Odesa terrorist defense fighter posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine

On July 8th, by the Decree of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, the title of Hero of Ukraine was posthumously awarded to Junior Sergeant Sviatoslav Mykolayovych Alexapolsky, a member of the Odessa 126th Territorial Defense Brigade. This information was reported by the 126th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade of Odessa.

Additionally, the fallen soldier was honored with the "Golden Star" order. Sviatoslav was born in Saky, Crimea. He attended Ukrainian classes in several Crimean schools and the Crimean Republican School-Boarding for Gifted Children. He had a passion for history, martial arts, and weapons, was proficient in English, played chess, engaged in hiking, frequently went to the mountains, read and wrote poetry, and was enthusiastic about sports. He practiced football, boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, karate, parkour, Muay Thai, kickboxing, pankration, jiu-jitsu, and running.

In 2009, he completed his conscript military service and in 2010 signed a contract with the military unit 3009 in Simferopol, where he served as a reconnaissance officer. In 2014, despite threats, he actively advocated for Ukraine's sovereignty during the Euromaidan protests in Crimea. He and his family left for Lviv when the occupation authorities started persecuting him. Sviatoslav joined the "Azov" regiment and learned blacksmithing while working at a forge in Lviv.

In 2017, he signed a contract with the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade and later transferred to the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade. He participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) and the Joint Forces Operation (OOS). When the full-scale war began, he took up arms to defend Ukraine.

Sviatoslav lost his life on August 29, 2022, during the liberation of Mykolaiv Oblast. While providing medical assistance to his fellow soldiers near the village of Novohryhorivka, the enemy artillery shelling commenced.