On May 5, 2022, the first state military award of the President of Ukraine “Cross of Military Merit” was introduced during the large-scale Russian invasion. A few days later, the Museum fund collection was replenished with unique artifacts. Among the presented projects, the country’s leadership selected the best models for final consideration. The authors of the sketches were well-known Ukrainian medalists Oleksandr Lezhnev, Oleksandr Sopov and Volodymyr Taran.
It is noteworthy that the design of these samples is mainly comes from the phalerist traditions of national competitions of the First and the Second World Wars. For example, the historical background of the finally approved award was the Cross of Military Merit that was the highest military award of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the Ukrainian Supreme Liberation Council. In 1944 they were introduced in five classes and soon – in following ones: Golden Cross, the 1st and 2nd class, Silver Cross, the 1st and the 2nd class and Bronze Cross. It was presented only on paper, until Nil Khasevych graphically depicted the award in 1950. He was an outstanding artist, creator of the visual and ideological image of the Ukrainian liberation movement. The following year, the first samples of Crosses were made in Bavaria. A significant difference of the modern award is that the swords on it point upwards, while on the UPA award – downwards.
Today, the Cross of Military Merit is established to honor servicemen for outstanding personal bravery or extraordinary act of heroism during the performance of a combat mission in conditions of danger to life and direct contact with the enemy; for significant successes in the management during military operations, etc. It is significant that in the award hierarchy it occupies a place between the order of the “Golden Star” or order of the State to the title “Hero of Ukraine” and the Order of Freedom. The first knight of the order was Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 180 persons were awarded by it from the moment of its foundation until today (August 2024).
The Iron Cross of the Ukrainian People’s Republic was approved in 1920 for combatants of the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic for participation in the First Winter Campaign of Russian troops in 1919–1920. The appearance of this first state military award seems to break the colonial status of modern Ukrainian military symbols and closes the century-long struggle of Ukrainians for independence. In the same way, during its 50-year history, the Museum purposefully refuses from the Soviet myth of the “great patriotic war” to a specifically national military annals of the 20th –21st centuries.