Natalia has been stranded on a mountain since breaking her leg. Officials now believe she's dead.

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Russian mountaineer Natalia Nagovitsyna is presumed dead after being stranded on Kyrgyzstan's highest and most unforgiving mountain for more than two weeks.

A military drone with thermal imaging capability found no signs of life in Nagovitsyna's tent after completing a fly-over.

It comes after rescue efforts were called off due to unforgiving weather.

On August 12, Nagovitsyna set out to conquer Pobeda Peak, also known as Victory Peak. Towering at 24,406 feet (around 7440 metres) — nearly as tall as Mount Everest — the mountain is known locally as Jengish Chokusu and sits in the Tian Shan range on the border with China.

For Nagovitsyna, an experienced climber who had spent years chasing summits, this was not her first brush with danger. Four years ago, she had refused to abandon her husband Sergei when he suffered a fatal stroke during their climb of Khan Tengri, another Central Asian peak.

"I am not afraid to die," she had said in a documentary at the time.

She stayed with Sergei through a blizzard until he passed away.

That resilience became part of her reputation amongst mountaineers. But her latest climb pushed her to the very edge of human endurance.

Watch: Natalia Nagovitsyna left stranded on a mountain. Post continues after video.

CNN reports that Nagovitsyna was descending from the summit when she broke her leg at around 7010 metres.

Within days of her injury, fellow climbers launched attempts to reach her. One of them was Italian mountaineer Luca Sinigaglia, 49, who had befriended her on the mountain.

He braved the climb not once, but twice, carrying her essential supplies, a tent, sleeping bag, food, water, and a gas cooker, in hopes of buying her time.

Tragically, Sinigaglia developed frostbite on his return and died during his second rescue attempt.

Another group of rescuers tried to ascend but were forced to turn back when their leader fell seriously ill. Then a Kyrgyz military helicopter tasked with the operation crashed into the side of the mountain, though its crew survived.

"We know where she is. But it's impossible to get there," admitted Dmitry Grekov, head of the Victory Peak base camp, when speaking to Russian state media.

"No one has ever been evacuated from such an altitude. It's impossible to do it manually, only by helicopter, and we don't have such helicopters in Kyrgyzstan."

As the days wore on, the chances of survival looked grim. Nighttime temperatures fell to -28C. Ferocious winds tore apart Nagovitsyna's tent, leaving her exposed.

But then, drone footage on August 19 appeared to show that the climber was alive.

In the grainy video, Nagovitsyna was seen moving and even waving up at the drone.

"In the video I received, it is clearly visible that seven days after losing contact, she is actively waving her hand, full of strength," her son, 27-year-old Mikhail Nagovitsina, told reporters.

Kyrgyzstan, Ala Archa National Park, in Tien Shan.

The footage reignited desperate hopes that she could still be saved. A special light helicopter and an Italian crew were flown in, ready to attempt the high-altitude rescue if conditions cleared. But the mountain refused to give up its grip. Clouds blanketed the peak, making flying impossible.

"The rescue mission on Mount Pobeda was officially brought to an end," read a statement from a Russian mountaineering portal after yet another day of bad weather.

Adil Chargynov, a spokesperson for Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations, confirmed: "Weather conditions remain poor. Today the helicopter was returned to its permanent base. Italian pilots, brought in for their high-altitude experience, are now returning home."

By Friday, August 23, after 12 days of failed attempts and worsening storms, Kyrgyz authorities announced the operation was over. "All climbers, all experts share the view that she is unfortunately no longer alive," said Chargynov.

Nagovitsyna's son called for renewed efforts. "I request that the search be resumed," he pleaded. "My mother is an experienced climber… and is also in very good shape. I am sure that she is alive and want the search to be resumed."

He also made a direct appeal to the Russian government: "I ask for assistance in organising aerial video shooting of the Peak Pobeda area using drones to confirm the fact that she is alive. If this fact is confirmed, then organise a rescue operation."

But Kyrgyz officials defended their choice to suspend the mission.

Ilim Karypbekov, vice president of the Kyrgyz Mountaineering Federation, explained: "Professional pilots flew in from Italy. But when they flew to the area by helicopter, the weather was not favourable. Before that, they invited a drone pilot who was ordered to probe the area, but it was not possible. The forecast said that in the coming week, five or six days, the weather would not be stable enough to fly a helicopter, let alone a drone."

In the end, he said, "They saw that there was no point in waiting that long. No one could survive that long. They decided that it was pointless to wait any longer. In the end, it became clear that they would only be able to reach Natalia next season."

For Mikhail, the thought his mother may still be clinging to life while authorities abandoned her was unbearable.

"They continued to wait for a weather window — but this morning, the entire rescue operation was disbanded, and the reason is unknown. It alarms me," he said.

Nagovitsyna turned 48 on August 20, just days into her ordeal. She spent her birthday alone at nearly 23,000 feet, under a rock formation called "the Bird," where she had tried to find shelter.

Her son believed she still had the strength to fight.

"She is actively waving her hand, full of strength," he repeated, describing the drone footage. But rescuers argued the odds of surviving nearly two weeks in such conditions are close to zero.

Those who knew her will remember her as the climber who once refused to leave her husband's side, who told cameras she was not afraid to die, and for the resilience and fearlessness that defined every climb she ever made.

Feature Image: East2West