Russian, Kyrgyz climbers top Putin Peak

Climbers from Russia and Kyrgyzstan have become the first to reach the summit of Putin Peak in Kyrgyzstan's Tian Shan range. The 14,583-foot-high peak was scaled in 19 hours, RIA Novosti reported. Vladimir Bogolyubov, the lead coach of Kyrgyzstan's Climbing Federation, announced the achievement Friday but he didn't give specifics about when the summit was reached. He described the route as "fairly difficult" and said the climbers planted Russian and Kyrgyz flags at the summit. The previously unnamed mountain was named after Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2011 by the Kyrgyz president. Putin Peak isn't the tallest mountain in the range. Victory Peak and Khan Tengri are taller at 24,606 and 23,000 feet, respectively.