By Najeeb Sani
Russian skydiver, Sergey Boytcov, has made history with a record-breaking jump from the stratosphere, leaping from a hot air balloon at 11,551 meters in support of the International Festival of Youth 2026.
The jump, carried out on August 15 to mark Boytcov’s birthday and ahead of Russia’s National Flag Day, was the centerpiece of the “Stratum Jump 11–12” project by Russian company Created by the Heavens.
Boytcov, a Master of Sport of Russia and CEO of Created by the Heavens, free-fell for more than 7 minutes at speeds exceeding 500 km/h.
He landed safely in the Ust-Kalmanka District of Altai Territory after deploying his parachute at 1,565 meters.
The feat shattered the previous world record of 10,060 meters set by Polish extreme athletes.
The balloon itself also set a new Russian national altitude record, reaching 11,610 meters.
That surpasses the 10,678-meter mark set in 2025 by explorer Fyodor Konyukhov and balloon pilot Ivan Menyaylo, who also piloted this mission.
“This record-breaking descent from more than 11.5 km is the result not only of my own painstaking work, but of the engineers, pilots and the whole project team.
“I’m proud to have been able to dedicate this achievement to my country ahead of National Flag Day and in support of the International Festival of Youth – 2026”, Boytcov said.
The jump was not just an athletic feat. At –59°C and with very low air pressure, the team relied entirely on domestically produced equipment from companies including Rusbal, Paraavis, and JSC PTS. Boytcov also trained in a Roscosmos pressure chamber simulating 12 km altitude.
The event was livestreamed globally via the International Festival of Youth’s VK community page.
The jump serves as a prelude to the International Festival of Youth 2026, set for September 11–17 in Ekaterinburg.
The Festival will run under the motto “Follow Your Dream” and bring together 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries.
The project was backed by the Russian Ministry of Sport, the Russian Olympic Committee, Roscosmos and Rosaviatsia.