Tragedy in Kamchatka (April 2026)
Begin of Video A quarrel between tourists led to disaster! (April 18, 2026):
[–] Hello everyone, friends! Vladimir [CHAYKIN] with you. Today we'll discuss a very recent tragedy – a story from Kamchatka, where a group of tourists got separated and got into serious trouble. Since the incident just happened, the information in the video may be incomplete or inaccurate.
Of course, when the survivors comment, we'll know much more. But for now, I've compiled all the available information for you.
March 2026. A group of nine people is preparing for a trek across Kamchatka. The group was primarily made up of students and graduates of the St. Petersburg Mining University, who attend the local Efremov Hiking Club. However, the hike was their own initiative and was not organized by either the hiking club or the institute. The youngest participant is 21, and the eldest is 31. These are young guys. Most of them are students in their early 20s. They already have hiking experience, including skiing, having hiked in Karelia, the Urals, and the Khibiny Mountains.
However, this winter hike of the third difficulty category in Kamchatka was a first for many. Nine students and a ski hike – does that ring a bell? Actually, this story will have more connections with Dyatlov.The leader of this hike is 22-year-old student Liza. This is initially odd, as the group included more experienced members who were more suited to lead the hike. For example, 30-year-old Egor, according to some sources, is Liza's boyfriend. He was a candidate for master of sports in sports tourism. However, he's just a regular participant. And why a young woman with limited hiking experience became the leader is hard to say.
I can assume that guiding a hike isn't just about leading a group along a route; it also involves a huge amount of organizational work. You need to register the group with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, create a food plan, select equipment, organize all the participants, and plan the route. This is a huge amount of organizing, and not the most pleasant tasks. And it's conceivable that the students weren't eager to do it. Perhaps Lisa was the only one who agreed to take it on.
Another version: Perhaps she wanted to obtain a sports tourism rank, which required guiding a hike of the 3rd difficulty category.
One way or another, 22-year-old Lisa becomes the leader of this group. And the hikers set out on March 28, 2026, from the village of Pinachevo. It's a fairly challenging route, but it's not an impossible task for a prepared group, especially one with hiking experience. A good, challenging, and interesting route, and you couldn't say it was deserted. Kamchatka is a very popular place. It's quite crowded in March. Tourists, various skiers, and so on. Moreover, as you can see, there are plenty of cordons and EMERCOM bases along the route.
So, on March 28th, the group sets out on the route. Importantly, the route was registered with the EMERCOM. This means that rescuers knew about this group.
The group had all the necessary equipment, enough supplies, and even a satellite phone to call for help if something went wrong. So, at this point, everything looks more than reasonable.
On April 1st, the group was supposed to reach Vershinsky Volcano. The next day was the longest: they had to walk 21 km from the Vershinskaya River to the Chaevaya River, and on April 3rd, they had to walk 18 km through the Talovsky Pass to the cordon. But on April 3rd, already near the Talovsky cordon, a conflict arose among the tourists. And this is the key moment in this story, about which, unfortunately, we know very little. Presumably, the group leader, Lisa, receives a text message informing her that a cyclone is approaching and the weather will deteriorate significantly.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations often sends out text messages like these to group leaders on routes so they're prepared for changing weather conditions. And Lisa starts trying to persuade the guys to abandon the route and abandon the hike. And that, by the way, is also sensible. Any well-planned route should have such escape routes in case of an emergency.
So, she tries to persuade them to go into the village and abandon the route. The group apparently protests, and a conflict ensues.
So the true cause of the conflict remains a mystery. And something tells me it wasn't just a difference of opinion about the route. There was obviously something else going on.
One way or another, the group splits up. Lisa and another member, 30-year-old Yegor, leave the team. Actually, I've read in many sources that she tried to persuade the group, and only Yegor agreed to go with her.
But some sources say they were a couple. So the story is a little different. There was no need to persuade anyone. A guy and a girl who were in a relationship simply leave the group and go their separate ways. This is a slightly different scenario than persuading one of the participants.
One way or another, most of the tourists (seven people) continue on the planned route. And Liza and Egor very soon safely reach the Semenovsky Cordon and, in effect, finish the hike.
The media reported that when the group split up and the leader left, she took the tent and satellite phone with her. But this information is partially incorrect. The group retained the tent, or rather, the marquee.
I daresay this marquee is pitched on ski poles. Stoves are placed inside. This is a fairly common overnight spot on ski trips. Liza apparently did indeed take the satellite phone, leaving the group without service. And that's not good.
Although there was mobile coverage along the route, the tourists even sent text messages home. And I probably won't evaluate Lisa's actions as the expedition leader. There are too many unknowns in this equation. We don't know the circumstances that unfolded on the expedition. Most importantly, we don't know the cause of the conflict, or what actually caused it. Therefore, I won't take it upon myself to evaluate her actions as a leader.
If more information becomes available, perhaps an additional video will be released. Either way, the media has been very harsh on her. Most of the headlines read: the group leader took the tent and satellite phone and abandoned the group to freeze.
But that's complete nonsense. They had a tent (marquee), they had a stove, they had supplies, food, equipment, everything they needed. And it's not like she abandoned them to their deaths. I'm sure that if she had taken the tent and the group had nowhere to sleep, they would have abandoned the route too, because continuing a group winter trek across Kamchatka without a tent is complete madness and suicide. No one would do that. They would have returned to the cordon, too. However, they decide to continue the trek. Apparently, they were doing quite well without any incidents, because on April 7th, 22-year-old Fyodor sent the following message home:
"We're spending the night at the waterfall near the snowmobile. Everything's great!"
On April 7th, at the waterfall on the Shumnaya River, the group is met by snowmobilers, whom Fyodor mentioned in an SMS. And there are no emergencies among the team. They don't ask for help, but simply continue on their way.
On April 8th, the weather deteriorates sharply. A cyclone with a blizzard and gale-force winds hits the Avacha Pass area. The snow was falling with incredible force. It was clear that we couldn't continue the route. We had to wait out the bad weather.
On April 9, a week after the group split up, the leader, Lisa, apparently became concerned and called the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
On April 10, with one reserve day left for the trip, the hikers were supposed to finish the hike and report to rescuers, but they didn't respond. The rescue operation began. A snowstorm was sweeping across Kamchatka, instantly covering all traces. Six rescuers set out on snowmobiles from the Sukhaya Rechka. Beyond the Avacha Pass, they were joined by two rangers who had been traveling along the hikers' route.
Rescuer Andrei Polyukhov described how events unfolded:
When we arrived at the pass, we met with the rangers, divided into groups, divided up search areas, and then rode off to these areas. There was a strong wind and a snowstorm. After some time, the inspectors encountered two other hikers, apparently sent for help by the group. They gave the rescuers the coordinates of the other guys.
Matvey Bryuzgin recalls it this way:
The tent was destroyed by snow. The guys were wearing whatever they could find to get out. They had no boots, just long underwear. Because, as I understand it, they took off their wet clothes and crawled into their sleeping bags. When the snow started to cover them, they managed to crawl out before they were buried.
Upon arriving at the scene of the tragedy, the rescuers saw five guys lying in wet sleeping bags without a tent. Two of them were already dead. They were 22-year-old Fyodor and 24-year-old Sergey. They did not survive the blizzard.
The sister of the deceased Fyodor still can't believe what happened.
Who told you that Fedya died? I don't know the circumstances. He contacted us once a day via satellite phone, reporting their whereabouts.
On April 7th, he wrote: "We're spending the night at the waterfall near the snowmobile, everything's fine."
By the way, this comment suggests they had a satellite phone. One of the rescuers recalls meeting the tourists this way:
When we arrived, the people weren't in shock at all. We gave them hot tea and asked if anyone had frostbite. One guy said his fingers were frostbitten because he couldn't feel them. We waited for the main rescue team, warmed up the people, loaded them onto snowmobiles, and evacuated them to the helicopter pickup point. Their condition is assessed as stable to stable and critical.
One of the doctors commented:
The main focus of treatment is hypothermia therapy. They will also be examined for long-term effects, pneumonia, and other complications typical of hypothermia.
And in the footage of the evacuation, the survivors are walking on their own, although their fingers and toes may be frostbitten. And two died.
Polina, a participant in the expedition, said:
I feel more or less okay, unlike the others. We have made a collective decision not to comment on the circumstances of the tragedy.
So what happened during the blizzard? Where did their tent go? Why were they found in wet sleeping bags in the open, exposed to the wind? Most likely, several people died due to the wind chill.
A participant in the expedition described what happened that evening:
It turned out like Dyatlov Pass. The tent was covered in snow during the night. The tent collapsed under the weight of the snow. People tried to hold it up with their hands, but when the snow pressed down on the outside, we were simply buried. We had to cut the tent to get out, after which the group found itself in wet sleeping bags next to the collapsed tent. Does this remind you of anything? A cut tent, half-naked students, strange decisions. If there had been no survivors, everyone would have been wondering what had driven them out of the tent. The outcome of this story is that two young men died, several people froze to death, and two criminal cases have been opened. Under Part 3 of Article 109 (causing death through negligence to two persons), as well as under Part 3 of Article 238 (providing services that do not meet consumer safety and health requirements). The survivors will be examined by doctors and questioned by investigators. And at this time, this is all the information known.
Topic: Tragedy in Kamchatka (April 2026) (Read 22 times)