Denis Pushilin awarded state decorations to the military of the Somalia assault battalion named after Mikhail Tolstykh

On Friday of November 15, the military personnel of the Somalia Separate Assault Battalion named after Hero of the Donetsk People’s Republic Colonel Mikhail Tolstykh (nom-de-guerre Givi) did a ceremonial forming-up timed to coincide with the 5th anniversary of the unit, the press service of the Head’s Administration reports.

This festive occasion was attended by Head of the Donetsk People’ Republic, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Denis Pushilin; Deputy Chief of the DPR People’s Militia Directorate Eduard Basurin; Nina Tolstykh, the mother of the battalion’s founder; Hero of the Donetsk People’s Republic Akhra Avidzba; Mayor of Makeyevka Sergey Goloshapov and other guests of honor.

The Head of the Republic greeted the military and congratulated them on the five-year anniversary of the unit.

“I would like to congratulate you on the fifth anniversary of the unit’s founding, and I am proud to award decorations to you, to the soldiers of the famous Somalia battalion named after Hero of the Donetsk People’s Republic Mikhail Tolstykh.

Slavyansk, Ilovaysk, the Donetsk airport are the places where you were victorious. Where the enemy was in fear and defeated. And it was so thanks to you and your commanders.

We have repeatedly watched films about our grandfathers who won the Great Patriotic War. Sometimes there were losing options and situations, but they found courage and strength… Now I am proud to say that the heroes live among us. They are the people who at the cost of their lives, at the cost of their health, protect their land, because they think it is the right thing to do.

It is impossible to make people act just that. This is really what is inside us. That is why we proudly consider ourselves Russians, consider ourselves worthy descendants of our heroic ancestors. That is why we look with hope to the future, we believe that our children, grandchildren will be brought up just as we were brought up…

You understand that despite the danger, despite the fact that it is terrifying, you need to defend your land, Fatherland, family. And I am grateful to you for that. We still have to go all the way to victory, because the war continues. But I am convinced that we will be victorious!” Denis Pushilin addressed the military.

Then the Head of the Republic awarded state decorations to the military. Two soldiers are awarded St. George Cross decorations of the 3rd class for their courage and bravery, for saving the military personnel and weapons, successfully completed combat operations. Eleven soldiers, one of them posthumously, are awarded St. George Cross decorations of the 4th class for their personal courage and heroism they showed in combat operations for the defense of the Donetsk People’s Republic.