On the occasion of Dnipro City Day, servicemen of the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Air Assault Forces (AAF) made a symbolic gesture that experts from the National Register of Records of Ukraine certified as a national record: the largest maroon beret in Ukrainian history was placed on the 20-meter monument to Taras Shevchenko on Monastyrskyi Island. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing an official post by the 7th AAF Corps on Facebook.

Parameters of the record beret and the certification procedure

According to data provided by the corps command, the headwear has a diameter of 1.36 meters and a fit diameter of 1.08 meters. The beret was made in accordance with the proportions of the official AAF headwear and taking into account the dimensions of the monument to the Kobzar. The record was certified by experts from the National Register of Records of Ukraine, which gives the event an official status rather than merely a symbolic action. According to representatives of the corps, the maroon beret is an "inseparable symbol of victory, courage, and the unshakable spirit of the air assault troops," and its placement on the monument became a "landmark event that united military tradition with the celebration of Ukrainian cultural heritage."

Dnipro as a "city of warriors" and a rear hub

The 7th Corps emphasized that the event is not only celebratory but also an expression of gratitude. Since the start of the full-scale war, Dnipro has become a rear, humanitarian, and medical hub for military personnel and civilians, and for the corps's units the city has become, in their words, a "true haven." "Dnipro is a city of warriors that has become a home for our corps. With this record, we demonstrate the unity of the Ukrainian Defense Forces and the city community, our devotion to our history, and our gratitude to the people of Dnipro," the command of the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the AAF stated.

Reaction from city authorities: "doubling the record"

Deputy Mayor of Dnipro Andriy Denysenko commented on the event, noting that the city is home to the tallest monument to Taras Shevchenko in the world. In his words, the air assault troops "added another record to this symbol." "Dnipro has the tallest monument to Taras Shevchenko in the world. Today the air assault troops doubled this record. After all, this beret is the largest ever sewn and worn in the world," Denysenko said. He also expressed gratitude to the corps personnel: "Thank you to our air assault troops for such a gift, but above all for holding the front and guarding the eastern gates of our region."

Contradictory data

There is a slight discrepancy in the wording regarding the scale of the record. The command of the 7th AAF Corps, in its official post, describes the beret as "the largest in Ukrainian history," thereby recording the record at the national level. Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Andriy Denysenko, in his comment, expanded the geography, calling the beret "the largest ever sewn and worn in the world." None of the provided sources cites an international record-certification body that would confirm specifically a world status. Thus, at the level of official certification, this is a national record of Ukraine, while the phrase "world record" remains an evaluative statement by a city official.

Context: combat operations of the 7th AAF Corps

The record-setting event took place against the backdrop of ongoing intense combat operations in which the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the AAF is engaged on the eastern axis. Earlier, in December 2025, the corps command reported an "extremely complex" situation in the area of the Severskyi Donets river crossings, and in early January 2026 — that the enemy is amassing forces for an assault on the settlement of Hryshyne in the Pokrovsk area. In recent months, the corps has also been actively integrating autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles and mesh communication networks into its combat operations, which, according to Ukrainian media, allows it to change its approach to conducting combat and to put pressure on Russian Armed Forces units. Under these conditions, placing the beret on the Shevchenko monument acquires additional meaning as a demonstration of the resilience and morale of a unit that is directly bearing the combat load on the front.