Zelenskyy awards Hero of Ukraine to commander who evacuated wounded soldiers from shelled military unit

On October 25, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored Second Lieutenant Vladyslav Polsky with the prestigious Hero of Ukraine title. The decision was formally announced on the president's website, designating Polsky for his extraordinary bravery and selflessness in defending Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

According to the decree, Polsky's actions were motivated by his personal courage and selfless service to the Ukrainian people. As a commander of an assault company, he rescued two wounded soldiers who had returned from a hazardous combat mission. The two assault soldiers from the 475th Separate Assault Regiment Code 9.2 had successfully captured enemy positions, but on their journey back, they were targeted by enemy Molniya drones, sustaining severe injuries and becoming immobile.

In a dramatic turn of events, a ground-based robotic platform was dispatched to evacuate the wounded soldiers. However, an enemy drone destroyed the platform, leaving the soldiers vulnerable in an open field, exposed to aerial reconnaissance. Recognizing the imminent danger, Polsky did not wait for command's approval. He swiftly drove a civilian pickup truck into the strike zone, carefully loaded the seriously wounded soldiers into the truck bed, and transported them to safety at high speed, putting his own life at risk to save his comrades.