What secret informants wrote about the Dyatlov group

Serov. Slobodin (behind the table), Dyatlov, Thibeaux-Brignolle, and Dubinina. Visible mandolin and a knife. Jan 24, 1959

In the winter of 1959, nine hikers disappeared in the north of the Sverdlovsk region. The investigation established that in the middle of the night, for unknown reasons, they cut the tent and ran into the forest without outerwear or shoes. Six died from hypothermia, and three were found to have fatal injuries. The causes of the tragedy were never clarified, and the investigation was carefully classified.

55 years have passed since the death of the hikers, and in all that time not a single reliable document has appeared that would lift the veil of this secret. There is only a criminal case stored in the archives of the Sverdlovsk region. But, according to lawyer Leonid Proshkin, with whom we are conducting an investigation, this case is a dummy. There are too many procedural violations in it: there is no case number, no necessary protocols, and, finally, no clear explanation of what happened.

Recently we were sent copies of rather strange typewritten documents with intriguing content. At first glance, it is simply stunning. Whether this is true or fiction is unclear. If true, then this is a sensation! After all, these papers are not in the criminal case. This means that someone deliberately removed them from there. If not, then who and why needed to forge them so painstakingly? Further more! They started sending us photographs: supposedly from 1959, supposedly from the scene of the death of hikers. Place of the last night in a populated area, scorched tree tops, etc. We will not risk immediately putting this treasure on display for everyone to see. Today we will publish only the first part of the documents for which we were able to obtain at least some confirmation of authenticity. They contain a detailed description of the first days of the Dyatlov group’s trek. Witnesses tell how they met with the group and what they talked about. Please note that the spelling of the documents has been preserved. It is important to mention that documents are published in the press for the first time!

Searchers found the tent

02/28/59, the prosecutor of Ivdel, junior advisor of justice comrade Tempalov, arrived at the site of the discovery of the tent of tourists comrade Igor Dyatlov and inspected the overnight stay, located on the north-eastern slope of height 1079 at the source of the Auspiya River.

The overnight place is located 150 m from the top of mountains 1079 with a slope of 25-30 degrees. It is a 2x4 m platform, leveled in the snow and having a depth of about 50 cm.

At the bottom of the site, 8 pairs of skis were laid, sliding side out, on which the tent was then installed. The tent from the entrance side was supported by a central peg, and was well reinforced with ropes. The opposite edge was also held on a peg, but... the middle of the tent was covered with snow, and the slopes of the tent had various damage, “rips and cuts”, as well as a break in the ropes of the northern part, the middle of the tent, which did not have support, sank, as a result of which it was covered with snow.

The snow above the tent was dense, blown by the wind, about 20 cm deep. It was impossible to get into the tent without excavating it.

According to a participant in the search, UPI student B.I. Slobtsov, the tent was discovered by his group on February 26, 1959, in the afternoon, together with M. Sharavin, a student of the same university and the forester of the Vizhay forestry A.V. Pashin, who was not present when the tent was searched.

When Slobtsov and Sharavin approached the tent, they discovered: snow-covered skis - 1 pair, as well as an ice ax stuck at the entrance. On the top of the tent on the right in the snow lay a Chinese-made lantern, presumably left behind by the hikers.

Students Slobtsov and Sharavin, who were not properly instructed by prosecutor Tempalov, took an ice ax standing at the entrance and began to cut the snow lying on the tent. Then, having entered it, Slobtsov and Sharavin took documents, cameras, a flask of alcohol and personal belongings of hikers.

From a confidential conversation with them, it was established that they made cuts in the wall of the tent to make sure there are no bodies inside. When asked by a trusted representative why they did not use the entrance to the tent, student Sharavin explained his actions by fear of seeing his dead comrades.

Having gone down to the camp, Slobtsov B. and Sharavin M. Told other members of the search group about the discovered tent. Radio operator Nevolin reported this to headquarters at about 17:00 local time.

After setting up camp, student Sharavin offered to drink alcohol brought from the tent of the missing group. While drinking he expressed

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(white out)*;. To the remark of (white out) to stop talking and go to bed, he refused and tried to enter into an argument with him.

Early in the morning, some of the things and an empty flask of alcohol were secretly returned by (white out) to the tent. Other things "a camera and diaries of the participants in the expedition", as well as their personal belongings, brought on February 26, 1959 by students Slobtsov and Sharavin, were given to the head of the search, Comrade Maslennikov V.G., and he, in turn, handed them over to prosecutor Tempalov, who attached them to the case without properly recording what happened.

Thus, students Slobtsov B. and Sharavin M., with their rash actions, complicated the further progress of the ongoing investigation. Prosecutor Tempalov did not pay due attention to this fact and began, on the basis of his personal impressions that he formed after inspecting the tent, to develop a version of a domestic conflict that arose at the time of drinking alcohol based on the personal hostility of one of the participants in the trek, Comrade (white out) to another participant.

This version was refuted on March 5, 1959 by the results of the forensic examination and blood tests of the corpses of the hikers found on the slope of height 1079.

They were in high spirits

From the analysis of the testimony of employees of the Ivdel ITL-MVD and civilian personnel who met with the group on the route from January 25 to January 28, 1959, it was established:

On January 25, a group of students arrived from Ivdel by bus to the village of Vizhay for approximately two hours and settled in the club of camp department №12.

The students immediately turned to the commandant of the department with a request for overnight accommodation. After lunch, the commandant (white out) moved them to a hotel for visitors.

The students showed him vouchers from the UPI trade union committee and route sheets certified by the sports committee for hiking of Sverdlovsk.

From a conversation with them, it turned out that two groups of students were taking different routes along the Ural ridge and should return back in 10-12 days. One group of students left at about 4 pm in a passing car in the direction of district 41.

Three of the students, whose names Comrade (white out) didn’t remember, asked him where the office of the Vizhay forestry was located. He explained to them how to find it, after which he did not see them until 19 o’clock.

From the interrogation of the forester of the Vizhay forestry comrade Rempel I.D. was established: three students, one of them a girl, came to him on January 25, 1959 at approximately 15:00. They showed their route and asked him how best to get to Mount Otorten.

He showed them a plan of the area where they were going and told them about the weather conditions in the pass area. At the end of January and February, strong winds and storms rage there.

To which the student, who stuttered when talking to him, answered him: “This is what we need for a hike of the highest category of difficulty.”

Forester Rempel did not see any foreign maps or other unusual items among the students. After which they left him and on February 26, in a passing car, they went to the village of district 41.

After talking with the forester Rempel, the students went to the post office, where two of them sent postcards, and the girl sent 2 letters. I was in a cheerful mood. They laughed and joked.

Postal worker Comrade (white out) didn’t remember names and surnames, but she saw one of them on January 29, 1959 with a backpack and skis.

"Igor, let's talk"

The senior lieutenant's operational group (white out) inspected an abandoned house in the 2nd Northern mining village, where the hikers spent the night. When examining the house, traces of hikers' presence about a month ago were found.

During the inspection, part of a note was found on a piece of student’s notebook with the following content: "Igor, let’s talk!!!" Presumably written by Z. Kolmogorova, as well as two wrappers from foreign sweets, presumably made in the GDR.

No traces of gun oil from cleaning guns were found. The house has been checked for the presence of hiding places and caches.

From a confidential conversation with a worker at the Ivdel logging site, city of (white out) established: forest area foreman comrade (white out) provided the hikers with a horse and ordered him to deliver the groups’ backpacks to the place.

He told them where to stay for the night and what house was suitable for this. He did not convey requests or instructions to me.

It is impossible to say exactly what time they arrived in the village, because... he does not have a wristwatch. According to him, it was approximately 9 o'clock in the evening.

The hikers did not meet anyone along the way. I can’t tell you what they talked about, because... was busy with the horse.

On the morning of January 28, 1959, at about 11 am, having loaded the cart with pipes, he drove back in the direction of district 41. One of the hikers said that he was sick and returned with him.

Exchange of sable for alcohol

January 25, 1959 at approximately 10 o'clock in the morning, the hikers had breakfast in the dining room. One of them, the eldest in age, left the dining room to relieve himself, after which he talked with the commandant (white out) about a passing car in the direction of district 41. At about 1 pm, the group left with a passing car. After which the commandant (white out) did not see them.

On January 26, 1959, a group of 10 students hikers arrived at about 17:00 and stayed in the dormitory of workers at the logging site of the Ivdel Energy Timber Plant. According to engineer (white out), he talked with one of them. He asked about their route and warned him about the dangers of trekking in winter on the Ural ridge.

He doesn’t know the exact route of the group, but according to the student skier, they go towards Mount Otorten.

He did not see any foreign maps among the students. I did not notice any firearms in the students’ backpacks. The students were not found to have done anything reprehensible. They behaved in a friendly manner.

From a confidential conversation with the workers of the forest site (white out) and (white out) it was established: the student skiers were in a good mood, joked and sang songs. The foreman of the forest site (white out) spoke to them the most. The group included two girls - students. One of them is presumably Z. Kolmogorov. She has a cheerful and perky character.

They asked about the road to the 2nd Northern mine and the foreman (white out) explained the best way to get there. The eldest student asked a worker (white out) about the possibility of exchanging sable fur from the Mansi for alcohol.

He did not hear the entire conversation, because... sat far from the speakers. There were no quarrels between the students.

They were not interested in persons serving sentences. Therefore, contacts of student skiers with criminal elements at this stage of their route were excluded.

January 27, 1959 (white out) gave the student skiers a horse with (white out) and at about 15:00 they set off on skis towards the village of the 2nd Northern mine. After which no one saw them all together.

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So what do you think? Impressive? We assure you that it will be even more exciting what comes next! To be continued...

* - hereinafter, the names and names of institutions were retouched by someone.

Comment on the merits

There is no point in forging such documents.

We showed copies of the documents to the curator of the 1959 investigation, deputy investigative department of the Sverdlovsk Region Prosecutor's Office, Evgeniy Okishev.

– Among others, the version regarding the involvement of persons in the death of students from among local residents was checked,” said Evgeniy Fyodorovich. - We knew that in those parts were serving time those convicted by the tribunal for various hostile actions, for serving in SS units and German punitive agencies. They could well be among the suspects. We also checked whether there were any conflict situations with any of the people whom the hikers met along the route. In this regard, we have instructed the operational bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to find out all these things. And, as far as I know, it was done. Moreover, it was carried out by interrogating all the persons who could provide this information. And these documents that you introduced indicate that our task was completed. They contain the result of that work.

– Do you remember exactly the contents of the documents?

– No. I don't remember them exactly.

– Then could these papers be fake?

– I believe that there is no point in falsifying such documents. Moreover, they comply with our instructions. To forge, you need to know both the nature of the order and the circle of people being interrogated. And we just focused the operatives on special settlers, on those released, on any fugitives who might be interested in documents in order to be legalized. And the students had their documents with them. So, of course, they could become victims.

– Should these papers have been in the criminal case?

– Yes, because this is an order from the investigator. The file should contain a list of issues that interested him and a final report.