Lieutenant Yurii Kusyi has been posthumously awarded the Combatant Cross of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The distinction was conferred in accordance with Order No. 478 of 30 May 2026.
On Ukraine’s Independence Day, 24 August, the honorary breast badge and the distinction “Honour and Remembrance” were presented to the mother of the fallen serviceman, Mariia Kusiĭ. The ceremony took place with the participation of Busk Mayor Rostyslav Slipets, who handed the award to the family. The Order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the conferment of the award was publicly read out by Captain Ivan Tsikhotskyi, a representative of the Second Department of the Zolochiv RTCC and SP.
Twenty-four-year-old Lieutenant Yurii Kusyi, a platoon commander in the 45th Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, was killed on 13 March 2022 during a massive missile strike by Russian forces on the territory of the International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security in the village of Starychi. Together with his comrades-in-arms, he was undergoing training, instruction and combat coordination there before deployment to the front.
It took almost two years to identify the defender’s remains. After his identity was established, Yurii Kusyi was buried in the village cemetery in his native village of Ozhydiv.
The Combatant Cross is an honorary breast badge of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, awarded posthumously to the families of fallen servicemen and servicewomen as a symbol of gratitude for their conscientious fulfilment of military duty, courage and dedication to the defence of Ukraine. The “Honour and Remembrance” breast badge, in the shape of a poppy flower, is a mark of respect for the family of the fallen defender.
Eternal memory to Yurii Kusyi and to all Ukrainian soldiers who gave their lives for Ukraine’s independence.