Antonina Samoylova has achieved an incredible milestone by becoming the first Ukrainian woman to conquer five of the highest peaks in the world, including Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak globally.

The expedition commenced on April 19.

Recently, the Ukrainian climber reached Kanchenjunga, known as the “killer of women,” where she spent 20 minutes at an altitude of 8400 meters without supplemental oxygen.

She has now returned to base camp and is currently receiving oxygen therapy.

On her Instagram, the climber shared a photo of herself holding a picture of Kyiv resident Oleksandr Hrynyk.

Oleksandr lost his life on May 8, 2022, in Mariupol at the age of 18.

“He dreamed of reaching as high as possible... Sadly, he didn’t make it. But now, Sashko is flying higher than all of us. Perhaps he is looking at his photo at the top of the world and smiling with his charming smile,” wrote Antonina Samoylova.

Tonya also took Oleksandr’s patch from his parents to continue conquering mountains “together.”

Illya Kenigshtein reported on the details of this expedition. Alongside the only Ukrainian on Everest was Lithuanian Stanislav Vysniauskas.

“I know that each of them raised the flag of Ukraine at the summit. I am very proud of this. Currently, both are on their way down to the 2nd camp. The ascent is considered complete when the climber has not only reached the summit but has also descended safely,” noted Kenigshtein.

During the ascent, Antonina ran out of oxygen. She managed to complete the climb thanks to a tank that was provided by a Sherpa.

The Ukrainian spent 20 minutes without oxygen, battling frostbite and harsh conditions at an altitude of 8400 meters.