On 12 March, during a reception at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Ukraine, the Indonesian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Dr.Yuddy Chrisnandi was awarded with Medal “For Devotion to Islam and Ukraine”, making him the first diplomat to get the award.

Whereas anyone who knows how much personal effort was invested by Mr.Chrisnandi in developing ties between Ukraine and Indonesia, and, in particular, relations between Ukrainian and Indonesian Muslims, wouldn’t be surprised to hear the news.

Of course, Mufti Said Ismagilov asked His Excellency beforehand if he could accept an award from a foreign religious organisation, in order to avoid uneasiness. Fortunately, there were no such limitations.

Noteworthy, Medal “For Devotion to Islam and Ukraine” was instituted at the proposal of Ukrainian Muslims Military Chaplains during the General Assembly of RAMU “Umma” Communities in 2016. At first, the plan was to institute a special award for fighters and volunteers, chaplains, doctors and paramedics who stood for Ukraine’s defense. Later, though, it was decided to institute the award for everyone who made a considerable input in supporting Islam and Muslims in Ukraine, the State of Ukraine, Ukrainian Independence and national interests.