Forever 45… Oleksandr Polishchuk was born and lived in Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region. It was where he grew up, where he built his life and career — and where he left to go to war, to defend his family and his country.
Since childhood, he was passionate about sports — basketball, hiking, mountaineering. As an adult, he pursued rock climbing, skiing, and wakeboarding. He sought the heights not for the thrill, but because that’s where he felt most at home. In 2015, he summited one of the world’s most dangerous peaks — Khan Tengri in the Tien Shan range. Before the war, he was an entrepreneur with his own company specializing in high-altitude industrial work. Drawing on his mountaineering experience, he often tackled the most complex and dangerous tasks himself.
When the full-scale war began, Oleksandr joined the volunteer territorial defense group “Svoboda.” Later, he was mobilized into the “Svoboda” battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine, where he served as deputy company commander. They called him “the Alpinist” — a nod to both his athletic past and his unbreakable spirit.
His final battle took place on December 23, 2022, near Bakhmut, in the wooded area between the villages of Kurdiumivka and Ozarianivka. His unit was ambushed. A brutal, hours-long fight followed, and the Ukrainian defenders were forced to retreat under heavy losses. Ten of them, including Oleksandr, never made it back…
A warrior who never backed down. A man whose mark remains — in the echo of the mountains and in the memory of his comrades.
Eternal memory.