Six employees of Crimea-Spas received awards for saving tourists from the cave

Six employees of the Simferopol emergency rescue squad "Crimea-Spas" were awarded state awards of the Republic of Crimea for the operation to rescue four tourists in the Golubinaya and Krasnaya cave system. This was reported in the press service of the EMERCOM of Crimea.

State awards of the Republic of Crimea were awarded for high professionalism, courage, efficiency and determination during the search and rescue operation in the Golubinaya and Krasnaya cave system.

The Order “For fidelity to duty” was awarded to Alexander Sergeevich Arkhipov, Vladimir Leonidovich Kartashov and Andrei Vyacheslavovich Melikhov. The medal “For Courage and Valor” was awarded to Kirill Vladykin, Alexander Igorevich Sereda and Dmitry Potekhin.

“Congratulations to the rescuers on the well-deserved awards and I am proud to work with such brave people shoulder to shoulder. Emergency service "Crimea-Spas" knows not only the whole Crimea, but also its guests. Thanks to people like you, the residents and guests of our peninsula feel completely safe and always know that in the event of any incident, help will come promptly, the ministry’s press service quoted Alexei Yeremenko as saying.

The incident, for which rescuers received awards, occurred on September 29, 2026. A group of four people — three men and one woman — descended into the Golubinaya cave on Dolgorukovskaya yail and planned to surface through the Red Cave, but lost their way. The route was complicated and required the use of rope gear.

Communication with the group was cut off for more than 12 hours. The search involved 28 rescuers and seven pieces of equipment. Work was carried out from two directions - from the Red and Dove caves. Specialists acted in two groups, going towards each other.

In some areas, it was possible to lay a wired connection, which allowed to coordinate the search and promptly send a third group for evacuation. Tourists were found in the area of the Dove cave in satisfactory condition. They were brought to the surface by an alternative route through the Red Cave, after which they were handed over to doctors.