On September 23, 2026, participants of the All-Ukrainian Children’s and Youth Military-Patriotic Game “Sokil” (“Dzhura”) were honored in Dnipro. Among those recognized was Oleksii Umnov, a first-year student of the Department of Biotechnology and Life Safety of the SEI “Ukrainian State University of Chemical Technology” of USUST, group 1-TsB-81, specialty K10 “Civil Security”.

Oleksii is a member of the “Knights of the Sun” team of Dnipro Lyceum No. 129, which has represented Dnipro at the national level for the second consecutive year. During the 85th regular session of the Dnipro City Council, the award was presented to the team by Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov.

This year, the “Knights of the Sun” took part in the III (All-Ukrainian) stage of the “Sokil” (“Dzhura”) game — “Dzhura-2026: Carpathian Sich”, which was held for the senior age group from July 28 to August 3 in Zakarpattia. The program included “Obstacle Course”, “Formation”, shooting, “Tactical Medicine”, Plast target indication and orienteering, “Vatra”, camping, hikes, and other team challenges. Participants also took part in drone piloting and mine safety training.

For Oleksii, one of the main challenges was tactical medicine. In his team, he served as the medic and was responsible for this competition together with his teammate. With his contribution, the “Knights of the Sun” team took third place in “Tactical Medicine”. The team also received diplomas for the creative and artistic “Vatra” competition and for camp organization in the “Camping” training.

Oleksii says that each of these competitions required separate preparation: “For ‘Vatra’, we prepared a dance performance, and our performance managed to touch the judges’ hearts. ‘Camping’ is about keeping order in your camp, in your tent. We paid very close attention to this and received a certificate.”

The All-Ukrainian stage of “Dzhura” involves more than just competitions. During the camp, participants test their physical endurance, knowledge, orienteering and first-aid skills, learn to work as a team, and make decisions in challenging situations. Overall, the final stage of the game in 2026 brought together participants from different regions of Ukraine and was held over several camp sessions.

For Oleksii, this is already his second year participating in the game at the national level. Speaking about the team’s recognition in Dnipro, he said: “At the 85th session of the City Council, Borys Filatov was very happy that the team has represented our city — Dnipro — for the second year in a row. The mayor presented us with a letter of appreciation and gifts. We were very happy about it.”

Oleksii also emphasizes what participation in “Dzhura” means to him: “This game is not about preparing for something frightening, but about fostering in the younger generation a love for our state, nation, and language.”

It is noteworthy that Oleksii is currently studying in specialty K10 “Civil Security” at the Department of Biotechnology and Life Safety of the USUCT SEI. The educational program is aimed, in particular, at training specialists in the prevention of emergencies, accidents, and other hazardous events. Therefore, the experience already gained in teamwork, first aid, responsible decision-making, and acting in challenging conditions is thematically related to the professional field chosen by Oleksii.

We congratulate Oleksii Umnov and the “Knights of the Sun” team on their recognition and results at the national stage of “Dzhura-2026”. We wish Oleksii success in his studies, new knowledge, experience, and achievements!