The body of Russian climber Natalya Nagovitsina cannot be evacuated from Pik Pobedy in Kyrgyzstan due to the extreme elevation of the mountain ridge. Alexander Yakovenko, chairman of the classical mountaineering commission at the Russian Mountaineering Federation, explained the decision in an interview with KP Perm.
The 47-year-old mountaineer broke her leg on August 12, 2025, while attempting to descend from the summit. Nagovitsina remained inside a tent for a period of time before she stopped showing signs of life, leaving her body stranded on the high-altitude peak after recovery efforts were refused.
Yakovenko, a recognized Snow Leopard title holder, stated that previous body recovery operations on the mountain have succeeded in about 20 cases. However, he emphasized that all past operations were strictly conducted at altitudes below 7,000 meters before reaching the crest of the ridge.
Extreme hazard on Pobeda Peak
According to Yakovenko, Pik Pobedy presents a far more difficult climb than Mount Everest. Historical records from the 1950s through 2025 show that only 909 mountaineers have successfully reached the summit of the 7,000-meter peak.
The mountain has claimed numerous lives over the decades, with 81 men and six women dying during ascension attempts. Just one week prior to the climb by Nagovitsina and her group, two Iranian climbers attempted to scale the summit but also lost their lives on the mountain.
Tianshan range mountaineering background
Pik Pobedy, also known as Victory Peak, is the highest mountain in the Tian Shan mountain range, straddling the border between Kyrgyzstan and China. Rising to 7,439 meters, it is celebrated among high-altitude climbers as one of the most technical and weather-severe peaks in Central Asia.
The Snow Leopard award mentioned by Federation officials is a prestigious honor in Soviet and post-Soviet mountaineering, granted only to climbers who successfully summit all five 7,000-meter peaks located across the former Soviet Union.
