For Courage and Bravery (Ukraine)

For Courage and Bravery (Ukrainian: За мужність та відвагу, romanized: Za muzhnistʹ ta vidvahu) is an honorary award established by the President of Ukraine to recognize distinguished combat performance, courage, bravery and heroism of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, National Guard of Ukraine, State Border Service of Ukraine, Security Service of Ukraine, State Special Communications Service of Ukraine, State Special Transport Service of Ukraine, during the protection of state sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of Ukraine, while conducting combat operations and performing special tasks.

History of the award
At meeting held at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on August 18, 2015, a proposal was made to develop a presidential award to be presented to the units that distinguished themselves in the anti-terrorist operation in the Donbas. It was decided that this award would take the form of an honorary ribbon to be attached to the staff of the unit's battle flag.

On the same day, the Minister of Defense, Colonel-General Stepan Poltorak, signed a letter addressed to the President Petro Poroshenko with a request to consider and sign the draft Decree of the President of Ukraine "On the award of the President of Ukraine – Ribbon to the Battle Flag "For Courage and Bravery". This decree was to have approved the regulations on the award and its design.

Without waiting for the signing of the decree, the Ministry of Defense decided to order the production of the ribbons. They were ready on August 21 and attached to the battle flags of the 14 units awarded them so they could be presented by President Poroshenko at the March of Independence held in Kyiv on August 24, 2015.

On November 19, 2015, the draft decree "On the award of the President of Ukraine – Ribbon to the Battle Flag "For Courage and Bravery" was considered by the State Awards and Heraldry Commission. At the time Ukrainian law did not provide for collective awards. Because of this the commission decided to propose to the Ministry of Defense "to work out the issue of the legal status of installing the Ribbon to the Battle Flag "For Courage and Bravery" as a non-state award."

By the time of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 the legal barriers to Ukrainian state awards being presented to collective entities had been removed. On May 5, 2022, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, issued a Decree establishing the honorary award "For Courage and Bravery." The award was established to recognize "the combat feats of personnel of military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations, courage and heroism shown by servicemen in the struggle for the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, honoring their high fighting spirit and will to victory, as well as for the purpose of development of the traditions of the Ukrainian Ground Forces and its sister service branches of the Armed Forces."

Description
The honorary award "For Courage and Bravery" is awarded by the President of Ukraine at the request of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the event that a military unit is awarded the "For Courage and Bravery" honor, a double-sided ribbon of green color (the 2015 version had a blue ribbon) is attached to the finial of the pole of the Regimental Battle Colour of the corresponding military unit, trimmed along the perimeter with a golden edging.

On one end of the ribbon, on both sides, the inscription "ЗА МУЖНІСТЬ ТА ВІДВАГУ" (FOR COURAGE AND BRAVERY) and the image of the Emblem of the Princely State of Volodymyr the Great in gold embroidery. The other end of the ribbon is decorated on both sides with a floral ornament and an image of the Sign of the President of Ukraine. The ends of the ribbon are decorated with gold fringe. The ribbon size is 250 x 12 cm. It is tied with a 30 cm bow with two horizontal rays and fastened with a blue-yellow rosette with a diameter of 10 cm. The ribbon is an integral part of the battle flag.

In the case of a military unit awarded the honorary award "For Courage and Bravery", that ribbon is placed on top of the blue ribbon with the inscription of the military unit's honorary title.

Servicemen of military units awarded the "For Courage and Bravery" ribbon can wear signs indicating their affiliation to the respective military units. Descriptions and drawings of such signs, and the order of their wearing are to be established by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.