Ukrainian city names street to honor heroic IDF soldier killed in 1998 terror attack

Ukrainian-born Sgt. Alexei Naikov rescued 36 Israeli children

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The Ukrainian city of Kharkiv announced it will name a street to honor IDF Sergeant Alexei Naikov, a Kharkiv native and Israeli soldier who was tragically killed in 1998 while saving the lives of 36 Israeli children in a terror attack.

The attack occurred in Kfar Darom, a former Israeli community in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian terrorists targeted the children by attempting to crash an explosive-laden vehicle into the buses.

The vehicle used by the terrorists exploded when it crashed into an IDF jeep, killing Naikov and wounding two other IDF soldiers. None of the children were wounded in the terror attack.

Naikov, who served in the IDF's Engineering Corps, moved to Israel in 1996.

The announcement from Kharkiv is reportedly the first time outside of Israel that a street has been named in honor of a fallen IDF soldier.

Ukrainian-Israeli historian and journalist Shimon Briman proposed the idea to honor Naikov and submitted the proposal to the city council. The project was accepted and received support from Israel's ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, and Kharkiv's chief rabbi, Moshe Moskovitz.

"In all of Ukraine, there’s a movement to rename streets as part of a political effort to remove names associated with the Russian enemy. I provided the city council with 20 names of notable Jews from Kharkiv, including Naikov, who is not only an Israeli hero but also a figure well-recognized among former Soviet immigrants in Israel," Briman recalled.

He emphasized that Naikov is celebrated as a hero in Israel and that several children have been named after him.

"Hundreds still remember him, and there are more than 120 children who owe their lives to him from that incident in 1998, seeing as they are the children of those he saved. A group of Israelis maintain contact with Alexei's parents, nearly all of whom were displaced from Gush Katif. Some families have even named their children after him," Briman explained.

Kharkiv honors Alexei Naikov, an IDF soldier who sacrificed his life to save schoolchildren from terrorists in 1998. A street has been named in his honor, showcasing support for Israel amidst rising tensions. #heroism #Kharkiv #Israel pic.twitter.com/MKstK0swuG
— FJCU (@FJCU) May 6, 2024

Brodsky welcomed Kharkiv’s decision to name a street after the Ukrainian-Israeli hero.

"The commemoration of an Israeli hero in a Ukrainian city under intense bombardment further underscores the strong connection," he said, referring to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.