Although the fate of Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsyna, stranded at 7,150m on Kyrgyzstan’s Pobeda Peak since August 12, has been obvious for several days, the last wisps of hope ended today. A few hours ago, a military drone captured thermal imaging footage of Nagovitsyna’s tent on Pobeda Peak. The images, published on the official website of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan (GKNB), revealed no signs of life in her tent. After more than two weeks, Kyrgyz authorities have officially declared the 47-year-old Moscow mountaineer missing — a formal designation, because they didn’t actually see her body. But the drone confirmed what everyone feared: that sometime in the 15 days since she broke her leg descending from the summit, the climber had succumbed to the brutal conditions — temperatures down to -26°C, thin air, and a lack of food and water — on one of the world’s deadliest peaks. According to Mountain.ru, earlier drone footage from August 16 and 19 showed Nagovitsyna alive, active, and waving from her wind-torn tent, offering hope to family and rescuers. However, by August 23, worsening weather — snowstorms, high winds, and avalanche risk — forced the suspension of all rescue efforts, as reported by TASS and confirmed by Dmitry Grekov, head of the Southern Inylchek Base Camp. Nagovitsyna’s ordeal began after she successfully summited 7,439m Pobeda, part of her quest to complete the Snow Leopard challenge by climbing all five 7,000m peaks in the former USSR. Natalia Nagovitsyna. Photo: Frame of a video posted by AKI TV Not a guided client According to Elena Laletina from RussianClimb, Nagovitsyna was not a guided client but part of an independent group of four climbers who had previously met on Lenin Peak. This year, they decided to climb Pobeda together. The team included Nagovitsyna, a Russian climber named Roman, Luca Sinigaglia from Italy, and Gunther Sigmund from Germany. After Nagovitsyna broke her leg, Roman gave first aid and secured...
First seen: 2025-09-01 23:49
Last seen: 2025-09-02 05:50