Chronicle of powerlessness: the Ministry of Emergency Situations refused to rescue climber Natalia Nagovitsina from Pobeda Peak

Mountain climbers probably know better than anyone that it is impossible to survive for more than ten days in high-altitude conditions, in temperatures down to minus 30 degrees and hurricane winds of 150 km/h, without food and water. And to admit the obvious, mountain climbers do not need a certificate from the morgue. But ordinary observers from the outside find it difficult to accept the fact that the woman’s death took place essentially in full view of the entire world, it remained on video taken from a helicopter that was unable to land rescuers.

However, judge for yourself. Here is a chronicle of this drama, which Novye Izvestia tried to recreate.

As reported by Liya Popova , a close friend of Natalia Nagovitsyna, the goal of the Russian climber's ascent to Pobeda Peak was to receive the "Snow Leopard" badge. Climbing this seven-thousander had been Nagovitsyna's long-time dream and she imagined it as a serious test of strength.

Suffice it to say that only 10 climbers from all over Russia have received the honorary badge in 15 years:

The official website of the Federation published the regulations for awarding the “Snow Leopard” badge, listing all ten peaks that had to be conquered:

The official Kyrgyz name of the 7439-meter-high Pobeda Peak is Dzhengish Chokusu, the Chinese name of the mountain is Tomur Peak (Tuomuer Feng). And as we can see, there is no such mountain on the list of the Russian Federation, as there is no peak higher than 5642 meters. In addition, the regulations state that "the standard for assigning the title of "Snow Leopard of Russia" is to climb ten peaks located on the territory of the Russian Federation," while Pobeda Peak is located in Kyrgyzstan.

Experienced climbers know that this is one of the most dangerous peaks in the world. As Novye Izvestia wrote , the mortality rate when climbing Pobeda Peak is 7.8%. And if an athlete gets injured or has a fracture, then a trip to Pobeda Peak is a one-way ticket. Due to the narrow three-kilometer ridge, it is almost impossible to pull out an injured climber! According to the vice-president of the mountaineering federation , Alexander Pyatnitsyn, a rescue group must have at least 30 people, and it is often impossible to count on a helicopter landing due to the thin air.

Nevertheless, something drew Natalia to storm Pobeda Peak. The first attempt in 2024 ended in failure - the main guide responsible for the group's safety canceled the ascent, convinced of the poor preparation of the participants. There is no data yet that a year later this preparation reached a new level. Or, alas, it did not exist at all.

It is possible that Natalia trusted the organizers of the ascent - the Kyrgyz company Ak-Sai Travel , which is ready to send anyone on a deadly journey for $1,800. In any case, the company's website clearly states:

"In recent years, the routes of Pobeda Peak have ceased to be as risky as in the pre-war years. Modern equipment and gear, rescue teams ready to go to help at the first signal, detailed maps..."

Subsequent events showed, to put it mildly, the falsity of the advertising assurances, since the rescue of the woman turned into a powerless farce.

Natalia Nagovitsyna broke her leg on August 12, when she and her partner were descending from Pobeda Peak. They say that the fracture was caused by her partner's fall, which, fortunately, was without consequences. The partner was even able to descend to the assault camp and ask climbers from Italy and Germany for help.

The next day, the Germans and Italians brought Natalia food and equipment, but they were unable to take her with them. Moreover, one of the Italian athletes died during the descent. The question is, where were the professional rescuers promised by the organizers at that time?

It was reported that the Kyrgyz Ministry of Defense sent rescuers who were supposed to reach the site on foot, but not earlier than in two or three days. But they did not arrive even ten days after Nogovitsyna's fracture.

Where were the rescue helicopters from the Republican Ministry of Emergency Situations?

The first attempt to land on the ledge where the climber lay was made only five days after the fracture, on August 17, but the helicopter predictably encountered turbulence, and the pilots admitted that the thin air did not allow them to fly above 5.5 thousand meters ( oh wow! And the advertisement for the “safe” tour said nothing about this — ed. ). The helicopter almost crashed on its way to Pobeda Peak, making a hard landing. Three rescuers on board were injured, including the aircraft commander.

Five days at an altitude of more than seven thousand meters without oxygen is the maximum time for human survival.

"The very presence at such an altitude is fatal, it is lethal. This is called the lethal adaptation zone," said Vladimir Legoshin, former deputy head of the Emergencies Ministry's "Centrospas" squad and Hero of Russia, in an interview with TASS.

According to him, if a person can survive without air underwater for several minutes, then in high-altitude conditions the maximum period of existence is about five days.

However, on August 19, a week after the fracture, Natalia Nogovitsyna was still alive. What the camera of the drone launched by the rescuers showed.

But on August 22, there was a message in the Mountain Accidents Telegram group chat that the rescue operation had been stopped. The bodies of the dead Italian named Luca and Natalia Nogovitsyna will probably remain on Pobeda Peak. By the way, there are at least 16 more dead climbers there.

Russian Alexey Ermakov, also a client of the Ak-Sai Travel agency, who died on the top of Mount Khan-Tengri on August 16, was “luckier”: his body was able to be evacuated… The cause of death was the use of a gas burner in a tent and carbon monoxide poisoning.

After the incident with Natalia Nogovitsyna, the mountain rescuers' website displays "error 404" and a stern warning to all who enter. As they say, it makes sense to remember and understand:

It is impossible to transport Russian mountaineer Natalia Nagovitsina from Pobeda Peak in the Tien Shan Mountains. Dmitry Grekov, head of the South Inylchek base camp located on Pobeda Peak, told TASS.

"There is no need to look for her [Nagovitsyna], we know where she is. It is just impossible to get there. No one has ever been taken from there in history. It is impossible to lower them by hand, only by helicopter, and we don't have such helicopters in Kyrgyzstan," he said.