Zelensky awarded Alikseenko and Tishaev the Cross of Combat Merit for 165 days at the front line
Executive summary
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed decrees awarding the Cross of Combat (Military) Merit to two Territorial Defense soldiers, Private Oleksandr Aliksei(en)ko and Junior Sergeant Oleksandr Tishaiev, for holding a frontline observation post together for 165 days on the Zaporizhzhia line; reporting names, ranks and locations are consistent across multiple Ukrainian outlets [1] [2]. The awards are presented within a broader push to formalize and elevate the Cross of Military/Combat Merit — Zelensky proposed giving the medal greater legal status and concrete benefits and by mid‑2025 some 318 recipients had been noted [3] [4] [5].
1. What happened: two soldiers honored for 165 days on a frontline
Ukrainian outlets reported that Zelensky signed decrees awarding the Cross of Combat Merit to two Territorial Defence soldiers who “continuously held a frontline position and engaged in combat for 165 days” — identified as Private Oleksandr Aliksiienko (also spelled Alikseenko/Aliksyeyenko in some reports) and Junior Sergeant Oleksandr Tishaiev (Tishayev) — for service on the Zaporizhzhia direction near Verbove, Mala Tokmachka and Orikhiv [1] [2] [6].
2. Why the detail matters: duration, location, and duties
Reports emphasize both the unusual duration and the tactical conditions: the two men are credited with jointly holding an observation position for 165 days amid mortar and drone attacks, repelling assaults, using electronic‑warfare tools and evacuating wounded under fire — specifics cited in the presidential office summary and regional reporting [2] [6]. Those operational details underpin the formal award rationale [1].
3. Name and spelling inconsistencies across reporting
Sources use slightly different transliterations: Aliksiienko, Alikseenko, Aliksyeyenko and Tishaiev/Tishayev all appear in English‑language reports. The core facts — two Territorial Defence soldiers of the 115th/138th battalion were awarded for 165 days at a Zaporizhzhia observation post — are consistent despite variant spellings [2] [1] [6].
4. The Cross of Combat/Military Merit: evolving status and scale
The Cross was established in May 2022 as a presidential military distinction and has been awarded repeatedly; Zelensky has sought to change its legal status so it grants tangible benefits and sits in the awards hierarchy between Hero of Ukraine and the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi. By July 2025 officials noted 318 awardees and Zelensky submitted draft legislation to formalize benefits for recipients [7] [3] [4] [5].
5. Broader awards context: mass decrees and ceremonies
The Alikseenko/Tishaiev awards were part of larger waves of recognitions: Zelensky has publicly presented Crosses and Golden Star/Hero titles at ceremonies since 2022 and late‑2024, and in October 2025 decrees named hundreds of defenders receiving state honors including the Cross of Combat Merit [8] [9] [10]. This indicates the award functions both as individual recognition and as an instrument of state morale and public record [10].
6. Alternative perspectives and limitations in reporting
Available sources are official and regional Ukrainian outlets that relay presidential decrees and unit accounts; independent verification of battlefield claims (duration, exact actions during 165 days, casualty numbers, and tactical outcomes) is not provided in the cited pieces. Those outlets frame the narrative as presidential recognition; critics or independent analysts questioning criteria or selection processes are cited only in broader debates about award transparency, not specifically about these two soldiers [5] [3].
7. Why debates over award status matter politically
Zelensky’s push to give the Cross of Military Merit concrete legal benefits and higher hierarchical place in the awards system signals a desire to institutionalize recognition and link it to pensions or privileges — a move that simultaneously elevates recipients and shapes public memory of the war. Advocates call for transparency and standardization in award criteria; some civil‑society groups have urged clearer rules to avoid politicized or arbitrary distinctions [3] [5] [4].
8. What reporting does not say (and why that matters)
Available sources do not provide independent battlefield verification, third‑party corroboration of every tactical claim, nor comment from the awardees themselves in the cited pieces. They also do not include dissenting voices specifically about these two awards; thus conclusions about precise tactical impact rest on official and regional reporting rather than open‑source battlefield evidence [2] [1].
Conclusion: Multiple Ukrainian sources record that President Zelensky awarded Private Oleksandr Aliksei(en)ko and Junior Sergeant Oleksandr Tishaiev the Cross of Combat/Military Merit for 165 continuous days at a Zaporizhzhia frontline observation post; the story sits inside a wider effort to formalize the award’s benefits and to publicly honor frontline endurance [1] [2] [3].