Svetoslav «Svetlyo» Slavkov, a fan of Levski Sofia football club.

Svetoslav Ivanov Slavkov was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, on September 17, 1992.

Already at the age of 13, Svetoslav began to actively support Levski in sector B.

For several years he was a Sofia West (Levski) member. Svetoslav was also an instructor at the first fitness and combat sports gym organised by the capital fan movement.

His team-mates remember that Svetoslav always treated both young and old fans of the capital team with great care. It was an example of his dedication and commitment to the common cause, rewarded by the athletic results, joy and smiles of his students. Money was never a priority for him, it was just a tool to buy the essentials and treat his loved ones to a nice breakfast or a fancy dinner. Svetoslav was a man of many talents and had a passion for gourmet cooking.

Friends recall that «Svetlyo» enjoyed authority and respect not only among Levski fans, but also among supporters of other Bulgarian fan groups. He was also an active member of the nationalist movement in Bulgaria. Always cheerful and with a smile on his face, Svetoslav was ready to do good deeds 24/7. Whatever he undertook, he was doing it with enthusiasm and commitment and always delivered results.

Svetoslav also took care of his dogs and was a big animal lover. His friends recall him saying «Attitude towards animals says a lot about a person».

In the summer of 2023, Svetoslav decided to go to Ukraine. Co-thinkers helped him raise money for the equipment. In autumn, he joined Carpathian Sich and became a soldier in the 40th separate rifle battalion «Kodak» of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Thus, Svetoslav was one of the few Bulgarian volunteers, most of his compatriots remaining quite passive. Not everyone back home understood his heroic act. «Svetlyo» was saying that he was fighting not only for the freedom of the Ukrainian people, but also for the freedom of Bulgaria. He understood that it was very likely that Ukraine would not be the last frontier in Europe against the occupier. He also studied Ukrainian.

From December 24, 2022, he was on the front line in the Kharkiv region. On December 31, he went on a combat mission in the «grey zone» near Kupiansk (Kharkiv region) as part of a group of 20 people. Unfortunately, in the following days, four soldiers of the group were surrounded near the village of Sinkivka and died in close combat with the enemy. Among them was Svetoslav Slavkov, whose body still has not been returned to his father.

Svetoslav was a Levski Sofia fan, a true Bulgarian patriot and a courageous man who went to help Ukraine at a difficult time for us. «His feat is sacred to the whole of Europe, it embodies his heroism and dedication to his ideals», Dynamo Kyiv fans wrote on their social network pages.

The Bulgarian nationalist movement was in great grief as they received the news of the death of their well-known representative. Fans of various Bulgarian clubs paid tribute to the fallen soldier.

In January 2023, the head coach of the Ukrainian youth national team and the Oleksandriya club handed over a Ukrainian flag to the Bulgarian coach Nikolay Kostov as a sign of gratitude for helping Ukrainians in the war against the aggressor and in memory of the deceased fan. In the February of the same year, Shakhtar and Levski players raised a banner in the colours of the Bulgarian and Ukrainian flags before a friendly match.

The banners in the fan section remind of Svetoslav Slavkov's feat during every Levski home match.