4 June at 12.00 in the National reserve "Sophia of Kyiv", the House of Metropolitan, will be awarded the Order of national Hero of Ukraine" 23 great Ukrainians. In the rear and at the front they bravely defended our country from enemy attacks. Eight of them today are no longer alive. They gave their lives for peace and prosperity in our land. "National Hero of Ukraine" is a non – governmental award. This is a completely volunteer project, designed to tell about the heroism of Ukrainian soldiers, volunteers, physicians and other worthy children of Ukraine. More than 300 people from 16 countries gave their silver for manufacturing orders.

How did the project and what he is like, we asked him the initiator of Andrew boechko.

Whose initially it was the initiative?
- Originally it was my initiative. I have a friend Dmytro Shcherbakov. He is a jeweler, made pendants for soldiers ATO with charms. Beginning in October 2014 such suspension at the front was already more than a thousand. The order we decided to do in October after visiting a military hospital on the street when the guys said that no awards that represent them, but nobody gets. Then we thought about what we ought to do and the order. It is Dima developed the design of the order. Friends-artists we helped.

Andrew Boechko with Emine Acuevue

- With the state in this matter was not trying to cooperate?
- No. I don't want the officers of the General staff and the Ministry of defence has decided whether to give the order, because then the awardees will be some officials, those who are listening to Muzhenko and Minister of defence, not ordinary soldiers. In addition, if it is a state award, the members of the volunteer battalions will not receive any orders. The state, therefore, this Order is irrelevant. We collected the silver, I bought boxes, coins of the National Bank of Ukraine. The state has not offered us any help.
- And you asked for help?
- In November I showed the order to the officials of the presidential Administration ('t want to name specific names because one of them helps us personally), wrote the AP the letters, what we do, said, told, shown. No reaction followed. The state, therefore, we're not here to plug. If the state wants to recognize the order - it can recognize. This right of the state. But the award, the Commission must consist solely of people who fought, served, helped, and not officials, who sat in the headquarters.
Many officials from the Ministry of defense asked, what right do we have to make the order. And I always answered them: "If people have the right, got an army to feed, clothe and shod her, heal and equip - then we have every right and reward".
- Who are these people who will decide who is worthy to receive the order of "National hero of Ukraine"?
- When we decided to implement this project, I asked people in a social network "Facebook" on the names of people they considered heroes - fighters, volunteers, physicians and so on. About 200 thousand people have read or somehow commented on this information, or call people. As of the end of November 2014, the people called meritorious, was about a thousand people. There are about two thousand. I just counted how many people offered to reward that or another person. For example, George the Fat of the proposed award of about 300 people, Alexei Mochanov - about 500 people, Aminu Okoawo - 70 people, and so on. I took those people who were mentioned most often, and asked them to choose from the list that we have, people who, in their opinion, worthy of reward. And offered them all get into the premium Commission. If they chose a lot of people - so people believe them. And I can also believe their opinion about what is happening at the front. Automatically they all refused the award because it is impossible to be in a premium fee and receive the award.
Among these people, the representative of the political movement "Free Caucasus" Amina Okueva, defender of the Donetsk airport, the captain of the Nikolaev 79th separate airmobile brigade Callsign Marshal, PAL Ivanovich Bear, commander of the 2nd battalion of the 95th airborne brigade, volunteer of the "Popular front" Georgy Tuka, Alexey Mochanov and others.
Someone once said on some personal belief: "I can't be in the Commission. I'll send my opinion about who should be rewarded", someone is fighting, as a Marshal. Initially in a premium fee of 10 people. Tomorrow will be 5 people remaining at the front. There are people who train the special forces and don't want to publicly their names. I think someone from a fee award itself tomorrow I will say something. And the people fighting on the front - "Shine" just will not. But they are in a premium fee and help us to find special heroes who continue to fight today.
- How many categories?
- Two nominations only. The first category is represented by the soldiers who fought with weapons in their hands, and the second are those people who haven't held a weapon in their hands - they are volunteers, medics, chaplains, journalists, public or political figures who helped the army. Different people are present in the list. Russian musician Andrei Makarevich, for example, which supports Ukraine, but he asked him not to mention, because he has a lot of problems because of this. There is also the President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite, U.S. Senator John McCain - a lot of them people supported. But we have not yet advertised, awarded, because you first need to align themselves with these people. We gave using the corresponding letters of the guardian and foreign delegations. Perhaps people do not want to receive these awards, will be asked to reward someone else. It happens. Among those tomorrow award, 5 people asked to reward yourself instead of other people. As Yuri Butusov, for example, Ilya Lysenko (Hottabych), volunteer Marina Komarova, Bear PAL Ivanovich - they asked to reward people who, in their opinion, more worthy.
In addition to a fee award, we were asked to analyze the same lists a number of media, including the Censor.NO, the newspaper "Facts", the newspaper "Today", the newspaper "Mirror of week", the programme "Brave hearts", all-Ukrainian Union of veterans of the ATO, "Combat brotherhood cyborgs" and so on. They offered some people, very many of the names we knew were only callsigns. Here we were helped by the Union veterans of the ATO - they found these people, talked with them, with their commanders. To recreate a complete picture. The selection process occurred from January literally yesterday. A lot of people help us - and journalists, and volunteers, and leading.
- How many people will receive tomorrow awards?
Tomorrow will be awarded 23 - 14 fighters and 9 volunteers. 8 awards will be given posthumously. After this ceremony at the end of the month will be the same award in Dnepropetrovsk, I hope. Since delegation of Dnipropetrovsk volunteers will travel to the award ceremony in Kiev. They want to do a similar project for its own account again, without public funds.
- Why in Dnepropetrovsk?
- I suggested this idea to volunteer organizations Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava, Kharkiv, Lviv. Dnepropetrovsk is located relatively close to the front line and there for a day, half a day to invite the warriors. Warrior to come to Kiev very hard - it's a two or three day trip. Dnepropetrovsk closer, so you can do there. In addition, there is a very strong team of volunteers - military medics, chaplains, volunteer organization. They are collected, know each other, they agreed that he would take care of everything, how to get people to do surveys on all sites, Newspapers and so on. So does Poltava. The Governor of Poltava region is ready to help them. Lviv is also ready to do it, they too will arrive at this award - 'll see how we do it.
Separately we will do big award on the day of the airborne troops, it will be August 2nd. We will take a group of journalists-journalists of the order and go to the front. This plans. But they are there. The project "Braveheart" is ready to help us in this. The same thing we will probably do with the units DUK PS separately. While the first award ceremony will be held tomorrow, it will be the hardest part.
- What you will receive tomorrow of Ukraine?
- Heroes will receive the Order, the kit which includes plastic card Bank "Globus" is 1000 UAH and coins of the national Bank of Ukraine "Revolution of Dignity". In addition, they will receive an invitation for a two-week vacation in one of the sanatoriums. We also begin to write about these people of the book, which we plan to release by September, a sufficiently large circulation, distribute them to universities, schools. And I want to offer to the Ministry of education, these people discovered "the Lesson of knowledge" in schools this year, told what they fought, how they fought, what is courage, love for Ukraine.

some funds on the manufacturing of the same orders and so on...
- Not a single penny to produce orders from anyone I have not received. There are people who helped financially so that we could bring the families of the deceased, the same Temur Yuldashev, or other people who live in villages, and they don't even have money to come to Kiev. 90% silver for orders sent people. More than 300 people from 16 countries sent me this silver. My friend Dmytro Shcherbakov and his boys cast these Orders. And they didn't take money for it. Description of the Order, book the order, stripes insignia, ribbons - I was provided with Igor Mazepa, member of the presidential Commission on the awards, and the Pasha Ciganik, Deputy Director of "Sophia of Kyiv". They offered to help when she learned about the project. The coins I bought for the money. Thanks to the NBU, who sold them to us at cost. Box I also ordered myself. By and large all the costs that were - coins and boxes, it is about 20 thousand hryvnias. It's my money.
- The owners of the resorts also agreed to accept characters?
In Transcarpathia there is a very beautiful tourist resort - Spa resort "Kosino". His master Alexey evancho very long ago we said, "Guys, we have very good water, to heal the wounds. Please send us soldiers with injuries - are we going to settle, feed and treat. For free!" In addition, one of the gas companies in Ukraine said that they are ready to give your Wellness complex in Volovets, called Smerichka, mothballed for two years ' under the rehabilitation of Ukrainian troops. The only problem that we face now - need to find money to feed these children and the families of the victims, and to hire staff to contain this complex. It is a little money. Much already there: beds, furniture, fridges, TVs, electricity. There are a few holiday houses in Transcarpathia, the owners of which are willing to meet and provide 5-10 rooms for these guys and military families.
- That is, the project is completely volunteer?
- 100%. One single penny in it. In addition, the national reserve "Sophia of Kyiv", which is under the Ministry of culture, has provided us with the room, equipment for the event, and they asked their patrons to help us to organize it. This is the only government institution which helped us. I thank them for that much. But we have not really asked, because we believe that this is a popular order. We just caught the idea and it is implemented, and all that is made is made by the people.
- You don't write angry letters on the subject of what heroes are many, and from hundreds to allocate 23, may not be correct?
- Do not write because I have long said that initially we manufactured a hundred awards. But to reward a hundred people simultaneously is impossible. This is only the first award, the ceremony will be attended in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Lviv, at the forefront. The awards will take place every week in the programme "Brave hearts". Two or three people will receive awards directly in the program.
Tomorrow at 12:00 all interested journalists can come in "Sofia Kyivska" and mingle with our heroes. Come, let's all welcome!

Source: http://censor.net.ua/