How a Ukrainian Mountaineer Carries Her Nation’s Hope to the Highest Places on Earth

How a Ukrainian Mountaineer Carries Her Nation’s Hope to the Highest Places on Earth

In the thin air where few dare to venture, Ukraine’s Antonina Samoilova (sometimes referred to as Tonya Somilova) has carved her name into mountaineering history.

How a Ukrainian Mountaineer Carries Her Nation’s Hope to the Highest Places on Earth

Her journey from novice climber to record-breaking alpinist parallels her nation’s struggle for fortitude and recognition on the world stage.

Unexpected Beginnings

Antonina’s mountaineering career began surprisingly recently. In 2018, she made her first significant climb up Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak.

The experience was far from what she expected.

“Like the usual person in the city, I didn’t know what altitude does to your body,” she recalls. “I thought Kilimanjaro is in Africa, so it should be warm. Instead, it was -15°C on the summit. I hated it because it was so hard.”

This initial hardship, however, ignited something within her. Rather than being deterred, Samoilova was drawn to the challenge. Within just four years, she would accomplish feats that even lifelong climbers rarely achieve.

Rapid Ascension to Excellence

By late 2021, Samoilova had advanced enough to attempt Antarctica’s highest peak, Mount Vinson. This expedition took her to what she describes as “a very unusual place… zero life inside the continent.”

The isolation and otherworldly environment proved transformative. While still in Antarctica, celebrating New Year’s in complete isolation, she booked two more major expeditions, setting her sights on even greater challenges.

Her mountaineering résumé quickly expanded to include some of the world’s most formidable peaks:
Samoilova became the first Ukrainian woman to summit Everest three times (2022, 2023, and 2024).
She climbed the world’s second-highest peak, widely considered the most technically difficult of all 8,000-meter mountains.

In May 2024, she completed both Everest and Lhotse (the world’s fourth-highest peak) within 24 hours, setting a national record.

She has also climbed Manaslu 8,163-meter giant, using it as preparation for harder challenges.
Scaling Heights in Hard Times

Samoilova’s mountaineering achievements have unfolded against the backdrop of Ukraine’s struggle. In 2022, as Russian forces invaded her homeland, she became the only Ukrainian to summit Everest that season. While she climbed abroad, her family joined Ukraine’s defense efforts.

“My father and brother defend Ukraine in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,”

she explains. Unknown to her, her father served on the frontline from January 2023 a fact kept secret from her for six months to spare her worry.

This personal connection to Ukraine’s military struggle has shaped her approach to mountaineering. Each expedition becomes an opportunity to raise awareness for her country.

On her summits, she proudly displays the Ukrainian flag, even producing the first-ever drone footage of Ukraine’s flag atop Everest.

Beyond Physical Limits

High-altitude mountaineering pushes human physiology to its limits. Above 2,400 meters, the body begins struggling with oxygen deprivation, facing risks of altitude sickness, pulmonary edema, and cerebral edema.

These dangers multiply in what climbers call the “death zone” above 8,000 meters, where human bodies rapidly deteriorate.

Samoilova has not only ventured repeatedly into these extreme environments but has also attempted one of mountaineering’s ultimate challenges climbing without supplemental oxygen. While her oxygen-free attempt on Everest didn’t succeed, she still reached the summit using minimal oxygen, demonstrating extraordinary physical capability.

“If you are above seven thousand, it is much more difficult to move, as if there is a concrete slab lying on you,” she explains. “Every movement requires enormous effort. Above eight thousand, in the ‘death zone’, it is even more difficult. Walking speed slows to one step per minute. Thinking also slows down—it’s as if you are in a parallel reality.”

Facing Mortality

The harsh reality of high-altitude climbing is ever-present in Samoilova’s world. Death is not an abstract concept but a tangible risk that climbers confront on every expedition.

“When you are at an altitude of eight thousand meters, you must understand that all responsibility lies only with you,” she states. “Nobody can give you any guarantees. It’s not for nothing that this zone is called the ‘death zone.’ There, a person cannot exist without equipment, much less think about other people.”

She has witnessed the grim evidence of this danger firsthand “It’s really terrible when you see a frozen body lying there like a mannequin. You know that a man died in 2019, literally before the summit, and looks like he was laying down to rest.”

When asked directly about the possibility of her own death during her ambitious oxygen-free climb of Manaslu, she replied: “Probably not,” with a laugh. “If a person understands that they may die, they do not undergo such a test. I’m hoping for the best… My brain cuts off the possibility of a negative result.”

Carrying Others’ Dreams

Perhaps one of the most touching aspects of Samoilova’s climbing career is how she has used her achievements to honor her countrymen. During her third ascent of Everest, she carried a photograph of Alex Granik, a Ukrainian soldier who died defending Mariupol at age 28.

“I didn’t know him personally,” she explains. “When I was at base camp, I got a message from my friend who’s helping our army from Ukraine. He asked if I could take Alex’s photo to the summit—it was his dream.”

Before his death, Granik had written: “I have a dream of all my life. Everest. I thought about it: it must be friggin’ great to be as high as you can be. But now I understand that my Everest is here.”

After Samoilova shared the summit photo, Granik’s mother reached out to express her gratitude, saying it brought her as much joy as possible given her loss.

Mental Perspective

The mountains have taught Samoilova valuable lessons about handling stress and uncertainty—skills that prove particularly relevant amid Ukraine’s ongoing crisis. Before mountaineering, she worried constantly. Now she accepts that some things lie beyond her control.

This perspective was shaped by personal tragedy as well.

“My mother had cancer. And when literally three days before her death the doctor said that there was no need to buy any more medicine, I begged him, asked him to save my mother, did not believe until the last minute that the worst would happen… My brain cuts off the possibility of a negative result.”

Ongoing Mission

Having climbed four of the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, Samoilova continues pushing boundaries.

Her goals extend beyond personal achievement to maintaining global awareness of Ukraine’s struggle. “Some people even ask if the war is over,” she notes, which drives her mission to keep Ukraine’s fight in the world’s consciousness.

She balances her international climbing career with strong ties to Ukraine, planning to organize an ascent of Hoverla, Ukraine’s highest peak, as a fundraising project for the military.

Unlike the Himalayan giants she typically climbs, this project presents a different challenge creating an inclusive event that can unite Ukrainians while supporting defense efforts.
Despite having belongings scattered between Croatia, Nepal, Vilnius, and Ukraine due to her global expeditions, she remains resolute: Ukraine is her home, and she has no plans to leave.

The Ultimate Goal
When asked about the purpose behind her extreme mountaineering challenges, Samoilova states: “Firstly, I want Ukraine to take its rightful place in the world arena of high-altitude mountaineering. In addition, such ascents for climbers are a real pushthelimit an opportunity to see the limit of their capabilities.”
As she eyes future expeditions among the world’s highest peaks potentially aiming to complete all fourteen 8,000-meter mountains her dual purpose remains unchanged: testing her personal limits while ensuring the world remembers Ukraine’s ongoing fight for sovereignty.

In a world where attention spans are short and global crises come and go in news cycles, Antonina Samoilova carries her nation’s flag to the highest points on Earth, ensuring that Ukraine’s struggle for freedom remains visible from the top of the world.