Putin's top sports university boss found dead inside head of 279ft tall statue

The chancellor of Russia’s top sports has been found dead inside the head of a 279ft statue once considered the ’s tallest. Police are now probing the bizarre circumstances surrounding the death of Nikolay Chesnokov, 68, who was discovered in the famous The Motherland Calls monument in Volgograd.

He is believed to have been illegally inside the giant statue, which is currently closed to the public. Chesnokov was rector of the renowned Kremlin-funded State Academy of Physical Culture. In his last photo before climbing the statue, the ex professor was seen preparing to lay flowers at the site, which is considered a sacred war memorial.

His body was found inside the head of the monument - more than 107ft above the ground and accessed via a hatch after a climb of 200 steps, some of which are on ladders, according to reports.

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The Russian Investigative Committee was today probing his death for any sign of foul play but other theories are that he stumbled and fell or suffered a heart attack. Chesnokov was a Soviet-era Master of Sport in Athletics, and an Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.

The Motherland Calls in Volgograd was the tallest statue in the world from its completion in 1967 until 1975.

The world famous statue commemorates the Battle of Stalingrad - the previous name for Volgograd - which took place in 1942-43. He died at the highest point it was possible to climb inside the statue, according to reports.

“He went up to the very top,” said one media outlet. According to locals, climbing to the head of the monument is a rare practice, and for people not involved in the maintenance of the monument, it is also illegal.

His academy is seen as the best sports university in , known for producing elite coaches, athletes, and sports scientists. It has strong connections to the Olympic movement and Russian sports federations, and offers programmes in sports medicine, physical education, kinesiology, and coaching.

The committee said an investigation was underway, adding: “According to preliminary data, the man's death does not have any signs of a criminal nature.”