Putin honors soldier from viral Ukraine conflict knife combat video
President Vladimir Putin has awarded the title ‘Hero of Russia’ to a soldier who defeated a Ukrainian servicemember in a brutal knife fight, a bodycam video of which went viral online.
Andrey Grigoryev was decorated for “bravery and heroism” in combat, according to the presidential decree published on Saturday.
A corporal with the 39th Motorized Rifle Brigade, Grigoryev overpowered a Ukrainian soldier during a battle near the village of Trudovoye in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic.
Although the incident took place in the autumn of 2024, the dramatic footage of the hand-to-hand combat to the death was only recently posted to social media.
Although the opponent was physically stronger and wounded Grigoryev, the Russian soldier kept on fighting.
“It was clear to me that I was not going to surrender, that I would take at least one person to the grave [before dying myself]. This motivation helped me a lot to concentrate,” Grigoryev told RT earlier this month.
Grigoryev was born in Russia’s Siberian Sakha Republic and worked as a driver and a mechanic before enlisting in the army in April 2024. He is married with five children.
Sakha Governor Aysen Nikolayev met with Grigoryev on Saturday and gave him a new knife as a gift. “After that fight, Andrey had spent several days behind enemy lines. They neutralized several enemy soldiers, armored vehicles, and blew up an ammunition depot,” Nikolayev said.
