Petro Poroshenko has noted an important role which plays the participants of warfare in Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) at a difficult time of Ukrainian history.

For significant personal contribution into the development of veteran movement, patriotic education of youth and on the occasion of celebration the year of participants of warfare abroad in Ukraine, the Head of State awarded 38 Afghan war veterans with the commemorative medals “25 years of withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan”.

“Nowadays, Ukraine is in need of your responsibility, force, courage and confidence. Over 35 years you have carried a high title of Afghan war veteran”, - underscored Petro Poroshenko.

According to the President of Ukraine, the state must devote much attention to patriotic education and in this issue the authority relies on the assistant of participants of warfare in DRA. The Head of State noted that it is necessary to foster new heroes on the examples of Afghan war veterans.

It should be noted that among those who received awards, there was legendary intelligence man Hero of the USSR Valerii Hrynchak. Valerii Ivanovych is always welcome visitor at the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and he has carried out over many years the work on military-patriotic education of current generation of Ukrainian intelligence men, sharing his invaluable battle experience with them.

The employees of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine among who are a lot of participants of warfare in DRA over the period of 1979–1989 and the disciples of Valerii Ivanovych, congratulate him on a reward and express genuine respect to a courage hero.