The body of Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsyna could be recovered from Victory Peak in Kyrgyzstan using a rescue team or a heavy drone, the Russian Mountaineering Federation has announced.
Alexey Ovchinnikov, senior coordinator of the rescue squad at the Russian Mountaineering Federation, outlined two potential options for the retrieval operation during an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
The first option involves sending a team of at least eight well-trained and strong men up the mountain during favorable weather conditions. The rescue team would pack Nagovitsyna's body and carry it down manually across very difficult terrain. Ovchinnikov described this potential mission as an extraordinarily complex and unique body recovery operation.
Victory Peak, located in the Tian Shan mountain range along the border between Kyrgyzstan and China, stands at 7,439 metres above sea level. As the highest mountain in Kyrgyzstan and the northernmost 7,000-metre peak in the world, it is renowned among mountaineers for severe sub-zero temperatures, intense windstorms, and treacherous ice slopes.
Drone evacuation option from China
The second option proposed by the federation relies on a heavy-lift drone capable of flying at altitudes of up to 7,000 metres and carrying loads of up to 100 kilograms. Ovchinnikov said that Kyrgyzstan would need to negotiate with China to obtain such specialized equipment.
Ovchinnikov explained that a drone operation would offer good chances of success, provided a team can ascend the peak, free the body from snow and ice, secure it to the aircraft, and lower it down the mountain.
High-altitude air operations at 7,000 metres present extreme technical challenges, as low air density limits conventional helicopter lift capacity. Specialized industrial drones engineered for high-altitude logistics have increasingly been explored for mountain rescue and recovery efforts in remote alpine ranges.
Timeline and previous rescue decisions
Ovchinnikov noted that any recovery attempt on the mountain would be possible no earlier than the summer of 2027.
Rescuers previously decided against attempting to bring down the body of Nagovitsyna, who died on Victory Peak, because ascending to her position was deemed too hazardous for rescue crews.
The Russian Mountaineering Federation serves as the national governing body for alpine sports, expedition safety, and training in Russia. Its rescue coordination division works alongside international mountain rescue services to assist Russian climbers involved in emergencies abroad.
