Petro Poroshenko met the families of servicemen who perished in the last days of defence of the new terminal of Donetsk international airport and till the recent times have been considered missing.

In the course of the meeting with the families of the perished heroes, the Head of the State emphasized that the defenders of the airport were and will forever stay in the public memory as famous "cyborgs" – fearless and invincible Ukrainian warriors, who showed everyone their freedom-loving, sacrificial and undefeated Ukrainian spirit. They became symbols for the whole country, the role model to be followed by all military men. Thanks to their heroic example, firmness and courage, military glory of Ukraine was revived, underlined the President.

The Head of the State, on behalf of the whole Ukrainian people, thanked the families for the feat of their perished sons, parents and men, and presented the families of the heroes with State Awards of Ukraine.

In particular, Sergeant Oleksii Marchenko and Junior Sergeant Vladyslav Alekseichuk were awarded with the Orders "For courage", III degree. They drew attention of the enemy to themselves and helped to successfully evacuate the wounded warriors from the new terminal. When they were surrounded, they engaged into the fight with superior enemy forces, showing the ideal of self-sacrifice and bravery.

At the end of the meeting, the President assured the families of the perished warriors that he and the state will further do everything possible for all these victims of Ukrainian people were not in vain. "We will defend our state and will build clear future for our children", – emphasized the Head of the State.