Photo "Ren TV". The last photo of Natalia Nagovitsina during her ascent of Victory Peak
The incident occurred when Nagovitsina, having reached an altitude of about 7,200 meters on Victory Peak — the highest point of the Tien Shan, sustained a leg injury. Attempts by other climbers to rescue her were unsuccessful due to difficult weather conditions. As a result, one of the rescuers, Italian Luca Sinigaglia, tragically died on August 15 from hypothermia.
The Federation previously stated that it would not resume search operations for Nagovitsina.
“These searches will require between $2 to $3 million. If any relatives or other interested parties want to take the risk, they might be able to organize assistance... However, the risk to life in this operation is very high,” noted Pyatnitsyn, comparing the conditions to those in space.
On August 12, 2025, Natalia Nagovitsina got stuck on the peak, breaking her leg during the ascent. Hopes for her rescue were strong, but on August 23, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan announced the completion of the operation due to bad weather conditions. Some climbers continued their attempts to reach her, but adverse conditions continued to hinder progress. On September 2, Eduard Kubatov, President of the Mountaineering and Sport Climbing Federation of Kyrgyzstan, confirmed the cessation of all rescue operations.
Victory Peak, with an elevation of 7,439 meters, is recognized as one of the most difficult to climb in the world. Throughout its history, more than 80 climbers have died on it.
