In Ukraine, on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the Day of Heroes, a new educational format of the cross-media project “12. Land of Heroes.” The first online lesson will be held on Friday, May 22, 2026, on the basis of the platform of the Educational Center of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The main guest of the event live will be a soldier Andriy Golovnya – one of the youngest Heroes of Ukraine and a character of the documentary. Schoolchildren, students, teachers and everyone is invited to participate in the online meeting.
This was reported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, informs the portal PromPolitInform.
The program of the first online lesson and the participation of Andrei Main
During the first interactive lesson, participants will discuss the history of the Day of Heroes, the features of the highest state award of Ukraine, as well as the stories of people who defend the state in modern conditions.
Andrei Golovnya, who voluntarily went to the front at the age of 19 and set a record for eliminating enemy equipment using the Javelin anti-tank missile system, will share his combat experience with the audience. The serviceman will talk about the specifics of the Javelin operator, the peculiarities of team interaction on the front line and his own vision of personal responsibility for the fate of the country.
A separate topic of conversation will be the role of animals in the conditions of hostilities – the Hero of Ukraine plans to introduce the audience to his pet, whom he is currently preparing for future service. The meeting will be held in the format of a live conversation, so all registered participants will be able to ask the military their own questions, join the thematic quiz and receive gifts. To participate in the lesson, electronic registration was opened: a separate form for individual participants is provided, as well as a form for registering organized groups or school classes.
The scale of the project “12. Land of Heroes” and its components
The basis for the creation of this large-scale cross-media project was the eponymous full-length documentary “12. Land of Heroes.” The plot of the film is dedicated to servicemen who are awarded the highest state award – the Order of the Golden Star, who continue to perform combat missions or are engaged in training future defenders of Ukraine.
The official presentation of the trailer of the film was held on December 12, 2025 on the occasion of the Day of the Ground Forces of Ukraine. The creative team plans to coincide with the premiere of the film on the 35th anniversary of the Independence of Ukraine, and the start of all-Ukrainian distribution in cinemas is scheduled for September 3, 2026.
One of the main elements of the communication campaign of the project was the official soundtrack – the song “Baptized with Fire,” performed by the rock band “Stanislav Brothers.” The premiere of the composition, broadcast in the Ukrinform news agency, took place on May 6 on the Day of the Infantry, starting rotation on radio stations and digital music platforms.
Taras Tkachenko, Head of the 1st Center for Information and Communication Support of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and co-producer of the film, emphasized that the initiative was developed from the very beginning as a long-term multi-component system.
“In fact, this is the first such systematic story in Ukraine about the servicemen of the Ground Forces who were awarded the highest state award – the title of Hero of Ukraine. It was important for us that these stories do not end with just a film screening. Already today, the project goes beyond the film: educational lessons for young people start, the song “Baptized in Fire” was released, which became the original soundtrack, ahead – a clip, a podcast, new digital and interactive formats. We want young people to hear the live voices of the heroes of the modern war now, and not once learned from textbooks,” said Taras Tkachenko.
You can register for the lesson now:
Form for individual participants: https://forms.gle/GBeohhNLSDNMrSoK7
For members who register by class, group:https://forms.gle/7DgLEtjHjpnJD5zaA
History of the Day of Heroes
The annual holiday Heroes “Day is celebrated in Ukraine on May 23 in honor of figures who in different historical periods fought for the freedom and independence of the Ukrainian state. For the first time, the congress of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) proclaimed this date an official holiday.
The choice of date was due to a number of significant losses in the history of the Ukrainian liberation movement, which fell on May. In particular, in May, under ambiguous circumstances, Mykola Mikhnovsky, an ideologist of Ukrainian independence, died in Kyiv. In addition, on May 23, the leader of the OUN Yevhen Konovalets was killed in the city of Rotterdam, and on May 25, the Chief Ataman of the UPR troops Simon Petliura was killed in Paris.
Photo – screenshot from the video
