Sviatoslav Yaroslavovych Palamar ('Kalyna') is a captain and the current deputy commander of the

Azov regiment The Special Operations Detachment "Azov" (), also known as the Azov Regiment ( uk, Полк «Азов», translit=Polk "Azov") and formerly the Azov Battalion ( uk, батальйон «Азов», translit=Batalion "Azov"), is a unit of the ...

within the

National Guard of Ukraine The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU; uk, Націона́льна гва́рдія Украї́ни, Natsionalna hvardiia Ukrainy, , ) is the Ukrainian national gendarmerie and Internal Troops, internal military force. It is part of the Minist ...

. During the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

, Palamar was involved in fighting Russian forces during the siege of

Mariupol Mariupol (, ; uk, Маріу́поль ; russian: Мариу́поль) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast ( Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Prior to the 2022 Russia ...

, within the Azovstal steelworks.

Early life

Sviatoslav Palamar was born on October 10, 1982, in

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( uk, Миколаїв, ) is a city and municipality in Southern Ukraine, the administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv city, which provides Ukraine with access to the Black Sea, is the location of the most downriver brid ...

, a town near

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...

, where he lived until he was a student. He studied at the Lviv University of Trade and Economics. He describes himself as Galician. Prior to the war he worked as a commercial director in a company. In 2000, Palamar joined the

Patriot of Ukraine The Patriot of Ukraine ( uk, Патріо́т Украї́ни, Patriót Ukrayíny) was an ultranationalist organization in Ukraine founded in 1999, disbanded in 2004, revived in 2005 and defunct since December 2014. In its original form, it was ...

nationalist group. At the time, the organisation was known for far-right views. One of the group's leaders, Andriy Biletsky, would later be involved in founding the Azov Battalion (as it was then known). However, in a later interview in 2022, Palamar would deny that members of the regiment wore swastikas or other Nazi insignia, and emphasised the status of Azov as a military unit. Prior to the onset of war in eastern Ukraine, Palamar participated in the

Orange Revolution The Orange Revolution ( uk, Помаранчева революція, translit=Pomarancheva revoliutsiia) was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate afterm ...

and the

Revolution of Dignity The Revolution of Dignity ( uk, Революція гідності, translit=Revoliutsiia hidnosti) also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution,

. He has a wife and a child.

Military service

Palamar previously served in the Donbas war which began in 2014. In an interview with pro-Azov military journalist Oleksiy Suvorov, he stated that he had adopted his

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assign ...

because the

guelder rose ''Viburnum opulus'', the guelder-rose or guelder rose () is a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae (formerly Caprifoliaceae) native to Europe, northern Africa and central Asia. Description ''Viburnum opulus'' is a deciduous shru ...

or 'Kalyna' in Ukrainian is a traditional symbol associated with Ukraine. Following the

, he was involved in fighting in Mariupol and was one of the commanders of a group of soldiers which retreated to the Azovstal steelworks. These soldiers included the Azov regiment and Ukrainian marines. During the siege of Mariupol, Captain Palamar took part in several press conferences and interviews with the media on behalf of the Azov Battalion and the soldiers trapped in the steelworks, which included Marines and National Guardsmen, alongside

Denys Prokopenko Denys Hennadiyovych Prokopenko ( uk, Дени́с Генна́дійович Прокопе́нко, Denýs Hennádiyovyč Prokopénko, ; born 27 June 1991) is a Ukrainian military officer, a Lieutenant Colonel in the National Guard of Ukrai ...

and other fighters. On 12 May 2022, he gave an interview to '' Haaretz'', an Israeli newspaper. In this interview he likened the military history of and attacks on Ukraine to that in Israel. He claimed that he had received no order to leave and that he was unwilling to leave dead and injured fellow soldiers behind, explaining the decision to remain in the steelworks. After the Ukrainian surrender in Azovstal, Russian forces said they captured Palamar among other Commanders. On 21 September 2022, as part of a prisoner-of-war exchange, Palamar was released from Russian captivity. Under the terms of the deal, it was agreed that he, along with four other officers released in the exchange, would remain in Turkey until the end of the war. On 8 July 2023, Ukrainian President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...

announced that Azov commanders had been brought back to Ukraine from Turkey, posting a video of five Azov commanders boarding his plane, including Palamar.

Awards

As a result of his military service during this war, he was awarded a number of medals including the Order of Danylo Halytsky, the

Medal For Military Service to Ukraine A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

, the Breastplate for Valiant Service and the Breastplate for the Defence of Mariupol. On 1 October 2022 he was awarded the title of

Hero of Ukraine Hero of Ukraine (HOU; uk, Герой України, ''Heroi Ukrainy'') is the highest national title that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the President of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as ...

by President of Ukraine.Decree of the President of Ukraine from 1 жовтня 2022 year № 684/202
«Про присвоєння С.Паламарю звання Герой України»

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palamar, Sviatoslav Ukrainian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine People from Mykolaiv, Lviv Oblast Prisoners of war held by Russia Ukrainian military leaders People of the National Guard of Ukraine Ukrainian military personnel of the war in Donbas Siege of Mariupol 1982 births Living people Recipients of the title of Hero of Ukraine