Decree: Bohdan Khmelnytsky

DECREE BY THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE

On the Institution of The Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Award of the President of Ukraine

Taking into consideration the historic importance of the victory over fascism in the Great Patriotic War of 1941—1945, taking into account proposals of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Ministry of Home Affairs of Ukraine, the National Border Guards Committee of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, numerous applications of veteran and other public organisations, and individuals as for instituting the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky and in accordance with Item 9-2, Article 114-5 of the Constitution of Ukraine

be it further enacted that:

1. The Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, award of the President of Ukraine, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Class (hereafter the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky), is instituted.

2. The Statute and the description of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Class are approved.

3. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is to provide financial and logistical support for making the insignia of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky and award certificates.

4. The National Committee of Ukraine for Rare, Precious Metals, and Precious Stones shall organise the manufacture of insignia of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky.

President of Ukraine L. KUCHMA
Kyiv
3 May, 1995
# 344/95

STATUT

of The Order For Merit, Award of the President of Ukraine

I. General Provisions

1. The Order For Merit, award of the President of Ukraine (hereafter the Order For Merit), has been instituted for awarding citizens of Ukraine for distinguished personal achievements in economic, scientific, technological, cultural, military, state, public, and other spheres of social activities.

2. The Order For Merit is instituted in three classes:
Order For Merit, 1st Class;
Order For Merit, 2nd Class;
Order For Merit, 3rd Class. The 1st Class is the highest.

3. The Order For Merit is granted sequentially starting with the 3rd Class.

4. Foreigners and persons without citizenship are eligible for the Order For Merit:
the Order For Merit, 1st Class: Heads of sovereign nations, Heads of Governments and Parliaments, Ministers of sovereign nations;
the Order For Merit, 2nd Class: Deputy heads of Governments and Parliaments, Ministers and Heads of other central executive bodies, Ambassadors to Ukraine;
the Order For Merit, 3rd Class: employees of diplomatic missions to Ukraine; renowned state, political, and public figures, men of arts, men of letters, scientists, businessmen, etc.;

5. The recipient of the Order For Merit of any class is called the holder of the Order For Merit.

6. Receipt of the Order For Merit of the next class is allowed, as a rule, not earlier than three years after receiving the Order of the previous class.

7. The Order For Merit can be granted posthumously.

8. The Order For Merit, 1st Class has the badge of the Order and the star of the Order, that of the 2nd and the 3rd Class — only the badge of the Order.

9. A holder of the Order For Merit can be deprived of the decoration by the Decree of the President of Ukraine if the holder is condemned for a serious crime, after the recommendation of the court and in the manner envisaged by the law.

II. Procedure of Recommendation for Awarding the Order For Merit

10. A recommendation for granting the Order For Merit is submitted to the President of Ukraine by central executive bodies, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, the Supreme Court of Ukraine, the Supreme Court of Arbitration of Ukraine, the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea, regional administrations, Kyiv and Sevastopol city administrations, as well as central bodies of creative and public associations and societies after the endorsement by local executive authorities. The endorsement must be executed as a document.

11. The Commission for National Awards of Ukraine under the President of Ukraine may give its own recommendations for conferring the Order For Merit.

12. A recommendation to grant the Order For Merit to a person is submitted to a higher authority. As a rule, candidates are suggested by the institution where the person to be awarded is employed.

13. Suggestions for awarding the Order For Merit are also allowed to be made by local authorities, artificial, and physical persons.

14. Suggestions for granting the Order For Merit to foreigners and persons without citizenship are submitted by the Heads of diplomatic missions of Ukraine in other countries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, which submits respective recommendations to the President of Ukraine.

15. A standard recipient's form is enclosed with the recommendation, where concrete services of the person should be mentioned being the basis for the recommendation to confer the Order For Merit.

III. Procedure for Awarding the Order For Merit

16. The Order For Merit is awarded in public with all the proper solemnities.

17. As a rule, the Order For Merit is awarded by the President of Ukraine.

18. The President of Ukraine can entrust the Heads of central executive and judicial bodies, Ambassadors of Ukraine, the Head of the Commission for National Awards of Ukraine under the President of Ukraine, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea, Heads of regional administrations, Kyiv and Sevastopol city administrations, as well as other persons with awarding the Order For Merit.

19. The recipient of the Order For Merit receives:
for the Order, 1st Class: the badge of the Order, the star of the Order, the miniature badge of the Order, the award certificate;
for the Order, 2nd and 3rd Class: the badge of the Order, the miniature badge of the Order, the award certificate.

IV. Ways of Wearing the Order For Merit

20. The badge of the Order For Merit, 1st Class is a cravat type decoration; the star of the Order is worn upon the left breast.

21. The badge of the Order For Merit, 2nd and 3rd Class is worn upon the left breast.

22. The badge of the Order For Merit, 1st Class is worn after the Order of Prince Yaroslav The Wise, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Class, award of the President of Ukraine, the star of the Order For Merit is worn after the star of the Order of Prince Yaroslav The Wise, award of the President of Ukraine.
The badge of the Order For Merit, 2nd and 3rd Class is worn after the badges of the Order of Prince Yaroslav The Wise, 4th and 5th Class.
If a person has other awards of the President of Ukraine, awards of other nations, and those of the former USSR, the Order For Merit is worn before them.

23. Servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Border Guards of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine awarded the Order For Merit, 2nd and 3rd Class, wear the design of crossed swords on the suspender of the badge of the Order.

24. The miniature badge of the Order For Merit is worn instead of the badge of the Order upon the left breast in the sequence as in item 22 of this Statute.

V. Providing Duplicates of Insignia of the Order For Merit

25. As a rule, duplicates are not provided in the event of loss (damage) of insignia (the badge of the Order, the star of the Order, the miniature badge of the Order) and the award certificate of the Order For Merit. They may be provided as an exception, if the holder was unable to prevent the loss (damage) of the insignia and the order documents.

26. Duplicates of insignia of the Order For Merit and the award certificate are provided by the Commission for National Awards of Ukraine under the President of Ukraine at its own discretion at the expense of the holder or free of charge.

VI. Storage of the Order For Merit

27. Insignia of the Order For Merit and the award certificate are stored in the Award Department of the Administration of the President of Ukraine.

28. In the event of granting the Order For Merit posthumously, insignia and the award certificate are handed over to the family of the recipient.

29. Insignia and the award certificate of the Order For Merit remain after the death of the holder in his/her family as a memory.

30. Heirs to the holder may hand over the insignia and the award certificate of the Order For Merit after his/her death to the Commission for National Awards of Ukraine under the President of Ukraine for constant storage without right of return.

31. The insignia and the award certificate of the Order For Merit belonging to a person deprived of the Order are to be returned to the Administration of the President of Ukraine.