In the USA, Ukrainian flight attendant-rescuer Serhii Prykhodko was posthumously awarded the Captain Mbaye Diane Medal for exceptional courage. This is the highest award for peacekeeping activities of the United Nations.
This medal was awarded to a civilian for the first time in history, told “UP. Life” at the airline company “Ukrainian Helicopters”, where Serhiy worked.
According to his wife Tetyana, Serhiy comes from Boryspil. His parents worked at the airport all their lives. Since childhood, he loved airplanes and dreamed of flying. When he grew up, he got a job as a flight attendant and flew almost all over the world.
As Volodymyr Tkachenko, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ukrainian Helicopters, said, the airline has been participating in peacekeeping missions for over 20 years.
On March 7, 2025, the crew performed the tasks of the UN mission in the Republic of South Sudan. The evacuation helicopter landed at the designated point with all official safety guarantees. However, as soon as the landing began, they opened fire on the aircraft.
When shots rang out all around, Serhii Prykhodko covered the people climbing on board with his body. The man was mortally wounded, but saved the lives of civilians.
Despite the fact that the helicopter received more than 20 holes, the wounded ship’s commander Serhii Muzyka and co-pilot Dmytro Teplikh were able to lift the helicopter into the air and take it out of the shelling. They landed safely and evacuated eight people to safety.
On June 5 in New York at the headquarters of the United Nations Organization, during a solemn event, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres posthumously awarded Serhiy Pryhodek with the Medal of Captain Mbaye Diane, who in 1994 during the genocide in Rwanda sacrificed his life to save people.
Serhiy’s award was presented to his 6-year-old daughter Elizaveta. The wife of the deceased Tatyan was also present at the ceremony.
