Life in Russia

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by Ravenlocke (here)
Rescue efforts for Natalia Nagovitsyna, stranded for 10 days at 7,150m on Pobeda Peak, were called off today as winds intensified and snow closed in.

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by Ravenlocke (here)
The rescuers have almost reached the 5,000 m mark. The evacuation of the injured woman will take at least 6–8 days.

With fortune on their side, they may well reach her by the end of tomorrow. If it's humanly possible, they will do it.

But sadly, it was not humanly possible. The weather turned treacherous, and the rescue team had to retreat.

So Natasha has certainly died, all alone in her tent. It's an almost Shakespearean tale. The whole tragedy has been huge news all over Russia, the reason why the escalating drama has been shared on this thread.

The terrible irony was that in 2021, high on Khan Tengri, she had flatly refused to leave her dying husband when everyone at base camp was imploring her to abandon him and save herself. She endured two exposed nights on the mountain, without shelter, food or drink, just holding his hand until very near the end. It was selfless heroism of the very highest order.

So the karmic laws, whatever they are, in the end betrayed her. After all she had done for her dying husband, she had no-one there to hold her hand or comfort her as she lay freezing with a broken leg, knowing she would likely now die herself. It was this that compelled me to follow the story so closely, and I confess it affected me a very great deal.

A small update, nearly a year later. Some readers may remember that I followed this drama day by day, after Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsyna broke her leg high on Peak Pobeda and had no other option than to sit in her tent, with a small amount of food, hoping against hope for some kind of a rescue.

Teams of strong climbers tried to reach her. But the weather intervened, and rescue proved impossible. It's not known on what day she passed away in her tent — though the consensus is that she may have survived for a two full weeks or even a little longer.

There have been discussions about whether it might be possible to retrieve her body, but everyone agrees it would be a superhuman, near-impossible feat to do so.

However, it's now believed that after a week or more and realizing she was sure to die, she would have left a final farewell message.

She could have recorded it on her phone or possibly even on video. There are two recent Russian articles about that, translated into English here and here.

The 2026 good-weather window for climbers to return to Peak Pobeda is nearly here. Mountaineers who knew her well will certainly be able to get to what's left of her tent, which is very probably still there. They expect to find her body in her sleeping bag... and they will be looking for her phone.



Below is by far the best English language video about the whole thing, from Thom Pollard, himself an Everest veteran and an extremely good man. He talks about her extraordinary selflessness in flatly refusing to leave her dying husband back in 2021 when they were both stranded high on Khan Tengri, and the cruelest heartbreak four years later when it proved completely impossible to reach her when it was her turn to need help.

The video opens with actual drone footage showing her waving from her tent, telling the remote camera she was still alive. Commendably, there's not a scrap of AI in the detailed and very moving 20 minute video.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=vG_tHBh2wRg

[Ravenlocke]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by Ravenlocke (here)
Rescue efforts for Natalia Nagovitsyna, stranded for 10 days at 7,150m on Pobeda Peak, were called off today as winds intensified and snow closed in.

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by Ravenlocke (here)
The rescuers have almost reached the 5,000 m mark. The evacuation of the injured woman will take at least 6–8 days.

With fortune on their side, they may well reach her by the end of tomorrow. If it's humanly possible, they will do it.

But sadly, it was not humanly possible. The weather turned treacherous, and the rescue team had to retreat.

So Natasha has certainly died, all alone in her tent. It's an almost Shakespearean tale. The whole tragedy has been huge news all over Russia, the reason why the escalating drama has been shared on this thread.

The terrible irony was that in 2021, high on Khan Tengri, she had flatly refused to leave her dying husband when everyone at base camp was imploring her to abandon him and save herself. She endured two exposed nights on the mountain, without shelter, food or drink, just holding his hand until very near the end. It was selfless heroism of the very highest order.

So the karmic laws, whatever they are, in the end betrayed her. After all she had done for her dying husband, she had no-one there to hold her hand or comfort her as she lay freezing with a broken leg, knowing she would likely now die herself. It was this that compelled me to follow the story so closely, and I confess it affected me a very great deal.

A small update, nearly a year later. Some readers may remember that I followed this drama day by day, after Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsyna broke her leg high on Peak Pobeda and had no other option than to sit in her tent, with a small amount of food, hoping against hope for some kind of a rescue.

Teams of strong climbers tried to reach her. But the weather intervened, and rescue proved impossible. It's not known on what day she passed away in her tent — though the consensus is that she may have survived for a two full weeks or even a little longer.

There have been discussions about whether it might be possible to retrieve her body, but everyone agrees it would be a superhuman, near-impossible feat to do so.

However, it's now believed that after a week or more and realizing she was sure to die, she would have left a final farewell message.

She could have recorded it on her phone or possibly even on video. There are two recent Russian articles about that, translated into English here and here.

The 2026 good-weather window for climbers to return to Peak Pobeda is nearly here. Mountaineers who knew her well will certainly be able to get to what's left of her tent, which is very probably still there. They expect to find her body in her sleeping bag... and they will be looking for her phone.



Below is by far the best English language video about the whole thing, from Thom Pollard, himself an Everest veteran and an extremely good man. He talks about her extraordinary selflessness in flatly refusing to leave her dying husband back in 2021 when they were both stranded high on Khan Tengri, and the cruelest heartbreak four years later when it proved completely impossible to reach her when it was her turn to need help.

The video opens with actual drone footage showing her waving from her tent, telling the remote camera she was still alive. Commendably, there's not a scrap of AI in the detailed and very moving 20 minute video.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=vG_tHBh2wRg

Thanks Bill for this update…even though it is really sad, but she’s not forgotten. Hopefully they will find a message on her phone and may hopefully put her to rest.

It is hard to believe that almost a year has passed already..it doesn’t seem that long ago.

[Ravenlocke]

-- GEROMAN -- time will tell - 👀 --

Russia has entered the list of the richest countries in the world

In this ranking, it took second place. The wealth per resident of the country in 2020–2025increased by 37%, according to the Swiss UBS report "On Global Wealth". The leader in the pace of wealth growth was South Korea, where this indicator increased by 55%. Croatia took third place with a result of 29%.

The anti-rating was led by the United Kingdom: the level of wealth of its citizens decreased by 23.2%. The list of the countries with the greatest decline in wealth included the Netherlands (-14.4%) and France (-4.5%). By "wealth", we mean the aggregate of financial and real assets minus all debts. The indicator is calculated in national currency taking into account inflation.
Readovka 🇷🇺 TG

https://x.com/GeromanAT/status/2072232385354059959

[Ravenlocke]

Brian McDonald

Twelve defendants in an alleged Neo-Nazi assassination plot against RT and RIA Novosti editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, and prominent Russian journalist and former presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak, have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 20 years, Kommersant reports.

Russia’s 2nd Western District Military Court sentenced the alleged leaders of the group, Mikhail Balashov and Yegor Savelyev, to 20 and 15 years in a strict-regime penal colony respectively. The remaining defendants received sentences ranging from six to 15 years.

The trial was held behind closed doors because three of the defendants were minors.

Investigators said the defendants were members of the neo-Nazi group Paragraph-88, whose members allegedly attacked people of Asian appearance and migrants, filmed the assaults and posted the videos online.

The defendants partially admitted guilt, accepting the hooliganism charges but denying that they planned attacks on the two public figures.

https://x.com/BrianMcDonaldIE/status...39787498295386

[Ravenlocke]

Brian McDonald

The governor of Siberia’s Tyumen Region says Russia’s petrol shortage is a seasonal problem made worse by panicking motorists.

“Fuel is arriving. Perhaps with some delays, but in principle it's available,” Alexander Moor said.

He said prices at independent petrol stations are rising in order to “reduce panic demand,” while major chain stations are raising prices only within legal limits.

Moor blamed the problems with petrol availability on the usual summer rise in demand s Russians travel more and harvesting begins in the southern regions.

He also said motorists had worsened the situation by filling up in advance. According to Moor, if a petrol station’s five-day fuel stock is bought up in three days, it creates a break in deliveries.

https://x.com/BrianMcDonaldIE/status...35723461009616

[Ravenlocke]

Brian McDonald

Yuga reports that petrol sales have resumed in Novorossiysk after a temporary suspension, but restrictions remain in place.

Fuel is now being sold only directly into vehicle tanks. Filling canisters or other containers is banned. Each station has its own per-car limit, ranging from 20 to 200 litres, depending on the situation.

https://x.com/BrianMcDonaldIE/status...32459885678830

[Ravenlocke]

Brian McDonald

Jul 2
One of the more remarkable social changes in modern Russia is the collapse in abortion rates. And it's completely under-reported by the international media, which isn't interested in "good news" stories from the county.

In the early 2000s, Russia was still associated with extremely high abortion numbers, but by now the rate is roughly 12–13 per 1,000 women.

That's now lower than the US, France and England, though still higher than Germany.

The usual Western mental image of Russia on this issue is about 20 years out of date.

https://x.com/BrianMcDonaldIE/status...32327856189879

[Ravenlocke]

Brian McDonald

Jul 2
Amazing photos from Lake Teletskoye in Russia’s Altai Republic, where clouds of "drunk butterflies" have gathered along the shore.

Scientists at the Altai Biosphere Reserve say the males flock to damp soil to collect mineral salts. But in huge numbers, they begin reacting to the scent of other males.

According to biologist Oleg Kosterin, when the concentration becomes too strong, the smell acts almost like a superstimulus, leaving the butterflies sluggish or even motionless.

https://x.com/BrianMcDonaldIE/status...51694513541157

[Ravenlocke]

Brian McDonald

Jul 2
Izvestia reports that Russian drivers are increasingly switching their cars to gas fuel amid problems with gasoline supplies.

Companies installing gas cylinder equipment say applications are up around 35% compared with spring. The cost of conversion is reportedly between $700 and $1,000 while waiting times have stretched to several months in some places.

One installer told Izvestia that “people have started looking for an alternative to gasoline. We used to get a maximum of 100 applications a day. Now, while we’re talking, six more people are calling me in parallel, all asking the same thing: to install gas.”

Some workshops say conversions are more difficult on Chinese cars, with waiting times in some cases running until the end of summer.

https://x.com/BrianMcDonaldIE/status...47238593966085

[Ravenlocke]

@Ветеран 🇫🇷

Translated from French
🇷🇺🇹🇭 The tourist flow from Russia to Thailand has already exceeded one million visits this year.

Thus, 1.012 million Russian tourists have visited this Asian country, the ATOR reported.

"During the summer season, Thailand benefits from advantageous prices, significantly more attractive than winter rates: hotels offer discounts of up to 65%."

🔷 RIA Novosti éco

https://x.com/patriot_senior/status/2073103077851197828

[Ravenlocke]

I am posting the following here but Mods if it belongs elsewhere, please move it, Thank you.



Rina Lu🇷🇺

Jul 2
Here’s some rare - and American - footage of pre-war Stalingrad, a beautiful industrial center of the Soviet Union where the world’s largest tractor factory lived side by side with parks, fountains, and theaters.

In 1941, Stalingrad was a thriving industrial city of more than 445,000 people. By the summer of 1942, after taking in evacuated factories and hundreds of thousands of refugees, its population had grown to nearly 700,000.

Then came August 23. In a single day, the Luftwaffe flew around 2,000 sorties, reducing much of the city to ruins and killing more than 42,000 civilians. What followed were months of brutal house-to-house fighting, with every street, basement, and factory becoming a battlefield.

Stalingrad held out, but it was almost completely destroyed. Of its pre-war population, only about 32,000 people remained. The battle of Stalingrad became a turning point of WWII, resulting in a major offensive and finally prompting the Allies to join in.

https://x.com/rinalu_/status/2072895739332898823

[Ravenlocke]

Sputnik

🚨🇷🇺 Russia invents pollutant nanosieve to clean oil, gas, and water

The two new metal-organic frameworks can act as a molecular nanosieve - effectively trapping chlorine, bromine, and iodine impurities.

🔸 The new barium- and yttrium-based frameworks don't just filter the contaminants that cause corrosion and environmental pollution — they lock them down with ultra-stable halogen bonds

🔸 Heating breaks the halogen bonds, making the capture process reversible so the material can be regenerated and reused

🔸 They were successfully synthesized in a lab and structurally confirmed via monocrystal X-ray diffraction at the Kurchatov Institute

The breakthrough offers practical solutions for preventing pipeline corrosion in oil production and purifying water in environmental projects.

https://x.com/SputnikInt/status/2076027243625922770

[Ravenlocke]

Consulate General of the I.R. of Iran in Kazan

Translated from Persian
The unveiling ceremony of the Russian translation of the book "Compassionate Father" was held in the city of Kazan; a work that, through short narratives, recounts glimpses of the life, character, and conduct of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran for Russian-speaking audiences.

https://x.com/IRANinKazan/status/2075980508907950344

[Ravenlocke]

MFA Russia 🇷🇺

Jul 22
👉 Online Course “The Road to Victory”

The online course “The Road to Victory” is an educational project marking the 80th anniversary of #GreatVictory.

The project explores the key events of the Great Patriotic War and #WW2.

https://t.me/MFARussia/31139

#Road2Victory

https://x.com/mfa_russia/status/2079964032073666879

[Vicus]

Laboratorium. Eco-friendly housing construction






Russia has come up with a technology that makes ordinary rye straw a material for green houses. In the new episode of Laboratory, we will go to production, where what was considered an unnecessary residue yesterday is transformed into construction panels.

How does the harvest from the fields transform into warm walls? How is straw better than concrete? How can innovative development help residents of hot countries? And why aren't the thatched houses burning?

An exclusive experiment is available only in our programme. Video:

Text copied from https://tvbrics.com/en/shows/laborat...-construction/

[Ravenlocke]

Russia in Canada

⚓️ Today, Russia celebrates #NavyDay

💬 President #Putin:

❗️Our Navy is capable of effectively addressing the full range of tasks set before it, and those tasks are constantly evolving. The naval component of Russia’s nuclear triad is gaining strength.

https://t.me/rusembc/9350

https://x.com/RussianEmbassyC/status...58403998622044

TASS

Vladimir Putin has personally congratulated Russian Navy servicemen on Navy Day at the Admiraltry in St. Petersburg:
https://vk.cc/cZVzeE

https://x.com/tassagency_en/status/2081384642725191990

[Ravenlocke]

Brian McDonald

Scenes of widespread destruction in Rostov-on-Don after a powerful storm tore through the city, killing one person and sending 51 others to seek medical treatment.

The hurricane-force winds ripped roofs from buildings, damaged amusement rides and gazebos, and brought down more than 1,000 trees. Water supplies have been restored, but some residents remain without electricity.


A powerful storm hit Russia's Rostov-on-Don overnight, killing one person and injuring at least 13 others.

The storm brought thunderstorms and wind gusts of up to 25 meters per second, toppling more than 170 trees, tearing down power lines and damaging roofs, advertising structures and windows.

Power and water supplies were disrupted across at least 15 municipalities in the Rostov region, including Rostov-on-Don, Azov, Bataysk, Taganrog, Shakhty and Novocherkassk. The weather also caused major rail disruption. Russian Railways said 89 passenger trains were delayed after traction substations and signaling equipment lost power, with some services held up for as long as eight hours

https://x.com/BrianMcDonaldIE/status...49062281200062

[Ravenlocke]

МИД России 🇷🇺

Translated from Russian
☦️ Today, July 28, in Russia, #BaptismOfRus is celebrated.

☝️ The adoption of Christianity by Rus became an event of truly epochal historical significance, a kind of turning point.

More details: https://t.me/MID_Russia/87724

https://x.com/MID_RF/status/2081997976948580659

MFA Russia 🇷🇺

Jul 24, 2025
💬 #Zakharova: The #BaptismOfRus Day (July 28) is a commemorative date in Russia.

Having accepted Baptism and baptised his retinue, Grand Prince Vladimir began the spiritual unification of all Slavic tribes, laying the foundation for a centralised Russian state.

https://x.com/mfa_russia/status/1949931286350434481