On 25 May 2026, a flag was raised on the summit of Mount Hoverla in honour of the fallen Hero of Ukraine from Simferopol, Sviatoslav Aleksapolskyi, with the call sign “Sviat”. The flag bears the motto “Acta non verba” (Deeds, not words), which Sviatoslav upheld throughout his life. The tribute was initiated by a resident of Mykolaiv, who had previously raised a flag in honour of “Sviat” on Mount Khomyak.

This act serves as a tribute to a man who gave his life for the independence of his home, his state, and his homeland. Sviatoslav loved the mountains, particularly those of Crimea, and frequently visited the Carpathians; thus, the flag bearing his name on the highest point in Ukraine serves as a symbolic gesture of remembrance.

“I believe that he himself would have climbed these peaks many more times during his life. Since the Muscovite empire took away his opportunity to climb them again, the name of ‘Sviat’ on Hoverla must, at the very least, symbolically ensure his presence there,” noted the initiator, filled with gratitude and respect.

The initiator of the tribute added that he plans to continue such ascents to honour Sviatoslav’s memory. Previously, a square in the Dniprovskyi district of Kyiv was also named after Sviatoslav.

Sviatoslav was a serviceman from Crimea who, following the occupation of the peninsula in 2014, remained loyal to Ukraine and joined its defence — first in the ranks of the Azov Regiment, and later in the 25th and 95th Air Assault Brigades. From the very first days of the full-scale invasion, he participated in the defence of Ukraine. Initially, he was involved in training volunteer formations and participated in the liberation of the Kyiv region alongside them. Later, he joined the 126th Separate Territorial Defence Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where he served as a platoon commander of a reconnaissance unit.

Sviatoslav Aleksapolskyi was killed on 29 August 2022, while providing medical aid to a comrade-in-arms during an assault between the villages of Novohryhorivka and Liubomyrivka in the Mykolaiv region. His heroic act saved the lives of other soldiers, but it cost him his own.