30 Stars of Ukraine

To celebrate the 30^th anniversary of Ukraine and the establishment of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, the Foundation has identified “30 Stars of Ukraine” who in the past 30 years have made significant achievements in their field and contributed to promoting Ukraine’s image internationally.

The “30 Stars” project is not a contest or a competition, but a way to recognize Ukrainians from many spheres of life. Recipients of the award were selected by a committee organized by the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation. These recipients were recognized on December 29^th, 2021 at a special event of the Ukraine in Washington and Beyond series dedicated to celebrating the people of Ukraine and their achievements.

Watch a recording of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation Virtual Gala

a Presentation of the 30 Stars of Ukraine

For years, Russification has denied Ukrainians their rightful identity. The independence of Ukraine is allowing the country to reclaim its history and that of its people. However, this independence is threatened by Russian hostility toward Ukraine, which has made headlines over the past few weeks as Russia amasses troops at the border of Ukraine for the second time this year. “30 Stars of Ukraine” is just one of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation’s diverse initiatives to support the sovereignty of Ukraine and the US-Ukrainian strategic partnership.

The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation will spotlight three Stars each month throughout 2022.    

30 Stars of Ukraine Videos

January

‍

Oksana Lyniv

Volodymyr Havrylov

Liveuamap

February

Myroslav Marynovych

Serhiy Zhadan

Stanislav Aseyev

Recipients of the 30 Stars of Ukraine award:

1. Major General (ret.) Volodymyr Havrylov: Director of the Veterans Dozen Foundation, Defense Attaché of Ukraine to the US from 2015 to 2018
2. Liveuamap: Global news and information site
3. Oksana Lyniv: Conductor, founder of LvivMozArt Festival and the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
4. Yana Zinkevych: People’s Deputy of Ukraine, founder and Commanding Officer of the Hospitaliery Medical Battalion
5. Myroslav Marynovych: Vice Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University, founding member of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group
6. Oleksiy Haran: Professor at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Scientific Director of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation
7. Serhii Plokhii: Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History, Director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute
8. Serhiy Zhadan: Poet and writer
9. Oksana Zabuzhko: Novelist, poet, essayist
10. Stanislav Aseyev: Novelist, journalist, activist, recipient of the 2021 Taras Shevchenko national prize
11. Oleg Sentsov: Civil activist and cinematographer
12. Ada Rogovtseva: Actress and professor at the Kyiv National University of Arts and Culture
13. Kazka: Pop and electro-folk band
14. Jamala: Singer, 2016 Eurovision winner
15. Julia Daviy: 3D-printed sustainable fashion designer
16. Light balance: LED dance troupe, Golden Buzzer Act on America’s Got Talent
17. Viktor Kee: Cirque du Soleil performer, founder of Art Vision Production and the Viktor Kee Foundation
18. Kseniya Simonova: Sand performance, winner of Ukraine’s Got Talent and Top 3 Act on America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent
19. Ivan Marchuk: Artist, Honored Citizen of Ternopil and Kyiv, One of the “One Hundred Geniuses of Today” of the Daily Telegraph
20. Ksenia Schnaider: Sustainable upcycling fashion brand
21. Vita Kin: Fashion designer, creator of the “Vyshyvanka by Vita Kin” brand
22. Maryna Vasyleva: Designer and owner of Pollardi Fashion Group
23. Valerii Sushkevych: President of the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine
24. Andriy Shevchenko: Former head of the Ukraine National Football Team
25. Oleksandr Usyk: Professional boxer, unified cruiserweight world titles and world heavyweight champion
26. Maksym Krypak: Paralympic swimmer, Hero of Ukraine
27. Max Polyakov: Entrepreneur, Founder of Firefly Aerospace, Cupid, Renatus, and other companies
28. Victoria Repa: Founder of BetterMe fitness platform
29. Reface: Face swap and deepfake technology
30. Grammarly: Free online writing assistant

Additionally, by executive order of U.S.-Ukraine Foundation co-founder and president Nadia McConnell, the Foundation has chosen to honor an additional three Stars: The past three best foreign cadets of the United Kingdom’s Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, each of whom are Ukrainian officers. The RMA Sandhurst award, the International Sword, recognizes the cadets who are not British nationals with the best overall performance in military, academic, and practical studies. In 2019, this honor went to Artem Baranenko; in 2020, to Anton Sovenko; and this year, to Pavlo Lacy.