For a year now, Lviv has been holding a ceremony to award the St George’s Badge of Honour (posthumously) to the defenders of Ukraine’s independence who have been defending Ukraine’s independence since 2014 and since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. The next award ceremony will take place on Wednesday, 29 May, on the Day of Heroes.
The St George’s Badge of Honour is a city award given by the city of Lviv for outstanding services to the city. The award is depicted in the form of a cross with a circle inscribed with the image of St George, the patron saint of Lviv.
This award is given to all Lviv residents who gave their lives for Ukraine. The award ceremony takes place on the occasion of major state and national holidays.
The first ceremony took place on 26 May 2023 on the occasion of the Day of Heroes, when 21 servicemen were awarded (posthumously). The next ceremony took place on 27 June on the occasion of the Constitution Day of Ukraine – 26 servicemen were awarded (posthumously). On Flag Day and Independence Day of Ukraine, 23 servicemen were awarded (posthumously), and on the eve of the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, 25 servicemen were awarded (posthumously). Also, on 6 December, on the occasion of the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 25 Lviv residents were posthumously awarded.
And on 22 January 2024, on the Day of Unity of Ukraine, 25 soldiers were awarded (posthumously), and on the Day of Lviv, 25 Lviv residents were awarded (posthumously). In other words, a total of 170 Lviv defenders have already been awarded (posthumously) this award.