President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 24 August awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi, commander of the Third Army Corps. This is stated in a decree published on the president’s website.
The document says the serviceman received the highest state award for personal courage and heroism shown in defending Ukraine’s state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for selfless service to the Ukrainian people. The award was conferred together with the Order of the Gold Star.
From 2002, Andrii Biletskyi led the Kharkiv detachment of the All-Ukrainian organisation “Tryzub” named after S. Bandera. He later worked with the Ukrainian Conservative Party. In 2003, he began active co-operation with the Kharkiv branch of the SNPU and actively supported resistance to the liberalisation of the SNPU and its transformation into the All-Ukrainian Association “Svoboda”.
On 28 November 2013, during the Euromaidan events, members of the organisation he founded, “Patriot of Ukraine” (together with other nationalist organisations), formed the backbone of the newly created “Right Sector”.
On 12 March 2014, Biletskyi was appointed head of the “Right Sector”-East security bloc covering four regions: Kharkiv, Donetsk, Poltava and Luhansk.
In autumn 2014, Biletskyi was elected a People’s Deputy and became deputy chair of the National Security and Defence Committee, which he used to strengthen the front. After Mariupol was shelled by Russian artillery on 24 January 2015, Biletskyi planned the Shyrokyne offensive operation. On 10–15 February 2015, the Azov Regiment liberated five settlements and pushed the front line back from Mariupol to a safe distance.
In spring 2015, Biletskyi helped establish the Civil Corps Azov civic organisation and the first modern children’s camp, “Azovets”.
On 14 October 2016, Biletskyi became leader of the National Corps political party, which brought together activists from the Azov Civil Corps, ATO veterans, volunteers, entrepreneurs and other concerned citizens.
At the start of the full-scale war, he led the Azov Special Operations Forces regiment, which later grew into the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. Last year, he took command of the newly created Third Army Corps—one of the most effective units defending Ukraine on the toughest sections of the front.