Mansi Human Rights Defender Killed in KhMAO Crash
Valery Zenkov, 70, was killed on January 17 after exiting his car to help a stranded driver on the Ivdel–Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug highway.
Jan 26, 2026 0
For many years, Zenkov worked to defend the rights and interests of the Mansi people.
Source:
Valery Zenkov, head of the public organization «Social Assistance and Support for the Ivdel Mansi,» died on the Ivdel–Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (KhMAO) highway. The tragic accident occurred on January 17. The 70-year-old activist got out of his Toyota onto the road to help another driver stuck on the shoulder. At that moment, another car crashed into the stationary vehicles.
Valery Zenkov was a prominent advocate for the Mansi community in the Sverdlovsk region.
Source:
«Valery Nikolayevich spent many years supporting representatives of the small indigenous ethnic group: he helped with paperwork, assisted students with travel and tuition payments, purchased fuel and lubricants, medicines, building materials, and facilitated access to medical care,» reports the Ministry of Economy and Territorial Development of Sverdlovsk Region.
As a member of the working group on solving problems of the indigenous small-numbered people, Zenkov also promoted the participation of Mansi representatives in events and showcasing their culture.
As reported by the State Traffic Inspectorate of Sverdlovsk Region, as a result of the mass accident, one person died and four more were injured. Two of them are children.
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