In the course of the working visit to Donetsk region, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has awarded servicemen from the 92nd separate mechanized brigade of the East operative command of the Land Forces of Ukraine who detained Russian servicemen Yevgeny Yerofeyev and Alexandr Alexandrov in a battle near Schastia on May 16, 2015.
The president’s press service reported that the head of state has presented high state awards to the militaries.
In the ATO headquarters in Kramatorsk, the president held a meeting with the ATO commanders. The head of state pointed at the professionalism of servicemen – new Ukrainian strategic and tactical thinking was grown from the operations held by the headquarters. ‘A style of troops’ management has been developed,’ the president said.
‘I know that you are not rear-end generals and officers. Many of you had to directly participate in the organization and holding of combat operations. You deserved respect of your soldiers,’ Poroshenko said.
Yerofeyev and Alexandrov were held near the town of Schastia in the Donbas conflict area on May 16. One of them was injured in the arm, the other in the leg.
On May 19, Ukrainian investigators charged Captain Yerofeyev and Sergeant Alexandrov with crimes stipulated in Article 258 3 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code (participation in terrorist activities).
On May 22, Kyiv’s Shevchenkivsky District Court ordered that both men be remanded in custody until July 19, inclusively.
At present, the men are being held at the Main Clinic Hospital of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry in Kyiv. They have undergone several surgeries.
