Zelenskyy awards Order of Freedom to Berdiansk teenagers killed by Russia
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has posthumously awarded the Order of Freedom to Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov, two teenagers who were killed by Russian forces in occupied Berdiansk.
Source: presidential decree of 19 July
Quote: "Tihran Ohannisian, a student at Berdiansk all-through comprehensive school No. 7 run by Berdiansk city council in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and Mykyta Khanhanov, a student at Berdiansk secondary school No. 1 in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, shall receive posthumously the Order of Freedom for civic courage, patriotism, and selfless defence of the sovereignty and independence of the Ukrainian state, constitutional rights and human freedoms."
Background:
- On 24 May, Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov were charged with allegedly plotting railway sabotage by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. The case was being prepared for trial, and the Russian Federation planned to sentence the boys to 20 years in prison.
- On 15 June, the European Parliament adopted a resolution demanding that Russia stop persecuting Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov, release them and allow them to return to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
- On 24 June, Russian propagandists reported the murder of "two pro-Ukrainian terrorists", who turned out to be Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov. Before his death, Tihran recorded a video that ended with the words "Glory to Ukraine!" The Russians had accused the teenagers of murdering a military serviceman and a police collaborator.
- A lawyer and representative of the Ohannisian family said that the Russian authorities in Berdiansk may have secretly buried the bodies of Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov in the summer of 2024.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
