Russian mountaineer Rustam Nabiev has pulled off a historic Everest ascent using only his hands, dedicating the climb to “everyone” fighting through hardship.
The 34-year-old double amputee reached the top of the world’s highest mountain, which stands 8,848.86 meters above sea level, on May 20 at 8:16 AM local time. Nabiev described the climb as “the first in the history of mountaineering, the first in human history.”
“I, Rustam Nabiev, reached the summit of Everest using only my hands,” he wrote in a social media post announcing the achievement.
“I dedicate this ascent to everyone watching me now. With this act, I simply want to say one thing: as long as there’s life left in you, fight! Please fight to the end! It’s worth it,” he added.
Nabiev shared a photo of himself on the summit holding a poster that read: “To those who thought that life ended after the fall. Rustam Nabiev, Everest 2026.”
He lost his legs in 2015, when a military barracks collapsed in the Siberian city of Omsk. However, Nabiev refused to let the tragedy define him.
He has since become known across Russia for brutal endurance challenges and high-altitude expeditions, relying on adaptive climbing equipment and sheer upper-body power.
Before taking on Everest, Nabiev had already climbed Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Russia and Europe, as well as Manaslu in Nepal, the world’s eighth-highest mountain.
Nepalese officials confirmed the ascent, with the coordinator of the Everest Base Camp field office telling Anadolu that Nabiev had successfully climbed Everest and was descending to base camp.
Nabiev admitted in a phone interview with TASS on Sunday that he had to overcome his fear of heights to complete the Everest climb. At the summit, he planted the Russian flag, later calling it a symbol of the strength and resilience of the Russian people.
“I did my utmost to bring our country up, to show that in our country, people are strong,” he said, adding that his achievement proved Russians “are always ready to be first.”