On the Day of the Special Operations Forces, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the forward command post of the Special Operations Forces in the Kharkiv direction, in the area of Vovchansk; he congratulated the warriors on their day and presented them with state awards.
Zelensky emphasized that the Special Forces fighters are engaged in the hottest spots of the frontline – they successfully carry out special operations and fulfill their tasks.
“I want to thank you for your heroic operations both behind enemy lines and during the defense and de-occupation of our territories, cities and villages, starting with the defense of the Donetsk airport in 2014, then Hostomel, the Kherson region and the operation in the Kharkiv region. Please, take care of yourselves. Today you are in this area, which is probably one of the most difficult. The whole country is counting on you, we will definitely win,” the Head of State said.
The President presented the warriors with state awards, including two titles of Hero of Ukraine, and gave the 142nd Training Center of the Special Operations Forces the honorary name of Khorunzhii-General Vsevolod Zmiienko.
Volodymyr Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi received a report from the Commander of the Special Operations Forces Oleksandr Trepak on the strategy of development of the SOF, as well as on the performed and planned tasks. Brigadier General Oleksandr Trepak spoke about the three principal areas of the Special Operation Forces' activities: psychological operations and non-kinetic actions, resistance movement in the temporarily occupied territories and actions of the Special Forces units.
They also discussed further reform and development of SOF capabilities to meet current challenges, using the best international and domestic experience gained since 2014.