Hero City of Ukraine () is a Ukrainian honorary title awarded for outstanding heroism during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. 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.
History
Soviet Ukraine
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." On June 22, 1961 (the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War) the term "Hero City" was applied to Kyiv in a 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.
Since Ukrainian independence
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. The award is related to the modern Ukrainian title of the Hero of Ukraine. In a public broadcast, Zelenskyy stated:
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.
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.
List of Hero Cities
Awarded by the Soviet Union, renewed by independent Ukraine
Odesa
– Siege of Odesa
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.
Sevastopol
– Siege of Sevastopol
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.
Kyiv
– Battle of Kyiv (1941)