The Mayor of the capital, Vitaliy Klitschko, awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Kyiv to the writer Lina Kostenko and the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny. Klitschko announced this on social media on May 8th.

The Kyiv City Council decided to "express its honor and respect" by awarding the title of Honorary Citizen to writer Lina Kostenko and General Valeriy Zaluzhny.

"Lina Vasylivna has embodied the resilience and free and talented spirit of Ukrainians for many years. The spirit of freedom and courage! Valeriy Fedorovych was honored for his personal merits during the defense of the capital and in defense of the state sovereignty and freedom of Ukraine," the publication reads.

The awards were presented to Lina Kostenko and Valeriy Zaluzhny at the writer's home.

The list of honorary citizens of Kyiv also includes Boris Johnson, Mykola Amosov, Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, Jamala, Ivan Marchuk, Boris Oliynyk, Boris Paton, Taras Petrynenko, Ada Rogovtseva, Bohdan Stupka, and others.