Happy 89 Birthday Askinadzi Comments (6)
10-04-2026
Today, April 10, Vladimir Askinadzi is turning 89. Special greeting for the members of Dyatlov Pass Forum! Notice the tshirt.
You can pin his greeting card if you haven't done it yet. This used to be the card to wish him well after his latest stroke. Now we are turning it into a Birthday Greeting card. You don't have to be precise with the pin, just make one. I like it when they are spread all over the globe, but you don't have to pinpoint your home if you don't want to. You can easily create a pin from your profile page. Existing forum members can interact with the map from their profile. If you are not a member you may consider registering. To put a pin click on the map and don't forget to click "Change profile" or else the pin won't be saved.
I consider Vladimir Askinadzi one of the best, if not the best witness of the search operation in 1959. If we apply the investigative motto "Means, Motive, and Opportunity" not for a suspect in a crime but for a witness, then Vladimir Mihaylovich checks all the boxes to be our best witness, that is. Here are the three most important things, in my opinion. First, he remembers, his mind is intact, but most importantly, his recollections are not biased by any theory. Second - he actually had the chance to find the bodies that had the injuries that couldn't be explained by anything else but "overwhelming force". Third, not the least, he agreed to answer our questions. I have always urged you to read what he has said throughout the years, but now we both agree that, in order to have consistent documents, it won't be a bad idea to revisit all his answers. It is a cart following tracks. If we try to continue where we ended, i.e., come up with new questions, then we presume that what has been said (the tracks) is firmly established. But they are not. So fire away! You can ask your questions in a comment here, in the Dyatlov Pass forum, in Taina.li, or on Facebook.
The idea is borrowed by Maya Piskareva and her 100 questions to Yudin. She died in 2017. Piskareva and Askinadzi shared a special bond.
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Question Already Sent
“Vladimir Mihaylovich, thank you for sharing your memories with us. Looking back to 1959, is there one specific detail from the search that has stayed with you more than any other? If so, what made that detail stand out to you at the time.”
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Additional Questions
1. During the later stages of the search, was there anything about the ravine or the recovery work that you feel people today misunderstand?
2. Did the searchers discuss any mistakes or missed opportunities during the operation?
3. When you reached the ravine, what were the first things you noticed about the scene?
4. Is there anything about the search that you have never been asked, but feel is important to say?
5. When you first saw the ravine area, did the snow cover look like it had drifted naturally over time, or did it seem more like a sudden collapse or settling of snow into the ravine?
6. During long days working on the slope and near the cedar, did your group ever take short breaks in that area — for example to rest, warm up, build a small fire, or have a quick snack — or was all of that always done back at camp?