MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Russian Investigative Committee, has awarded his law enforcement agency’s top medal, "For Valor and Courage," to a Bryansk Region boy named Fyodor who saved two girls during an attack by Ukrainian saboteurs in the border area, the Investigative Committee told reporters on Friday.

"By order of the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, the committee’s departmental medal ‘For Valor and Courage’ has been awarded to Fyodor, a 10-year-old resident of the Bryansk Region who demonstrated heroism and selflessness during the incident in the Klimovsky District of the Bryansk Region," the statement says.

On March 2, Fyodor and two girls, born in 2015 and 2016, respectively, were being driven to school in a car that was suddenly assaulted by armed men. The driver was killed on the spot by the terrorists. While Fyodor could have quickly run away, he did not abandon his younger schoolmates but instead helped the girls to escape from the vehicle through the rear door, then instructing them to run into some nearby woods. At precisely that moment, the armed men opened fire on the unarmed children. Fyodor suffered a chest wound; however, even in the chaotic situation he kept his head about him and managed to lead the girls through the woods, finally flagging down a passing car that drove them to safety. Fyodor’s remarkable courage and determination saved the children’s lives from imminent danger.

Fyodor is from a large family and is a passionate sports fan. His family and friends described him as a caring, kind young man who is always ready to help.

The committee added that the boy is currently undergoing treatment in a hospital in Bryansk.

"The officers of the Investigative Committee of Russia stand ready to provide his family with all necessary assistance," the agency’s statement concluded.