Russian Climber Katya Lipka holds the Ukrainian flag on Mt. Everest
A Russian climber and a blogger, Katya Lipka, climbed to the top of the world’s highest peak and unfolded a Ukrainian flag as a protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to Newsweek, Katya climbed Mount Everest on May 24th, 2022 via the SE-Ridge in Nepal. To climb via the south side, first mountaineers have to trek to EBC, set a camp, and start their climbing journey from the base camp. She did the same.
Katya Lipka scaled the tallest peak after three months of the Russian war against Ukraine. But these pictures were viral only after she shared the pictures of the summit with the flag of Ukraine on June 3, 2022.
In the Instagram post, she is seen holding a Ukrainian flag fluttering in the high-speed wind. She has 190k Instagram followers. So, the picture didn’t take more than a few minutes to go viral. Many applauded her courage and congratulated her on her bravery. Locals expect the gesture to increase the flow of tourists on tours to Mt. Everest.
At first, her pictures caught the attention of a lot of internet users who were protesting against Moscow’s invasion of its pro-Western neighbor. But as some high-profile people shared her pictures, the post went viral in the mountaineering community around the world.
A former Ukrainian ambassador to Austria, Olexander Scherba, also shared her picture with the flag via his Twitter account. He wrote, “Russian climber Ekaterina Lipka conquered Mount Everest and unfolded the Ukraine flag in protest of the war.”
Something Inside Turned Upside Down says Katya Lipka
When asked about the war between Russia and Ukraine, she said, “Something inside turned upside down.” And later, she climbed the peak to unfold the flag of Ukraine, promoting peace.
Mountaineer Katya Lipka also posted another picture of herself with the sign that says “Free Navalny”. This was to support Alexei Navalny, who is an anti-corruption activist.
The pictures shared by her were dark and taken during the night. Thus, many claimed it to be fake. In an answer to the criticism, she stated she reached the summit before sunrise and much faster than other mountaineers.
Katya Lipka also said that she climbed the peak on a lame leg, without preparation and also with little acclimatization time.
