Nikolai Chesnokov, the chancellor of Russia’s top sports university, died at the ‘Motherland Calls’ World War II memorial in Volgograd after collapsing during an unauthorized visit inside the statue.
Chesnokov, 68, fell ill after climbing 200 steps and was accompanied by colleagues who attempted to resuscitate him, but he reportedly suffered a heart attack. The Russian Investigative Committee is looking into the circumstances surrounding his death, which occurred during his participation in a nationwide university sports festival.