Hero City of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Місто-герой України, romanized: Misto-heroi Ukrainy) is a Ukrainian honorary title awarded for outstanding heroism during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1] It was awarded to ten cities in March 2022, in addition to four already-named Hero Cities of the Soviet Union. This symbolic distinction for a city corresponds to the distinction of Hero of Ukraine awarded to individuals.
During the Soviet era, twelve cities were awarded the title of Hero City, an honour awarded to cities whose residents showed outstanding resolve and courage in the Great Patriotic War. The honorary title is related to the Hero of the Soviet Union award, the highest distinction available in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Four of these cities are located in Ukraine, with the title having been awarded to Odesa, Sevastopol, Kyiv and Kerch while the country was known as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The status of these cities was inherited by independent Ukraine when the Soviet Union was dissolved. The two Crimean cities of Sevastopol and Kerch were occupied by Russia at the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War in February 2014, and were declared annexed in March 2014, but remain in internationally recognized territory of Ukraine.
The usage of the term hero city is dated to articles in Pravda as early as 1942. The first official usage of the title is dated to May 1, 1945, when Joseph Stalin issued his Supreme Commander Order No. 20 commanding to fire salutes in the "hero cities Leningrad, Stalingrad, Sevastopol, and Odesa."[2] On June 22, 1961 (the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War) the term "Hero City" was applied to Kyiv in ukases that awarded Kyiv the Order of Lenin and introduced the Medal "For the Defence of Kyiv".
The award of Hero City of the Soviet Union was officially introduced on May 8, 1965, by the ukase of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of USSR, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. In 1988 the issuance of the award was officially discontinued.
The modern title of Hero City of Ukraine was introduced on March 6, 2022, by decree No. 111 of 2022 by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1] The award is related to the modern Ukrainian title of the Hero of Ukraine. In a public broadcast, Zelenskyy stated:
"I decided to mark our Hero Cities with a special title that already existed. When another invasion was defeated. But a similar invasion. Another invasion. But no less cruel invasion."
In addition to renewing the status of Kyiv, Odesa, Sevastopol and Kerch, decree 111 also awarded the title to the cities of Chernihiv, Hostomel, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mariupol and Volnovakha.[3][4]
On March 25, 2022, Zelenskyy gave the title of Hero City to another 4 cities by decree No. 164/2022, namely: Bucha, Irpin, Okhtyrka and Mykolaiv.[5]
The Siege of Odesa was launched in early August 1941, by Romanian forces fighting alongside their German allies for control over the Black Sea port city. The fierce battle in defense of the city lasted until October 16, when the remaining Soviet troops, as well as 15,000 civilians were evacuated by sea. Partisan fighting continued, however, in the city's catacombs. Odesa was awarded the title Hero City by the Soviet Union in 1965, and its title was renewed by independent Ukraine in 2022. The city would suffer periodic bombardments from Russian forces, but did not see large-scale fighting during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Siege of Sevastopol began on October 30, 1941, when German and Romanian troops had advanced to the outskirts of the city from the north. The Soviet Black Sea port of Sevastopol was a heavily defended fortress on the Crimean peninsula. Having failed to take the city, Axis forces began a siege and heavy bombardment, with such unusual pieces of ordnance as the Mörser Karl self-propelled mortar, and the gigantic Schwerer Gustav railroad cannon. A second Axis offensive against the city, launched in December 1941, failed as well, as the Soviet army and navy forces continued to fight fiercely. Eventually the city was taken in June 1942. It was liberated in bloody fighting in May 1944. Sevastopol was awarded the title Hero City in 1965 by the Soviet Union. Together with the rest of Crimea, the city was annexed and occupied by Russia in 2014. Its title of Hero City was renewed by independent Ukraine in 2022.
The Battle of Kyiv (1941) was the largest encirclement battle in the summer of 1941. Kyiv is the capital and largest city of present-day Ukraine. When the Germans commenced their offensive on July 7, Soviet forces concentrated in the Kyiv area were ordered to stand fast, and a breakout was prohibited. Defence of the pocket was fierce. Thousands of civilians volunteered to help defend the city. Eventually Kyiv was taken on September 19. Over 600,000 Soviet soldiers were taken captive when the pocket was cleared. The prolonged resistance effectively disrupted the German plans of blitzkrieg. However, in military terms, the battle was a great victory for the German Army and a disaster for the Soviets. It had a huge effect on morale, and Adolf Hitler praised the victory as the greatest battle in history.
During the German occupation of Kyiv, hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed or deported for forced labour. Kyiv again became a battlefield when advancing Soviet forces pushed the Germans back westwards, expelling German forces from the city on November 6, 1943. Kyiv was awarded the title Hero City by the Soviet Union in 1965.
The Hero City monument in Kyiv was erected in 1982 to reflect this status.
Kyiv would again see large-scale fighting during the Russian invasion of Ukraine when Russian forces unsuccessfully attempted to capture the city from February 25 to April 2, 2022. The Hero City title of Kyiv was renewed by Ukraine in 2022, and the Hero City monument was decommunized in 2023 by removing Soviet symbols and changing the data of the start of World War II on the memorial from 1941 to 1939.
– Battle of the Kerch Peninsula
The Ukrainian port of Kerch in the east of the Crimean peninsula, formed a bridgehead at the strait dividing Crimea from the Southern Russian mainland. After fierce fighting, it was taken by the Germans in November 1941. On December 30, 1941, the Soviets recaptured the city in a naval landing operation. In May 1942 the Germans occupied the city again, yet Soviet partisan forces held out in the cliffs near the city until October 1942. On October 31, 1943, another Soviet naval landing was launched. The largely ruined city was finally liberated on April 11, 1944. Kerch was awarded the title Hero City by the Soviet Union in 1973. Together with Crimea, the city was annexed and occupied by Russia in 2014. Its title of Hero City was renewed by independent Ukraine in 2022.
The Siege of Chernihiv was launched on February 24, 2022, by the Russian Forces. According to the British Ministry of Defence, Russian forces had failed to capture the city and instead opted to bypass the city through an alternative route to Kyiv.[6][7] Ukrainian officials reported that the Russian forces were heading towards the nearby towns of Sedniv and Semenivka. Ukrainian military forces reportedly captured significant numbers of Russian equipment and documents. The siege was relieved on March 31.
– Battle of Antonov Airport and Battle of Hostomel
The Battle of Antonov Airport began on February 24, 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. While initial assaults from Russian Airborne VDV units were repulsed by Ukrainian Forces, the airport eventually fell on February 25 following a second wave of forces. However, despite Russian control of the airport, Ukrainian forces continue to engage Russian units.
The Antonov An-225 Mriya, the world's largest airplane, was at the airport at the time of the opening phase of the battle. It was initially confirmed to be intact by an Antonov pilot, despite the fighting.[8] However, on February 27, Ukrainian officials reported that the Mriya had been destroyed by a Russian airstrike.[9] On March 4, Russian state-owned television channel Channel One Russia aired footage showing that the Mriya had been destroyed.[10] By April 2, the Russian army retreated and Hostomel was retaken by Ukrainian troops.[11]
The Battle of Kharkiv began on February 24 as part of Russia's Eastern Ukraine offensive. Kharkiv, located just 32 kilometres (20 mi) south of the Russia–Ukraine border and a predominately Russian-speaking city, is the second largest city in Ukraine and was considered a major target for the Russian offensive from the start.[12] The stiff Ukrainian resistance, though, meant that the Russian advance to that city would later end in failure, and the battle ended on May 14 with all Russian forces withdrawn away from the city and towards the Russian border. The battle has been described by a Ukrainian presidential advisor as the "Stalingrad of the 21st century."
The Battle of Kherson began on February 24, 2022, with Russian Ground units as well as Airborne Forces launching an attack from the Crimean Peninsula, crossing the Dnieper River and capturing the city itself on March 2, 2022. Kherson was the first major Ukrainian city captured by Russian forces in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. By 11 November, Russian forces withdrew from the city and Ukrainian troops hoisted the Ukrainian flag in the city. Paolo Gentiloni, EU Commissioner for the Economy, said commenting on a video on the liberation celebrations: "Kherson, the only capital occupied by the Russian invasion, has been liberated. So peace is closer."
The Siege of Mariupol was a military action in Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, when forces from Russia and the separatist Donetsk People's Republic engaged Ukrainian forces in the city of Mariupol. The battle, which was part of the Russian Eastern Ukraine offensive, started on February 24, 2022, and concluded on May 20, 2022, when Russia announced the remaining Ukrainian forces in Mariupol surrendered[13] after they were ordered to cease fighting.[14]
The Battle of Volnovakha was initiated on February 25, 2022, by Russian and DPR forces as part of the Eastern Ukraine offensive of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The battle resulted in the capture of the city on March 12, 2022, by DPR forces. The governor of Donetsk Oblast, Pavlo Kyrylenko stated that the city had been largely destroyed.[15][16] The Associated Press independently confirmed that the town had been captured by pro-Russian separatists and much of it had been destroyed in the fighting.[17]
The Battle of Irpin began on February 27, 2022, with Russian Ground units entering the city. They captured half of the city by March 14. The town was retaken by the UGF on March 28 after a month-long battle.
The Battle of Bucha began on February 27, 2022, with Russian Ground Forces units entering the city. The town was retaken by Ukrainian forces on March 31 also after another month-long battle. Following that evidence of mass graves dug in the town soon revealed the fact that during the battle, there were Russian Ground Forces-involved war crimes against the town's population and personnel of the Armed Forces, known as the Bucha massacre, perpetrated by personnel of RGF units stationed there as well as by paramilitaries. The revelations of the murders of the town's residents during the brief Russian occupation of the town by RGF servicemen before its liberation by the Armed Forces of Ukraine shocked the international community.
The Battle of Okhtyrka began on February 24, 2022, with Russian Ground units trying to enter the city. By 26 March, Russian forces withdrew from the city, but bombardments continue. Okhtyrka survived the shelling of a military unit, the destruction of a thermal power plant, the dropping of three vacuum bombs, and shelling by missiles and aircraft.[18]
The Battle of Mykolaiv began on February 26, 2022, with Russian Ground units trying to enter the city. On 8 April, Russian forces were repulsed from the city, but bombardments continued on until the liberation of Kherson.
