December 27, 2025
Peak Pobedy
2025 became a turning point for mountaineering in Kyrgyzstan. The country, home to three of the five highest peaks in the post-Soviet space—Lenin Peak (7134 m), Khan-Tengri (7010 m), and Peak Pobedy (7439 m)—traditionally attracts daredevils from around the world, but the past season brought several tragedies, prompting discussions on the need to revise rules and update legislation.
2025 will be remembered in Kyrgyzstan not only for conquering heights but also for a series of tragic incidents, especially on Peak Pobedy, one of the most challenging and dangerous seven-thousanders on the planet. These events, which claimed the lives of several mountaineers, have pushed authorities and the Mountaineering Federation to develop radical changes in ascent rules.
Natalia Nagovitsina
August became the epicenter of tragedies on Peak Pobedy. Russian mountaineer Natalia Nagovitsina, holder of the second sports category, broke her leg on the descent from the summit at an altitude of 7200 meters. This happened just three months after a similar injury in the Ala-Archa nature park, where she broke her leg in two places during training. Despite recommendations not to risk it, Nagovitsina decided to climb, forming a group of four people. Her partner Roman Mokrynsky descended for help, while Italian mountaineer Luca Sinigaglia and German Günter Sigmund set up a tent for her, leaving food and a heater.
However, the rescue turned into a new drama. On August 15, Sinigaglia died at 6900 meters from brain edema.
Later, two Iranian mountaineers went missing. And Russian veteran Nikolai Totmyanin, who conquered Peak Pobedy eight times, descended with an open ulcer but died in the hospital. In total, five people died on this peak in 2025—a record for recent years.
Attempts to rescue Nagovitsina revealed systemic problems. On August 16, a Mi-8 helicopter from the Kyrgyz Ministry of Defense with a rescue team on board crashed at 4600 meters. All survived, but four were injured. Pilot Bakyt Rakhmanov, who participated in the operation, said:
«We removed all the seats. We also removed the additional fuel tank. We also removed the frames. We also removed the flap covering the cargo compartment from the outside. […] In fact, 7500 tons is the weight of the empty helicopter. During the flight, we took very little fuel. We calculated it only for the way there and back. The maximum takeoff weight of the helicopter is 13 tons. When loading cargo, personnel, and other things, only 13 tons are allowed. The normal takeoff weight should be 11.2 tons. However, after removing all additional tanks, seats, and other equipment and adding a little fuel, our weight did not reach 10 tons; its maximum weight was 9800 kg. With this, we set off and participated in the rescue operation».
The helicopter reportedly crashed due to weather conditions and the state of the snow cover.
A drone on August 19–21 confirmed that Nagovitsina was alive, but bad weather prevented evacuation.
Elena Kalashnikova
«From a legal point of view, she signed, she knew, everyone knew that from 7200 no one will pick you up», noted Elena Kalashnikova, head of Ak-Sai Travel, a tour operator specializing in extreme tours in Kyrgyzstan.
Against the backdrop of the tragedy, the country recalled other sad episodes: in 1974, eight women died on Lenin Peak due to a storm, in 2004 an avalanche on Khan-Tengri claimed 11 lives.
Mikhail Mikhailov, a mountaineering veteran since the 1970s who lays routes for tourists. He often visits the mountaineers’ memorial. Most names are familiar to him; he remembers all the tragedies that happened to the conquerors of the peaks. He warns:
«In the mountains, you shouldn’t race; the slower you go up, the faster your body adapts».
In 2025, according to rescuers, assistance was provided to 444 people, but mortality statistics are rising: annually 2–4 people die on seven-thousanders.
Experts unanimously believe that many tragedies result from lack of experience, absence of insurance, and ignoring rules. Nagovitsina violated basic principles by climbing without rehabilitation, believes mountaineer Ilim Karypbekov.
Ilim Karypbekov
«As soon as I saw this, when they said that Nagovitsina was left there with a broken leg, I immediately called and got additional information, and seeing her from the drone, I immediately said that there are no chances to save Nagovitsina. This is reality. I said it openly, — comments Karypbekov. — Mountaineers couldn’t say it. But everyone understood. Since ordinary people don’t understand this, they started shouting why the helicopter isn’t flying, isn’t doing this or that. Let me say it this way: efforts were made to tell people that attempts were made. […] In mountaineering, there are rules; if you don’t follow them, you will definitely get into trouble; if you have a broken leg, you shouldn’t climb such a mountain in the near future. This is the rule. But she violated the rule.
The Iranians who went missing in 2025 turned off the radio station, ignoring warnings to descend.
Conducting rescue operations is complicated by altitude. Mi-8 helicopters rise to a maximum of 5000 meters, and higher only acclimatized mountaineers rescue.
Eduard Kubatov
«In the highlands, only mountaineers can rescue mountaineers. The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Emergency Situations cannot save us there. If the Ministry of Emergency Situations takes on a rescue operation, then among the employees there should be athletes at the level of mountaineers. There should be a candidate for master of sports, master of sports, professional mountaineer who can reach that level. There is no such system. Our Ministry of Emergency Situations and rescue service work well up to 5 thousand meters. Our [mountaineers] participate in rescue operations at 6–7 thousand meters. In the highlands, only mountaineers rescue mountaineers», says Eduard Kubatov, president of the Mountaineering Federation of Kyrgyzstan.
In Ala-Archa park, the Edelweiss squad conducted 30 operations, descending 30 people, but resources on seven-thousanders are limited. The cost of rescue is 10–60 thousand dollars, depending on height. Currently, mountaineers pay tour companies from 1800 to 2400 dollars for organizing ascents.
During the work of the previous convocation, deputy Emil Toktoshev proposed a bill on special permits for peaks above 6000 meters. But later the federation adjusted that it should concern only seven-thousanders.
«We were against it. Permits for six-thousanders cannot be introduced. Only athletes go to six-thousanders. There is no flow of mountaineers there. Over 10 years, one or two insurance cases occur. Introducing permits for six-thousanders would be wrong. It would be the right decision for seven-thousanders like Jelaydar, Khan-Tengri, and Peak Pobedy. Therefore, we will consider the presence of international insurance, the mountaineer’s experience, and health condition and decide whether to give permission for ascent or not. Introducing a permit system for seven-thousanders is the right decision. Because it’s the demand of the time. Six-thousanders is very wrong», notes Eduard Kubatov, head of the mountaineering federation of Kyrgyzstan.
He believes that the current tourism law, adopted in 1999, needs revision and update.
«Now we, the state tourism agency, tourism association, and mountaineering federation, will gather, organize an expert group, and then try to write a new tourism law. It will have a large section on mountaineering. There will also be a section on permits», says Kubatov.
For Peak Pobedy, changes may be radical. For example, ascents will be possible only with permission, and control in the base camp will be necessary. Commercial expeditions may not be allowed — mountaineers will go at their own risk.
And risk in ascent is always there. According to the head of Ak-Sai Travel tour operator Elena Kalashnikova, over 15 years the company conducted 561 rescue operations, 87 deceased were descended, but 460 were saved.
«We give all recommendations fully, we make it as safe as possible, we give a radio station, monitor where they are, every day, every two hours communication, if a person feels bad, our employees immediately go to him, if they say they are in the third camp, it’s already late, descend down, but this all goes as recommendations, we cannot, for example, with those Iranians who went missing, they spent a lot of time at height, descend, descend, urgently descend, they took the radio station, turned it off and went higher. And what can you do? […] People died in the mountains, people will die in the mountains, as sad as it is. Let’s remove the emotional part, how Natalia died, and look realistically: people died and will», says Kalashnikova.
Kyrgyzstan attracts 10 thousand mountaineers annually, mainly from Russia, Kazakhstan, Europe, and Iran. Programs for Khan-Tengri (21 days) and Pobeda (28 days) include ‘saw teeth’ acclimatization — ascent-descent for adaptation. On Peak Pobedy, out of 15 arrivals, 2–3 climb.
In the Ala-Archa memorial, where the bell rings to honor the fallen, Mikhailov reflects: «If we go to the great mountains without being ready for death, we will not reach the summit».
Tell us about your travel plans and we'll craft a personalized proposal within 24 hours. No pressure, no generic packages — just a genuine conversation about your dream trip.
Perfect for culturally curious travelers who want more than a standard sightseeing trip. Ideal for those who want a balanced combination of nature, authentic nomadic life, UNESCO heritage cities, and real Silk Road history — all in one seamless journey across three countries.
