In honor of Leonid Kadenyuk and Ukrainian cosmonautics

Kyiv, January 20, 1998.

Celebrations to honor the first cosmonaut of independent Ukraine Leonid Kadenyuk.
Palace “Ukraine”, honor guard, L. Kadenyuk enters the palace on the red carpet, is met by the head of the Presidential Administration Yevhen Kushnarev, cosmonaut Pavlo Popovych, V. Ogryzko, O. Omelchenko and others, and is presented with flowers. People take their seats in the hall. On the stage is a screen with images of the Earth, space, cosmonauts, and Leonid Kadenyuk. Vasyl Ilashchuk and Olha Sumska are the hosts of the event.
L. Kadeniuk reports to the President of Ukraine on the fulfillment of his mission in space. President Leonid Kuchma announces Ukraine's achievements in the space industry and the right of Ukraine to be called a space power.
Yevhen Kushnarev announces the Presidential Decree on awarding the Presidential Decoration and the Order “For Courage” of the first degree to cosmonaut Leonid Kadenyuk and the Presidential Decree on promoting Colonel Leonid Kadenyuk to the rank of Major General.
Greetings from the first Ukrainian cosmonaut Pavlo Popovych.
Concert program with the participation of ballet dancers, singers Taisiya Povaliy, Ivo Bobul, Pavlo Dvorsky and others, poet Yuriy Rybchynsky reads a poem.

Background: Leonid Kadeniuk was the first cosmonaut of independent Ukraine. His space flight lasted from November 19 to December 5, 1997. He flew on the American space shuttle Columbia on the STS-87 mission as part of a crew that also included American and Japanese astronauts. The flight included scientific research and experiments with plants, and Leonid Kadeniuk conducted 10 experiments. He took with him into space the Ukrainian flag, coat of arms, portraits of Taras Shevchenko, S. Korolev, Yurii Kondratiuk, and a photo of his cosmonaut friend Leonid Ivanov.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)