On February 23, 2024 Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Estonia Maksym Kononenko, on behalf of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 3rd Class, to the great friend of Ukraine, Minister of Defense of Estonia Hanno Pevkur.
Few Estonian politicians have done more to strengthen the defense capabilities of our state than him. Persistently, systematically, and wisely explaining in Estonia why it is necessary to support Ukraine with weapons and ammunition, initiating projects for defense support to Ukraine on international platforms. It is difficult to count how many times he has visited Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion to personally communicate with the military, see the situation on the ground, and understand the urgent needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The award ceremony took place in the presence of the Minister's family members, close friends and acquaintances, as well as his team and the Ukrainian community in Estonia – the Congress of Ukrainians in Estonia and the Association of Ukrainian Organizations in Estonia, to whom the Minister addressed in Ukrainian. In form, it was an unexpected and pleasant surprise, in essence, it was a powerful gesture of support.
The award ceremony took place on the eve of the second anniversary of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the tenth anniversary of russian aggression against our state. Therefore, the Ambassador, in his welcoming speech, placed special emphasis on joint efforts to counter russian aggression: "We cannot change geography: russia has been and will remain our eastern neighbor. We cannot change the totalitarian russian regime, nor can we change the mentality of russians ready to kill, torture, destroy, and drown entire countries and nations in blood for the sake of restoring the pretended greatness of the ‘’russian state.’’ But we can ensure that neither Ukraine nor Estonia is ever alone in this struggle again. Freedom and an unyielding desire to be free flow in our veins. That is why we must stand together in the fight against tyranny, which threatens our freedom, democracy, and European values."