Mystery of how top sports professor was found dead inside famous Russian statue

Nikolai Chesnokov,68,fell ill and collapsed after climbing 200 steps to the top of the memorial (Picture: east2west / Shutterstock)

The chancellor of Russia’s top sports university has died inside the head of ‘Motherland Calls’,a World War II memorial that was once the tallest in the world.

Nikolai Chesnokov,fell ill this morning during an excursion to the 279-foot statue in the southern region of Volgograd.

He was reportedly accompanied by colleagues from the Kremlin-funded Moscow State Academy of Physical Culture who attempted to resuscitate him,but to no avail.

Baza,a Telegram channel with links to Russian security services,claimed the visit inside the monument had not been authorised as the statue is not open to the public.

It also said that Chesnokov died of a heart attack,but this has not yet been confirmed by emergency services.

Russian reports stated that inside the head of the statue,there is a small room,with a wooden floor and a bench,which can be accessed through a hatch.

The sculpture on the Mamaev Kurgan hill in Volgograd (Picture: Shutterstock)

It is a steep climb of 200 steps – some of which are on ladders – to actually get to the top.

Immediately before his climb,Chesnokov was preparing to lay flowers atthe eternal flame near the monument.

He had travelled to Volgograd from Moscow to take part in a nationwide university sports festival,Russian media reported.

The Russian Investigative Committee has been probing his death for any sign of foul play.

Set on top of Mamayev Kurgan hill,the concrete sculpture was unveiled in 1967 in commemoration of the casualties of the the bloodiest battle of World War II,the Battle of Stalingrad – the previous name for Volgograd.

This is where Soviet forces repelled Nazi Germany’s advance at the cost of more than 1 million casualties.

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