviceman of the Center understands that in order to be effective on the battlefield, we must train, improve ourselves and be proactive at all times. This applies to both people and technology. So, we are moving forward. I am grateful to the leadership of the State and the Service for supporting our operational plans and for the high appreciation of the Center’s contribution to the fight against the adversary,’ said Yevhen Khmara, Head of the SSU Special Operations Center.

‘The Center is one big operational and combat family. It is a real fist that we use every day to kick the russians in the teeth. So, my traditional wish to each of you: may the number of combat deployments be always equal to the number of safe returns back to base. I am sure that together we will drive the invaders out of our land and win!’ the SSU Head congratulated the ‘A’ special purpose unit.

During the ceremony, the participants observed a minute of silence in the memory of the Heroes who died in the war.