«I spent the night in the hut with the hikers, had breakfast together with them the next morning. One of the hikers put a drilling core sample in the backpack and asked me to take it to the 41st Kvartal. At the same time, he said that I should head back slowly, and he would catch up with me, since he could not go on a hike further due to illness, his leg ached.»
A criminal case file, sheet 53
So far, it all fits and there is no doubt that Yura Yudin really went on skis after Uncle Slava, especially since he had no other choice. As you know, from the diaries of the hikers, the 2nd Severnyi village was abandoned back in 1953, accordingly, no one cleared the road to an uninhabited village, since it made no sense.
The copy of the Dyatlov group diary, January 27, 1959
«The 2nd Severnyi village is an abandoned geological site, comprising 20—25 houses. Only one of them is suitable for living. Late at night, in complete darkness we found the village and house, and only guessed through the ice-hole where the hut was.»
A criminal case file, sheet 25
And, as if in confirmation of this fact, there is reliable information, which Uncle Slava shares with the prosecutor’s office. Everything seems to be coherent, if not a slight problem, which previously the researchers of the past did not pay due attention to, and how wrong they were! It was namely this slight problem, that should have raised a doubt among the researchers if Yura Yudin really went along the Lozva river after Stanislav Valyukyavichus.
The Protocol of interrogation of the witness Stanislav Aleksandrovich Valyukyavichus, March 7, 1959
«I left the village about 10 o’clock in the morning, the hikers stayed behind. I arrived at the 41st Kvartal about 15 o’clock in the afternoon and after a while one hiker came, who collected the rock.»
A criminal case file, sheet 53
Indeed, coming from the Protocol of interrogation of Uncle Slava, Yura Yudin came and took the core sample. It seems that all checks out, which means that one has no reasons to doubt the correctness of the investigation conclusions. However, some understatement remains, which should be excluded in such a confusing matter. Firstly, why did Yura Yudin conceal under the interrogation that his leg ached in the 41st Kvartal, and secondly, why did he not tell how he got to the village of lumberjacks?
The copy of the Dyatlov group diary, January 27, 1959
«It took a long time to pack off: we waxed the skis, adjusted the bindings. Yurka Yudin is leaving home today. It’s a pity, of course, to part with him, especially for me and Zina, but nothing can be done about it.»
A criminal case file, sheet 26
It turns out, that despite the fact that the village of geologists was abandoned, Yura Yudin could leave, respectively, by car. But what about the words of Uncle Slava, that after a while one tourist came. Exactly, he came, but from where it was not known, since Vyacheslav Vylyukyavichus did not give the exact information where Yura Yudin came from. He could come both from the direction of the Lozva river and from the lumberjacks’ hut, where he had his things.
The diary of Zina Kolmogorova, January 27, 1959
«Yes, Yura Yudin is leaving us today. His sciatic nerves inflamed again and he is leaving. Such a pity. We distributed his load in our backpacks.»
It turns out, that as early as on January 27, the hikers distributed the load to their backpacks, leaving for Yudin only his things. Accordingly, he did not need to carry his backpack to the 2nd Severnyi village and he left it in the lumberjacks’ hut. That was why the hikers were not worried that the lame friend might not reach the 41st Kvartal, since he left by car. But a fair question arises: «Whence did the road, suitable for cars in winter appear, since the village was uninhabited, which meant that no one had cleaned it of snow?» Indeed, no one would clean the road to an uninhabited village, everyone knows that. But there is one fact, which the researchers of the past have forgotten. The road to an abandoned village would also be cleaned if it were located on the way to another village, i.e. behind the 2nd Severnyi village there was another settlement, which, at that time, was an operating mine.
Chapter 3. The Severnyi mine
When I studied the Protocols of interrogation, I was unspeakably surprised by the fact, that the Head of the 8th Camp Department, Khakimov, provided a car for the hikers, going not to the 2nd Severnyi village, but to the Severnyi mine, i.e. somewhere behind the village of geologists another settlement was located, whereto the cars regularly drove.
The Protocol of interrogation of the witness Valeriy Mikhailovich Ufimtsev, April 13, 1959
«On February 16 comrade Blinov telephoned the Committee and asked whether there were any news of the group, and immediately a phone call to the Vizhai village was ordered and talks were held with the Camp Department officer, Khakimov, who said that they gave the Dyatlov group a ride to the Severnyi mine on December 27.»
A criminal case file, sheet 269
And immediately a fair question arises: «Why January 27 and not January 26?» Indeed, based on the diaries of Igor Dyatlov’s group, the hikers left the Vizhai village on January 26, 1959, i.e. a day earlier than Khakimov claimed. Really, comrade Khakimov, confused the dates and indicated the wrong day, and Ufimtsev, instead of the 2nd Severnyi village, by mistake, informed the prosecutor’s office of the Severnyi mine, which, perhaps, did not exist at all. But, nevertheless, if there is such an information, then it must have been verified. As the saying goes: «Trust but verify».
The diary of Lyuda Dubinina, January 26, 1959
«We go by car. We tried to sing, talked on abstract topics and in general nobody was warm. The surroundings were uninteresting at the beginning, a scorched forest. In general, we had to go to the 2nd Severnyi village, but it was getting dark, and we decided to stop at the 41st Kvartal at 16:30 p.m.»
It turns out that the hikers left too late and, therefore, they had to stay in the 41st Kvartal. But why did comrade Khakimov, instead of sending the car in the morning, taking into account a long distance, provide it much later? Why did the driver have to spend the night in the village, which belonged to another Department, i.e. to the Ivdel Energolesokombinat (Power Engineering Forest Integrated Plant), rather that the Ivdellag.
The diary of Yura Blinov
«We got to Ivdel in 3 hours. They were already waiting for us there. It was decided to immediately go to search. Four persons flew: a commander, a navigator, an engineer (procured a car for Dyatlov to take them from the Vizhai village to the 41st Kvartal, and then they drove the backpacks to the 2nd Severnyi village on a horse cart) and also me.»
It turns out that a certain engineer «procured a car for Dyatlov», i.e. he negotiated with Khakimov that he would provide a car for the hikers. And this is a very important piece of information, which could clarify the question of interest to us: «What was the reason that they left the Vizhai village so late?» And my searches have led to the desired result, I have managed to find this unknown engineer in the criminal case files.
The Protocol of interrogation of the witness Mikhail Timofeyevich Dryakhlykh, March 5, 1959
«On February 21, I was summoned to the CPSU City Committee by comrade I.S. Prodanov and told that a group of hikers is missing and it was necessary to search for them. On February 21, 1959, I, a student of the Polytechnic Institute (I do not know his name), the aircraft commander Spitsyn, and a navigator flew off on a „Yak“ airplane