Ukrainian Rescuer Becomes First Civilian in History to Receive Highest UN Peacekeeping Medal

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has posthumously awarded the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage to Ukrainian flight attendant and rescuer Serhii Prykhodko.

The ceremony, which took place on June 5, at the UN headquarters in New York, marked the first time in the history of the organization that this prestigious honor was bestowed upon a civilian, according to Babel.

The award was accepted on behalf of the fallen hero by his wife, Tetiana, and his six-year-old daughter, Yelyzaveta. Established in 2014, the medal is the highest honor for peacekeeping service, typically reserved for military or police personnel.

Prykhodko lost his life in March 2025 during an emergency UN evacuation mission. While serving as a rescuer on a helicopter crew, he acted to protect civilians boarding the aircraft when they suddenly came under fire.

By positioning himself between the passengers and the threat, he suffered a fatal wound but ensured the safety of those he was tasked to protect.

Despite the attack, which left the helicopter significantly damaged, Prykhodko’s colleagues, Serhii Muzyka and Dmytro Teplykh, managed to take off and successfully evacuate eight people. The crew’s actions during the mission amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine have been widely recognized as an act of profound bravery.

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During the event, Secretary-General Guterres addressed the tragedy, stating, "No one should die while serving the cause of peace." He further emphasized that "attacks on peacekeepers constitute a gross violation of international humanitarian law."

During the first several months of 2026, Ukrainian authorities and military personnel successfully evacuated approximately 2,000 residents from frontline territories in southern Ukraine. This effort included the rescue of nearly 500 children and 32 individuals with limited mobility.

While government authorities formally executed the operations, military units from the Civil-Military Cooperation Department provided critical support by transporting civilians along secure routes whenever local services could not reach specific settlements.

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