Stanislav Aleksandrovich Tipikin

Information received earlier about search operations involving Stanislav Tipikin:

2/25	Lev Milman, deputy board chairman of the UPI sports club, after agreeing with Pyotr Repyev issues a business trip for Moisey Akselrod for search and rescue operations from the Sverdlovsk regional committee for physical culture and sports. Together with UPI students (Sergey Sogrin, Stanislav Tipikin, Boris Yaburov, Georgiy Chigvintsev), Akselrod flies to Ivdel. On the way, landing in Artemovskiy to take 2 radio stations, but they were not used during the search due to their weight.
2/26	16:00 Akselrod's group (Akselrod, Sogrin, Tipikin, radio operators Chigvintsev and Yaburov) lands 8 km east of Otorten in the Pumsalnel heights in bad weather conditions.
2/27	In the morning, Akselrod, Sogrin, Tipikin go out to search in the Otorten area. Chigvintsev and Yaburov remain in the base camp on the Sulpa River. Around 13:00, Akselrod's group receives a canister from the An-2 with a message about finding Dyatlov's tent with things and skis. By this time, Akselrod's group finds a note on the top of Otorten from 7/26/1956 from a group of hikers from the Chemistry Department of Moscow State University about climbing Mount Otorten; no traces of Dyatlov's group were found. Akselrod understands that Dyatlov's group has perished, but the half-hearted search continues.
2/28	A canister is dropped from an airplane to Akselrod's group with information about the evacuation procedure from the areas of the search. In the afternoon, Akselrod's group is transferred from Otorten to Ivdel by helicopter with Tempalov on board (flying from the pass).
3/1	From Ivdel to the pass are flown Lev Ivanov, Akselrod, Sogrin, Tipikin and food supplies for the camp. Akselrod's group loads the tent and things of Dyatlov's group into the helicopter. Akselrod's group joins the search. Below are the main events of the search operations (not necessarily with the participation of Tipikin): On the way back to the camp, the fourth body (Krivonischenko) is lifted to the helipad
3/2	Finding the labaz
3/3	Arrival at the pass of the railway sappers and the Moscow masters. Ivanov and Yarovoy fly to Ivdel, taking the bodies away.
3/4	Arrival at the pass of cadets of military unit 6602, led by Potapov, the beginning of work on equipping a helipad in the forest near the camp
3/5	Slobodin's body is found
3/7	A piece of ski and a flashlight are found on the slope
3/8	Maslennikov flies from the pass to Ivdel to report to the commission
3/9	Shuleshko, Karelin, Atmanaki, Akselrod, Sogrin, Tipikin return from the pass to Ivdel

Based on this information Stanislav Tipikin was asked questions and his answers were received on 10/8/2014 through Valeriy Kudryavtsev

1) What department/year did you study at? Did you know the hikers from the Dyatlov group before?

SA: In February 1959, I was a 5th-year student at the Physics and Technology Department of UPI. I didn't know Igor Dyatlov for long, but I knew him well enough. I had to get into heated arguments with him in the office of the chairman of the Sports Club Lev Gordo when distributing funds between the hiking and the mountaineering section, of which I was the head at the time. I met Lyuda Dubinina and Yuri Krivonischenko at parties in the foyer in front of the Sports Club. I was not familiar with the other members of the Dyatlov group.

Clarification: So you argue with Dyatlov about the distribution of funds among the sections? Which of you was more likely to win, i.e., to get more funds for your section, you or Igor Dyatlov? Were there any problems? Do you remember this instance when Dyatlov group got storm suits for the hike at the club, Aleksander Kolevatov snuck them out, and then the club demanded that the suits be returned, since they belonged to the climbers, i.e. you? Which climber needed them at the end of January 1959, for which group?

SA: The Sports Club's budget funds were distributed once a year, so there is no point in talking about statistics of victories. Yes, we, the climbers,  didn't seek to fight with the hikers, since many of us were also members of the hiking section and went on treks with them. So, in the end, we always came to an agreement. There were no serious grievances between the sections. I am hearing about the episode with the storm suits for the first time and can only say the following. In 1958, the first alpiniad in the history of the UPI alpine section was scheduled to take place, in the Caucasus. An alpiniad is a sports expedition that operates autonomously on the principle of self-sufficiency, that is, its own instructors, equipment, camping gear, food, etc. For everything, it was necessary to find, first of all, financial resources. We were supported by the administration and public organizations of the institute. At a personal meeting with the rector Nikolay Siunov, we managed to get a significant amount from the director's fund. It took a year and a half to prepare for the alpiniad. In a word, the alpiniad took place. After the end of the alpiniad, the equipment was handed over to the Sports Club warehouse. It was the property of the institute, but the alpine section retained the right of preferential use of it. Therefore, Aleksander Kolevatov should not have "snuck it out" or surreptitiously "stole" suits from his closest colleagues in sports, but should have turned to the leadership of the alpine section for support. The alpine section did not plan any major events for January-February.

Clarification: Please tell me where you were in January-February 1959? Did you go to the mountains or on a ski trip? Where?

SA: In January-February 1959, I was in Sverdlovsk, I did not go on hikes or to the mountains.

Clarification: You said that Lyusya Dubinina and Yura Krivonischenko became familiar to you at the parties in the foyer in front of the Sports Club. Maybe you meant Zina Kolmogorova, not Lyuda?

SA: I saw Zina Kolmogorova for the first time (I think) in a photograph after her death. And Lyuda Dubinina, on the patch of ground near the Sports Club, when her comrades approached her, was talking to them about something, making notes in her notebook. Maybe this was connected with her preparation for the hike as the group's quartermaster?

2) On what principle was Akselrod's group formed? Why did Tipikin end up in it? Did he know the other members of his group? What can you tell about them?

SA: I learned about the decision to organize a search expedition from Moisey Akselrod, one of my friends from the alpine section and from my student life. I also knew Sergey Sogrin well from the alpine section as an excellent athlete and organizer. Two radio operators ended up in our group, obviously by chance. They were good guys, but their trip to Otorten turned out to be, unfortunately, useless, because both radios were inoperative. They were unable to establish radio contact with either the helicopter or the plane, or with each other.

3) How did they get to Ivdel, was it a regular flight or a special flight, civilian or military plane from Sverdlovsk?

SA: Our group (Akselrod's group) got to Ivdel on a specially allocated plane with an intermediate landing in Artemovskiy.

4) Does he remember his first impressions/meetings/rumors in Ivdel upon arrival, before flying out to search? Who did they see, what did they talk about, where did they live? Does he remember the planes and helicopters at the airfield? If so, how many were there and what kind, military, civilian? Does he remember - did they fly to and from the search on different helicopters or on the same one?

SA: Upon arrival in Ivdel, the group transfered from the plane to the helicopter and flew to Otorten. I can't say anything about the planes and helicopters at the airfield in Ivdel, somehow I didn't pay attention to this. Here and in all other answers I won't be able to clarify whether the planes/helicopters belong to military or civil aviation, because I wasn't paying attention to this at all.

Clarification: So Akselrod's group flew to Ivdel from Sverdlovsk and flew to Otorten in one day, without spending the night in Ivdel?

SA: From Sverdlovsk we flew by plane to Artemovskiy and, since there was a hitch with the radios, we spent the night in Artemovskiy, in some office, and in the morning we flew to Ivdel and from there, transferred to a helicopter, to Otorten.

5) How and from whom did they receive the search assignment?

SA: Upon arrival in Ivdel, Moisey Akselrod went to the representative of the Search Headquarters for instructions and upon his return informed us of the plan of action, which included climbing Otorten.

6) The search flight was on 2/26 - does he remember what kind of helicopter it was, civilian or military? Was there anyone on board besides their group?

SA: On the first flight to Otorten, as far as I remember, there were no other passengers on board besides our group of 5.

7) Did Yaburov and Chigvintsev participate in the search in the Otorten area, one of the veterans tell Buyanov that only Akselrod, Sogrin and Tipikin flew out for the search? If so, why didn’t they take Yaburov and Chigvintsev?

SA: Radio operators Yaburov and Chigvintsev were with us the entire time the group was in the Otorten area, but they didn't go to the mountain with us. They were instructed, while at the bivouac, to establish reliable radio contact with the planes and helicopters that would be operating in the Otorten area. Unfortunately, we were unable to establish contact. We, the three "runners", had trek to Otorten with an ascent to the top of the mountain, then go around its foot and return to the bivouac. Which was done.

8) What does he remember about the search in the Otorten area, how and where they found the Moscow State University note, where did it go then?

SA: 2/27/1959. After dawn, leaving the radio operators to deal with the radios, the three of us went on skis to Otorten. From the bivouac site (it was organized in the middle of the slope of the gorge) the mountain and the winding gorge overgrown with forest towards the mountain with a frozen stream at the bottom were clearly visible. The weather was excellent, it was easy to walk, we broke a path where there was less thicket. We walked for about an hour and a half. Finally, the trees remained behind us, we came out into the open and... lost our bearings. There was a saddle in front of us, to the left and right of which rose the snow-covered slopes of two similar peaks. Their tops were not visible due to the bend in the slopes. Which one was Otorten? We decided one of us to go to the mountain on the left hand side, the second to the right, and the third would be on duty at the saddle as a coordinator and to provide assistance in case of an emergency. The deadline for returning to the saddle was in an hour and a half. I volunteered to go to the left. Ski poles in hand and up! As I climbed, when outlier rocks began to appear behind the bend of the slope, I realized that I was climbing Otorten. Having reached the top, I began to go around the outliers scattered over a large area. There were no traces of people anywhere. But there must be a tour where notes are placed. Based on my mountaineering experience, one not very high outlier seemed the most suitable to me. I approached it, but immediately realized the futility of my intentions: the walls of the rock are covered with a crust of ice and no friction with my valenki (felt boots). Sergey has climbing equipment below. In short, having once again walked around the top of the mountain and looked at the other (western) slope, I went down. Both Monya and Sergey were already at the saddle, they greeted me with the news that I was on Otorten. I told them everything I had seen, and we decided to get to the tour on Otorten after all. Again, poles in hand and up! Rope, hooks, hammer, belay - and Sergey, confirming his reputation as an excellent climber, climbed the outlier. Soon he shouted to us that there was a note, but not Dyatlov's, and read out the text. This means that the Dyatlov group did not get here, to the final point of their route. I did not hold the Moscow State University note in my hands and I do not know who has it.

From the saddle we descended to the western side of Otorten, examined the avalanche debris under the 80-meter cliff that we had been told about during the briefing at the institute, crossed a frozen lake, and at that moment an airplane appeared above us. We laid out a prearranged signal "П" on the snow that the search was continuing, and in response we received message in a canister that traces of the Dyatlov group had been found and that we should prepare for evacuation. We completed the detour around Otorten, went out on our morning ski track, and returned to our radio operators' bivouac before dark to begin preparing to meet the helicopter in the morning.

Clarification: It is a little unclear why the note had to be left specifically on the top of the outlier you specified. Was the cairn visible there? Why couldn't the cairn be below, not on the outlier? If Sergey Sogrin climbed the outlier with the help of equipment, could a person without such equipment hypothetically climb the outlier (after all, Dyatlov group did not have mountaineering equipment)? Do you remember the date on the note? Did you look for the note in other places, since it was not Dyatlov's group? If your group had problems with determining the summits, then Dyatlov's group could hypothetically have had them too, if we assume that they reached Otorten. Did Moisey Akselrod look for a cairn on the right summit? Or did he immediately understand (outliers appeared in his field of vision not on his summit) and therefore did not even look there particularly?

SA: It is customary to put cairns as close as possible to the highest point of the summit, in an easily accessible place, protected from rockfalls, avalanches, landslides and, preferably, clearly visible. It is not always possible to fulfill these conditions. If the Dyatlov group had not been able to climb the outlier, they would have built a cairn nearby (if they could dig stones under the ice crust). But I had walked around all the upper outliers, looking for any traces of people's presence, and found none. Sergey and Moisey agreed that we should try to climb this outlier, although the tower was not visible from below. We set up the belay, Sergey climbed up, shouted to us that there was a note and read it to us right from above. I got the main thing that the group that left the note had been on Otorten more than a year ago and no one had climbed the mountain since then. I was no longer interested in the note. Dyatlov could not have had any problems (even hypothetical ones) with determining the summit. We were approaching Otorten from the North-East, and Dyatlov would have gone from the South-West. He would have had clear landmarks when approaching Otorten: a lake at the base and an 80-meter cliff with avalanche cones. As for the second (right) summit, it is not visible from the Dyatlov Pass, it is hidden behind Otorten. And you are right: Moisey (or Sergey) obviously had no problems identifying it: having started to climb, they immediately saw where the outliers were.

9) How were they taken to Ivdel? What kind of helicopter was it, civilian or military? Was there anyone on board besides them and Tempalov?

SA: 2/28/1959. In the morning the weather was excellent, a slight frost, so we decided to fold the tents and wait for the helicopter to arrive by the fire. Just in case, we prepared signal fires. Time passed, but the helicopter did not arrive. We see a plane circling in the distance above Otorten. We wait. It's almost noon. A plane appears in the Otorten area again. We decided to attract attention to ourselves, lit signal fires, but no one reacted to it. The sun began to set and we thought that we would have to spend another night in the tents. But then suddenly a helicopter emerged from behind the ridge and from the open door they started shouting something at us and vigorously waving their arms, demanding with gestures that we immediately climb to the ridge. And we climbed up a fairly steep slope and deep snow, gasping for breath and falling from the strain, because we had to unload our radio operators, hanging additional weight on our chests in the form of heavy radios. The second pilot and an unknown person who introduced himself as a prosecutor helped us get into the helicopter. From him we learned all the details known at that time about the Dyatlov group and the initial results of the search. When we asked the pilots to drop us off on the way to the accident site (only 10 km) everyone waved their hands at us: the order is - we are to be flown to Ivdel!! We found out the real reason for this a little later.

10) What did they do in Ivdel after arriving from Otorten before flying out to the pass?

SA: When we disembarked from the helicopter in Ivdel, we were taken to a hotel at the airfield, where we were supposed to appear before the members of the Commission and, possibly (as we were told), before the Secretary of the Regional Party Committee, Eshtokin (for some reason the name stuck in my memory). I remember that we walked in absolute darkness and only against the background of the snow could we guess that many people were standing silently along the path, as if waiting for something. There was some kind of unpleasant feeling in my soul. In the hotel restaurant we were greeted well, fed, given juices to drink (after all, in Otorten we only drank melted snow), and then a conversation with the members of the Commission took place right there. They questioned us, we answered. It was obvious that these people were vested with great authority, but who they were, I still don’t know... Then they sent us to bed. In the morning at breakfast they announced that Akselrod’s group was flying to Sverdlovsk today. We were dumbfounded! Why? What nonsense? Our hands won't be superfluous during the search! We send Moisey to figure out what's going on. When he returns, he says that it was the decision of the authorities. Allegedly, yesterday a message was received in Sverdlovsk that Akselrod's group was not responding and may have also perished. The city was already full of gloomy rumors, and then another news about a group death! In order to avoid possible negative consequences, it was ordered to show us alive to our relatives and at the institute. And only then will it be possible to think about what to do next. We did not agree and persuaded Moisey to try to get through to the highest authorities with a request to cancel the decision. Moni was gone for a long time. Finally, he comes, beaming - mouth from ear to ear: That's it! We're flying to search!

This unpleasant incident for us was caused by the fault of the helicopter pilots. The fact is that the flight mission of the helicopter carrying us to Otorten was to land the group on the slope of the mountain. But the helicopter commander had doubts about the designated landing site due to the snow conditions and decided to look for a more convenient point (he had the right to do so). He found it on a flat bare ridge 8 km from Otorten. We didn't care, but for some reason the pilots of the observation plane were not informed about the change in the landing site. Therefore, while flying around the mountain on the day of the evacuation, the pilots of the plane received and transmitted extremely alarming information to the ground: Akselrod's group was not responding to radio contact, was not sending any ground signals, traces of the group were found under the Otorten cliff, on the snow of the lake, after which the traces disappeared. It was concluded that Akselrod's group had apparently perished. The very fact of the incomprehensible death of a large group of UPI students so shocked the public consciousness and created such an uneasy nervous atmosphere around this tragic event that any news of a new group death could bring a lot of trouble...

Clarification: "a conversation with the members of the Commission took place right there". Can you please tell us what you remember, what questions were asked, what did you answer? Were there any military men among these people? Were there people in a certain uniform? What color were the shoulder straps, stripes? Or were there only civilians?

SA: In Ivdel, after dinner, some respectable-looking people sat down with us in a restaurant and asked us to tell them what did we do on Otorten. There was nothing to tell, since we hadn't found any traces of the Dyatlov group. Nevertheless, it seemed to me that they listened to us with interest, although few questions were asked. The conversation was conducted without any formality, as they now say, "a conversation without strings". I don't remember whether there were people in uniform or not. Why Akselrod's group turned out to be "also a perished group" was not said a word.

11) Arrival at the pass on March 1. What kind of helicopter was it, civilian or military, the same as before? Why didn't Yaburov and Chigvintsev take part in the search? Who else flew with them to the pass, was there any cargo?

SA: During the flight to the pass on March 1, 1959, I met the prosecutor Lev Ivanov. The flight time passed unnoticed in conversation. The topic of discussion, of course, was one. What cargo was being transported on this flight, I did not pay attention. And in general, was there cargo? That they were carrying food, that's for sure. They had already been used in the evening.

12) Did they load the belongings and tent of the dead into the helicopter upon arrival? Did anyone fly away from the pass on this helicopter?

SA: As far as I remember, we did not load anything into the helicopter. Upon arrival at the pass, we immediately headed to Dyatlov's tent, and from there down to the cedar. And already harnessed to the sleds with the bodies of Krivonischenko and Doroshenko, they climbed up to the pass. Thus, we simply did not have time to watch the helicopter, and there was no need either.

13) First impressions of the pass: who did you talk to, what did you hear, what did you do? Did you talk to Maslennikov, Ivanov, Yarov? How did the search go in general (general memories - what does he remember)? What did you find during his participation?

SA: In the very first hours of appearing at the pass, I, as part of Akselrod's group, got involved in the work of lifting the bodies of Doroshenko and Krivonischenko to the pass. These are my first impressions. I had no private conversations "face to face" with Maslennikov and Ivanov, and I had no idea who Yarovoy was and had nothing to talk about with him.

14) Who raised the 4th body?

SA: The bodies of Krivonischenko and Doroshenko were raised to the pass at the same time on sleds in two groups of 5-6 people. I ended up in the "Krivonischenko group". I remember well that the weather was fine with a slight frost. The sun was shining. We were walking uphill at an angle into the wind. Both hands were busy, so I had to periodically turn my right cheek away. And still, when we reached the pass, my cheek was covered with a thick crust of ice. And for half a century now the comparison has not left my head: if our cheeks froze in the sun in a slight frost, then what must Zina, Rustem and Igor have experienced on the same slope in 30-degree frost in a hurricane wind, and in complete darkness, half-naked and helpless. And they did not go only for their own salvation. And if this is not heroism, then what is? This is the answer to your question about impressions. It is not forgotten even after 55 years.

Clarification: Your group had to lift the bodies of Yuri Doroshenko and Georgiy Krivonischenko from the cedar. Please tell me, how did you personally determine that these were their bodies? Were they covered with something? Or were they wearing the same clothes they were found in? You did not know Doroshenko. How did you find out that it was him? Or did someone tell you that the two bodies lying near the cedar and which you had to lift were the bodies of Doroshenko and Krivonischenko? If possible, please remember how they were lying when you approached them: near the fire, near the cedar, or at a distance from the fire and the cedar? Together or separately? Did you see the bodies near the outlier that were brought there earlier? How many were there? From the memoirs of Sergey Sogrin it follows that your group raised only one body from the cedar that remained there - the body of Georgy Krivonischenko, and the other three bodies had been raised earlier by other groups and were already lying near the outlier. He spoke about this in 1959 in the protocol of his interrogation. There is a slight discrepancy in this. Perhaps, when working on the slope, you and Sergey Nikolaevich worked separately? Or is it clearly imprinted in your memory that your group that arrived raised exactly two bodies from the cedar to the outlier, and you were assigned to the subgroup that raised the body of Yuri Krivonischenko?

SA: I did not know that my recollections would be perceived as a protocol entry, and therefore, without deviating from the truth, I used some artistic turns of phrase. And when I write that "our group had to lift the bodies of Doroshenko and Krivonischenko from the cedar" or "and already harnessed to the sleds with the bodies of Doroshenko and Krivonischenko climbed up the pass", or "I, as part of Akselrod's group, joined the work of lifting the bodies of Doroshenko and Krivonischenko to the pass", I wanted to show that immediately upon arrival we joined the main group of searchers, taking a direct part in the main event of the day - the lifting of two bodies to the pass. I admit that I did it awkwardly and I apologize. I ask that Doroshenko's name be excluded from my answers to questions 12-13. Now to the point. Upon arrival at the pass, I personally did not take part in loading Dyatlov's things into the helicopter. My desire was to see the tent as soon as possible. I somehow lost sight of Moisey and Sergey, but I knew that they were somewhere here and would definitely come to the tent too. I asked a guy who had arrived earlier where the tent was. He waved his hand and went in that direction, I followed him. I walked around the tent, then went to the entrance, moved the flap and stuck my head inside (my companion did the same). I didn’t yet know the details of what had happened, so I was not ready to properly perceive what I had seen, except for one thing. What made a very strong impression on me: sliced ​​pork loin and bread lay on a spread-out blanket, and it was clear that they were laid out in portions. That is, there were living people, they were getting ready to eat together. Suddenly they jumped up and... disappeared! Maybe forever. How could this be? Why?

There was some kind of confusion in my head. Suddenly a guy next to me says: "Maybe they got poisoned by the pork loin? Let's try a little, check." Naturally, I said no. Then he went to show me the way to the cedar. When I came out to a small clearing to the right of the cedar, I saw two bodies lying next to each other. I immediately recognized Yuri Krivonischenko in the nearest one. It was impossible to mistake this because of the amazing shape of his ears. He was lying on his back, face up, practically naked to his underwear. The color of his face and the exposed areas of his legs and arms was somehow unreal: a beautiful chocolate skin color, which the natives of the Mediterranean countries are famous for. Next to Krivonischenko lay the body of Doroshenko (or so we were told), but his face was not visible. Both bodies lay parallel with their feet towards the cedar. As for the position of the bodies relative to the fire - judge for yourself: we had just arrived at the pass and at that moment I had no idea about any fire. Soon a group of searchers who had arrived earlier came down the slope with a homemade drag, on which they probably raised the bodies of Dyatlov and Kolmogorova, packed and loaded Doroshenko's body onto the drag, and dragged it up to the pass. One of the searchers remained below and I heard him grumble that they could not send a light sled. Then, after some time, Moisey and Sergey came up. Unlike me, they had something to look at in the tent, because they were already recognized hiking leaders and knew how to see and read what flew past my attention. Soon they lowered the drag down and it was our turn to raise the body of Yuri Krivonischenko. So Sergey Sogrin is right: he saw 3 bodies at the top, including Doroshenko, who was raised before Krivonischenko.

Clarification: Upon arrival at the pass, you immediately headed to Dyatlov's tent, could you tell us what this place looked like, what the tent looked like?

SA: The tent as an object had a purely emotional impact on me. As for its appearance, it did not differ in my opinion from the one captured in the photograph that went around the world. All the evidence was, it seems to me, inside the tent.

15) Does he remember how they tried to find the labaz? Were there any diagrams of Dyatlov's whereabouts, who was looking and when? Who found it and how?

SA: I only remember how in the morning there were gatherings of those who were leaving to look for the labaz. And they found it. I don't know the details.

16) Who loaded the bodies into the helicopter? What kind of helicopter was it, civilian or military?

SA: I don't know.

17) Students and engineers from Sverdlovsk, masters from Moscow, railroad sappers, cadets and employees of the Ivdellag convoy troops took part in the search. Does he remember them? Does he remember anyone else participating? Does he remember the radio operator(s)? Where was the radio and how did the radio communications take place?

SA: At the first stage of the search, about which I have some idea, the number of participants was small and was limited, apparently, first of all, by the living space of one tent. After all, there was nothing else on the site (no buildings, no tents). And if we take into account that part of the useful area of ​​the tent was occupied by a stove with a safety zone, a food warehouse and passages, then at the same time, in my opinion, about 25 people could live in it. That's about how it was. They lived amicably. As for personal memory, in addition to my own (institute) ones, I personally remember our leader Maslennikov, captain Chernyshov from Ivdellag and Moscow master of sports in mountaineering Baskin (we met the latter 4 months later in the Caucasus at the All-Union School of Mountaineering Instructors). Of the radio operators, I remember Egor Nevolin (many thanks to him for the photos). In general, such a routine was developed that the search leader gathered the active members around him to discuss the results of the day. Anyone who wanted to could take part. New finds, opinions, versions were discussed. A report was compiled and sent by radiogram to Sverdlovsk. And all this happened in the tent.

Clarification: Can you show Aleksey Chernyshev in the group photo?

SA: In the group photo against the background of the tent (in which Atmanaki and I are squatting), Aleksey Chernyshev is standing third from the right in a uniform cap.

Clarification: When and what photos did you receive from Nevolin?

SA: I did not have any photos from the search expedition. And suddenly, digging around the Internet, I came across a series of photos, which, as indicated, were posted by Egor Nevolin (in one of the photos, Egor and I are standing next to the tent). I do not know who took the photos, but I received the photos thanks to Nevolin, for which I am very grateful to him.

Clarification: If possible, tell us what versions were considered and discussed in the tent? What are the new findings that you discussed? It would be very interesting to know what versions the military put forward, for example, Ivdellag employee Aleksey Chernyshev, what the students put forward, and what version the investigator himself adhered to? Have you read the radiograms that are available on the Internet? The events of many discussions in the tent remained unvoiced in these radiograms.

SA: 55 years have passed since that tragic event. Unfortunately, I cannot give an answer to this question.

18) Who found Slobodin's body and how? Did Tipikin see him? Was a report drawn up, was there an inspection on the spot? Were there any instructions from headquarters on how and what to do?

SA: 3/5/1959. That day I worked in line next to Slava Karelin. I was always interested in talking to him. He was very keen on the local history of the Northern Urals and a participant in many expeditions, he knew a lot, saw a lot and listening to his stories was a pleasure. And with the monotonous, tedious work with probes, this somehow shortened the time. This time, too, there was a conversation. Suddenly I heard: "Oh, it seems there is something!" I turned my head towards him. He poked the probe again: "There is definitely something!" Then I stepped towards him and we began to outline some anomaly under the crust at a depth of 30-50 cm with probes. Indeed, something unusual was felt there. "Let's open it up and take a look. Hey, who has the shovels?" We knew that the soldiers had sapper shovels with them. The lieutenant apparently sensed that events were brewing and gave his men the order to run and carry the shovels, which were in the place where we left the skis and extra clothes. I couldn't wait. I knelt down, broke the crust with my mittens and began to dig out the snow with my hands. At a depth of about 30 cm, my hand caught and pulled out a dark piece of outerwear from the snow. That's it! We found it! At that moment, shovels were brought in and the soldiers were ordered to start digging. Among us were those who already knew what to do. As for me, I was so excited that I don't remember what I did for the rest of the day. I only remember someone (Slava, of course) saying, "This is Rustik Slobodin."

Clarification: As is known, Moisey Akselrod is the only one who described in his interrogation report that he saw ice under Slobodin's body. Do you remember whether Moisey Akselrod was present during the excavation and examination of Rustem Slobodin? Was the body identified, was any document drawn up? It is possible that Maslennikov was assigned this task in the absence of investigators. Was he there when Rustem was found? Can you say anything about the presence of ice under the body? If so, what did this ice look like, where was it, who noticed it? Was there blood under Rustem's body, and what was the first impression from his face in terms of injuries. Or did nothing catch your eye at all?

SA: After Rustem Slobodin's body was found, those of the searchers who already knew what to do took up the matter. My participation was not required and I returned to the line (as it turned out later, we had only two days left to work - March 6 and 7). Using probes, we reached the forest and probed an area of ​​50-100 meters around the cedar. In some places, the probe did not reach the bottom. March 8 was declared the first day off from work, and on March 9 I flew to Ivdel as part of a UPI search team and from there by plane to Sverdlovsk.

Clarification: Did you see any tents in the vicinity and during the search, and the "chum" mentioned by Maslennikov?

SA: I did not see any chum.

Clarification: Do you remember investigator Vladimir Korotaev during the search?

SA: Of the investigators, I only remember Lev Ivanov.

19) Did the Dyatlov group's belongings remain on the pass during the search or was everything taken to Ivdel? Were there any traces left that could definitely be attributed to the Dyatlov group? Or were all the traces left by the time Tipikin appeared only from the search team? Does he remember finding the ski fragment and flashlight on March 7? If so, who, where and how found them? Why did they think they belonged to the dead?

SA: I don't know about the Dyatlov group's belongings. As for the tracks, my main job at the site of the Dyatlov group's death was searching for the bodies of the dead. Information about tracks, any material finds was of interest to me at that time only as a possible clue to the location of the bodies, so I did not keep it in my memory, although I probably heard and knew something.

20) Does he remember the preparation for the commission meeting in Ivdel? What were the conversations in the search camp, what versions, rumors?

SA: I can't imagine what kind of special preparation for the Commission meeting could have been discussed. After all, we all lived in the same tent. Any word spoken out loud became public property. The conditions were unusually democratic. Anyone who wanted to could express their questions, opinions, versions, evidence. And if they aroused interest, they were discussed, sometimes heatedly. Of course, a written report had to be submitted, which means it was born by the management "on the knee". In any case, I am sure that there was nothing in the report that was not discussed out loud in the tent.

21) When and how did he fly away from the pass? What helicopter (military, civilian)? Who did he fly with? What did he do in Ivdel before leaving for Sverdlovsk? How did you get from Ivdel to Sverdlovsk (plane, train)?

SA: I flew from the pass to Ivdel on 3/9/1959 as part of a UPI search group. That same day we flew from Ivdel to Sverdlovsk by plane.

22) Did he talk to the pilots, military searchers, locals? Does he remember anyone? What did you talk about?

SA: I have not had any conversations with the pilots, military searchers, media representatives or other interested parties.

23) Does he have his own version? Has he read any materials on this case (books, TV, Internet)? Has he talked about this after the search?

SA: I have my own version. It consists entirely of individual facts and opinions already voiced by someone, but arranged in a slightly modified order. I do not consider my version to be the truth, but so far I have not heard any convincing arguments against it from anyone. I read the materials posted on the Internet, watched all the programs on the central television channels and REN TV. As for my classmates of that time, upon returning from the search, they asked me about this tragedy, but somehow without much emotion. Maybe I was talking to the wrong people or they did not understand something. The graduate students, next to whom I did my diploma work, showed more interest.

Clarification: When did the missile version begin to be voiced in your circle: there, during the search? Or after you returned to Sverdlovsk? What was the very first version, the very first impression you had about the death of the group? Did it change later and under the influence of some circumstances?

SA: As far as I remember, the missile version was more often heard somewhere closer to the end of our stay at the pass. And they began to talk about it at the same time as the UFO version after the stories of Vladislav Karelin, who flew to the pass after his hike in the Northern Urals. For many years I did not have my own version due to lack of information: I lived and worked in an environment where nothing was heard about the Dyatlov tragedy. And only in recent years, when the media woke up and a lot of materials appeared on the Internet, I began to read, remember, think.

Clarification: Did they talk about the version of the murder by prisoners, gold prospectors? Did they talk about the version of the murder of the group by the local population - the Mansi people or some Ostyaks?

SA: Before the start of the search expedition, the participants were briefed in the UPI trade union committee (led by Maslennikov). It was immediately said that little is known about the Otorten area, none of the Sverdlovsk hikers had been there. Then the conversation turned to remote forest tracts and swamps, where even animals die, about the Mansi and their religious rituals, about the dangers from the prisoners. We were warned that these are most likely myths, but we should be careful and cautious.

Clarification: You talked about your version, is it possible to learn a little more about it? How did it come about?

SA: Personally, I believe that the primary cause of the death of Dyatlov's group was a planned or forced explosion of the rocket engine in the air over Mount Kholat Syakhl, which formed a cloud of highly toxic heptyl vapors (rocket fuel). The toxic cloud, which also completely lacked oxygen, descended the mountain slope and covered the tent in which all or most of the group was located. Choking from suffocation and in a semi-conscious state, the hikers tried to open an additional exit to fresh air (as their instinct told them) and made several cuts in the wall of the tent. But the cloud had not yet gone away. And then the group, with the last of their strength, instinctively rushed to run down. From that moment on, their fate was probably already sealed. Severe poisoning, lack of warm clothing, frost and wind ended this tragic story. This version of the missile version can probably be considered as an addition to the versions of other supporters of the missile version, which have repeatedly been voiced in the media.

24) Does he have photos from the search? Diary entries?

SA: I did not keep a diary. Everything I said (down to the details) is taken from memory. I stupidly did not take a camera with me. I thought that a gun was more necessary.

Clarification: Why did you think that a gun was more necessary? Were you a hunter?

SA: I already mentioned the briefing at UPI for the search participants before the flight to Ivdel. Then they also talked about the danger of attacks by wild animals. That is, we had to fly to a poorly studied area, where numerous dangers awaited us. I was not a hunter, I bought a gun because I liked to shoot. At that time, smoothbore weapons and ammunition for them could be bought freely, without presenting any documents. But the gun flew to Ivdel a day before me and wandered for about a month and a half. So I found myself searching without a gun and without a camera.

On 10/18/2014, a personal meeting took place between Valeriy Kudryavtsev and Stanislav Tipikin, during which they clarified some points:

About Slobodin's discovery

- Did you first hit the ground with a probe, and then start outlining it?
SA: Then you started looking, comparing it with the first blow...

- With a probe? And you determined where the ground was, and where, so to speak, the body was?
SA: Yes, is there a difference, since he wasn't lying flat there...

- He was lying almost flat! Because he was lying on his chest...his left arm was thrown away. You didn't touch him, did you?
SA: No. I could have hit close by. There were no clear boundaries of the body. That's why it was difficult. We looked - there is something massive, the height fluctuates a little...

- And the probe is inserted with a certain force?
SA: Yes, that's what it depends on. You hit so as to reach the obstacle. And you feel the resistance from the obstacle. When you can't determine, you start hitting harder. Maybe the force will show you... or break through the moss. That's why I say that, for example, I increased the force of the blow, and at that time I could have hit Rustem's temporal part. He could have simply burst like a watermelon. It's just that no one can explain it and they say something that I cannot agree with... that it is some kind of medical phenomenon. A person - a 6 cm long crack! The discrepancy is almost a millimeter and he is... in such conditions... with such a crack, it is hard to live with it, and here the person was walking uphill, experiencing such physical stress. How can this be? They ask a question. I thought about it. This thought came to me quite recently, when you sent me your first questions. That's when, in fact, this thought occurred to me - maybe I did it? Maybe Slava Karelin did it? Maybe, of course, it didn't happen... But this thought occurred to me.

- By the way, do you remember that Slobodin had a hat on his head?
SA: I didn't even see him dug up...

- And what then? Did the soldiers who helped come? Did they have shovels with them?
SA: Well, they were in line with us, working. They had short sapper shovels.

- Let's get back to Slobodin: You found Slobodin. You say that you knelt down and tried to dig him up. When you dug him out, tell me, did you find any hardening? Because there is a point of view that Slobodin lay alive for so long that he melted the snow and formed a bed.
SA: I read about it. The thing is, when I pulled out a piece of his clothing... I caught it with my hand, pulled and pulled and it came out...

- Did the fabric freeze?
SA: No. It's soft. I thought, if there's fabric here, then that's what we're looking for! Well, it can't be fabric that got there by accident, you know...

- Did you try to turn him over somehow? Maybe he froze to this spot?
SA: I immediately gave the signal. It was a joy for everyone that they found it, you know... Of course, everyone came running. And the soldiers just happened to bring shovels. Everyone came running and, naturally, everyone wanted to take part. The commotion began... and I... I'm shaking, you know! Nervous over excitement. I stepped back somehow... I remember that someone came up, probably Slavik Karelin, because he could know, not the soldiers - it was, he says, Rustik Slobodin. Only he could determine, find out. Well, and then... I did something with everyone else. But I don't remember anymore. I don't remember that day, you understand? It was as if I switched off.

- Was Akselrod with you at that moment? Or was he not?
SA: No, he was not there.

- He was not in that line?
SA: He was not.

- Maybe he stayed in the camp or was somewhere else? Because he describes this story in quite a lot of detail and writes about the body bed...
SA: Maybe they called him right away. After all, we had leaders there. They (the others, including Akselrod) were also all busy with their own affairs, they weren't sitting and waiting in the tent. They were somewhere nearby doing something. They probably called him.

- You weren't questioned in connection with the discovery of Slobodin?
SA: No

- That is, you didn't see this bed? You didn't feel it?
SA: No

- And Akselrod wasn't with you?
SA: Well, he wasn't there at the time of discovery

- And doesn't it seem strange to you, after some time has passed, that there was no representative of the prosecutor's office, after all, this is the scene of the crime, where the body was discovered... No one flew in and inspected it?
SA: I don't know, maybe they were there, working, questioning the Mansi or someone else. I'm telling you that the atmosphere was businesslike. There were no idle people. Everyone was busy, doing something useful.

- And you were dragging Slobodin?
SA: No. I guess there wasn't even enough room for me to get into the harness. There were many others.

About the helipad

- And where the tent was, there was no landing pad for a helicopter? Did the helicopter always fly to the outlier?
SA: When we arrived, on the 2nd day they told us, guys, let's go work on the helipad. It turns out they decided to make a helipad, there was a large clearing there, about 200 meters from the tent. So that the helicopter could land. It takes half an hour to climb up there on skis. So we walked and trampled before dinner every day.

- Is that in the taiga itself?
SA: Yes. They started trampling before us. Now we joined in, the next day after our arrival. We walked and trampled for two days. Then the pilots came, looked and said - no, we will not land the machine here.

- And what was the approximate size of the site? 50x50, 60x60?
SA: Well, something like this, optimal, so that the propellers do not fall to the side and the propellers do not hit anything there.

About the bodies at the outlier

- You found bodies lying there on the outlier, as far as I remember, you said...
SA: Two bodies. They told me that here are Zina and Igor. I looked closely, I could not see their faces, because Zina had a hat or a woman's hood covering the back of her head. She was lying face down, and I didn't see anything underneath her or to the side.

- Did you see only the body or also the drag she was lying on?
SA: I can't say. I couldn't tell... They were lying in the positions they were found in, so when they were laid down... there was a slight intertwining (of the bodies). And they were also somewhat covered in snow, along with the snow that stuck to them, so it created unclear shapes, a unclear image. I haven't seen a photograph like that, someone must have taken it under a rock. (There is such photo. At the same time only the body of Krivonischenko remains under the cedar.)