Serhii Ivanov, who was left without an arm in the battles near Bakhmut, and Yevhen Berezhny, who lost his lower limb after being blown up by an anti-tank mine, successfully climbed Mount Pikuy.
On Saturday, September 2, there was an ascent to the highest peak of the Verkhovyna Watershed Range – Mount Pikuy. The height of the mountain is more than 1,400 meters, which makes it the highest point of the Lviv region and the third highest mountain of the Carpathians among the thousand.
The Department of Tourism and Resorts of Lviv OVA together with the public association “Veterans go” started a season of inclusive hiking in the mountains for veterans, their family members and fellow citizens. In particular, veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war took part in the ascent. Among them was Serhiy Ivanov, who lost his arm in the battles near Bakhmut. Now the man is receiving professional help in one of the rehabilitation centers of the Lviv region. Another serviceman Yevhen Berezhny climbed the mountain in a “juliet” chair. He lost his leg defending Bakhmut, and is currently undergoing treatment in Truskavets. Together with the defenders, 30 people went up the mountain, including employees of Lviv OVA.
Oleksand Kulepin, deputy head of the Lviv OVA, spoke about the importance of organizing such trips to the mountains for defenders.
“I want to thank Veterans go for supporting this event, which is an important element of recovery for our defenders. Yevhen’s smile was a sign for us that he liked it. Such positive emotions are absolutely necessary for all our soldiers who will return from the war. They will be able not only to climb the highest peaks of the Lviv region, but also to make sure that everyone supports them, so that they can overcome these slopes and climbs,” Oleksandr Kulepin said.
Yevhen Berezhnyi told about his experience of the first ascent to the top of the mountain.
“I come from Zaporizhzhia and have never been to the mountains before. At war since 2015. In March 2022, it was blown up by an anti-tank mine near Bakhmut. At the moment, I am undergoing treatment and waiting for prosthetics. Today I climbed the highest mountain of Lviv Oblast, even an injury did not prevent me from doing it. I believe that it is necessary to organize similar trips for military personnel undergoing treatment. Such activities help us to rehabilitate faster and feel better,” said the serviceman.
Taras Lozynskyi, the head of the tourism and resorts department of the Lviv OVA, noted that active leisure will contribute to the psychological rehabilitation of soldiers and the faster recovery of mental health.
“The idea of climbing the peaks of Lviv Oblast was born 5 years ago when we, together with the organization “On three wheels”, organized the first ascents for people who have problems with the musculoskeletal system. During these years, we managed to make a dozen ascents. As a result of the war, many of our soldiers return with injuries, so we decided to continue this initiative and organize a climb for war veterans. In this way, we want to show that the mountains are accessible to everyone, and the topic of barrier-free access is important, because leisure activities should be accessible to everyone,” added the head of the department.
The travelers were accompanied by the Mountain Emergency Rescue Service and employees of the Lviv Regional Center for Emergency Medical Aid and Disaster Medicine. The partners of the ascent were: public association “Veterans go”, Superhumans Center, Boryna Territorial Community and Sambir District State Administration. The organizers plan to hold two more similar ascents with veterans. The event took place within the framework of the “Concept of supporting the Defenders of Ukraine in the territory of Lviv Region”.