Serviceman and former deputy of the Truskavets City Council Pavlo Shvets has been awarded the state decoration of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the “Cross of Honour”. This became known from the order of the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, No. 629 of 12 June 2026, by which Pavlo Kostiantynovych Shvets was decorated for his service and personal contribution to the defence of the state.
Pavlo Shvets has been in the ranks for almost ten years: he first took part in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO), and later continued his service during the full-scale war. In 2017, he left a well-paid job abroad and returned to defend Ukraine, his family and the Truskavets community.
As a company sergeant major, in the spring of 2025 he underwent training at a tank range near one of the Ukrainian cities, where he showed initiative in organising the service. At the end of spring, he voluntarily agreed to deploy to the area of hostilities in Donetsk region to serve at fortified positions. Despite a planned rotation every two weeks, Shvets expressed a wish to remain at the positions without relief and carried out combat missions until 6 October 2025.
That same year, Pavlo was seconded to a tank battalion to guard and cover heavy equipment and to take part in combat operations. After arriving at one of the positions, where 10 soldiers of the platoon were stationed, he, as the senior, organised camouflage, the provision of technical water, the setting up of a field bathhouse, the improvement of dugouts and the accommodation of the personnel. He also established a system of shifts and communications, which helped prevent large-scale fires and preserve military equipment and the lives of the soldiers.
On his own initiative, Pavlo Shvets took part in reconnaissance of the area between several settlements to set up strongpoints and observation posts. After they were established, he voluntarily served at one of the positions for two months without relief, until he was wounded and evacuated for treatment.
While in command at the positions, the company sergeant major ensured that the unit was supplied with inverter generators, battery power packs and internet connectivity. When logistics were complicated, he and a chosen soldier would walk every day to designated locations to bring back provisions and carry out rotation of the personnel. During such sorties, he repeatedly delivered to the tank battalion captured serviceable UAVs, other technical equipment and small arms. At the positions, Pavlo used the callsign “Staryi Reks” (Old Rex).
During his service at the strongpoints and observation posts, the unit in which Shvets served eliminated enemy forces, seized enemy data and passed it on for further analysis. Pavlo himself took an active part in these actions.
In conversation, Pavlo Shvets is a man of few words and emphasises that he dedicates the decoration to the blessed memory of Iryna Farion (1964–2024), with whom he once worked together in the Svoboda party, as well as to the late warrior from Truskavets, Andrii Naroienko (1966–2025). He also notes how important it is for him to remain true to his convictions and traditions.
“We are lads from Banderstadt, we go to church, we honour our parents. No one can party as hard as we do, until the trumpets sound and the drums start to beat…” — this is how Pavlo Shvets explains his choice to go to war, quoting a song by Braty Hadiukiny.
In Truskavets, Pavlo Shvets is well known not only as a deputy of the previous convocation of the city council, but also as a specialist and master of his craft. In peacetime, his forge was in great demand, and Pavlo himself is regarded as one of the best blacksmiths in Truskavets and the surrounding area.
Now, in addition to his service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Pavlo, together with his wife Yuliia, is engaged in volunteer work. In particular, through the Volunteer Initiative “Taras Luzhetskyi Dental Clinic”, vehicles are sent to the front line for units fighting in the hottest sectors of the front.
Pavlo Shvets is also known for his devotion to his family: he supports his wife and sons Yakiv and Heorhii, and is proud of their achievements in education and sport. At the same time, he dedicates his combat decoration to those who gave their lives for Ukraine.
The Truskavets community congratulates Pavlo Shvets on receiving the high decoration of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the “Cross of Honour”, and wishes him good health, God's protection and a speedy return home after Ukraine's victory.