Nikolai Chesnokov, chancellor of Moscow’s State Academy of Physical Education, died on Thursday at the site of a World War II–era monument in the Russian city of Volgograd, according to reports in the local media. He was 68.
Chesnokov had traveled to the city to attend a national sports event associated with the school and took part in an unofficial visit inside a 279-foot Soviet-era statue, which stands atop Mamayev Kurgan, the site of the Battle of Stalingrad. According to local outlets, he collapsed while while touring the statue’s interior.
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After being pronounced dead at the scene, authorities launched a preliminary investigation, but no foul play is suspected. The cause of his death has not been disclosed.
The local channel Baza, citing sources within Russian law enforcement, claimed the visit inside the statue was not formally authorized. The internal structure is rarely accessed by the public and requires navigating ladders and confined maintenance corridors. ARTnews could not independently verify this.
Erected in 1967, The Motherland Calls remains Europe’s tallest statue and a symbol of Soviet resistance during World War II. It commemorates the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest events in the country’s history, where over 1 million soldiers and civilians are estimated to have been killed.
The site has been a political fixture in Russia and a convening point ahead of national events. Some officials have called for Volgograd to permanently restore its wartime name, Stalingrad, ahead of the 80th Victory Day anniversary in June.
Chesnokov, a known figure in the Russian sports world, had led the Moscow academy since 2016.