It took a very long time to come to this version of the death of tourists in 1959. I went through everything and finally, I can firmly say that I may have solved this riddle completely.
Public photographs that can still be found on the Internet will help me with this. So…
On January 26, 1959, a group of tourists arrives at the village of lumberjacks at the 1st forest site of the Energokombinat, 41 quarters. The tourists arrived at 16:30 local time. The workers greeted them warmly, fed them and even showed them several films. They had their own movie set there. In total, they spent two nights in the village. On January 27, Dyatlov reached an agreement with the head of lumberjacks, Ryazhnev Georgy Ivanovich. He promised to give them an escort with a horse and a sleigh, he was supposed to take tourists to the abandoned village of 2 Severny. Previously, geologists lived there, but at some point all exploration work there stopped. And from there, the group planned to continue their journey. The release was scheduled for the morning of January 28th.
At some point, the boss's plans changed dramatically. He suspected something was wrong, but only after one of his workers recognized Semyon Zolotarev. During the war, Semyon served in the system of the People's Commissariat of State Security in the military intelligence "SMERSH". By the way, it was today that some photocopies of his personal file appeared. The person who publishes them reports that they have not yet been classified as classified. However, this person offers these documents for sale. After examining these documents and partially, after checking them, I realized that they were genuine. It follows from them that Semyon Zolotarev has two service characteristics. One of them is official (fake) and genuine (for official use). According to these documents, he served in the rear of the enemy. Was abandoned as an illegal agent, to study at the Abwehr intelligence school. Likely,it was an intelligence school located in East Prussia. Reconnaissance and sabotage school in metro Dahlwitz. In June 1944, a reconnaissance and sabotage school was organized in Cape Dahlwitz, 25 km from Insterburg (now Sovetsk, Kaliningrad Oblast), better known as the Belarusian Airborne Battalion Dahlwitz. The body's code name is “Meldekopf Waldbusch” and “3 Kolé-2”. The school was subordinate to Abwehrkommando-203 (information from the Internet). He got there, after the planned command, "transition" to the side of the enemy during his participation in military operations on the Belorussian front. In addition, I reliably know that due to the activities of Zolotarev, a significant number of illegal agents and saboteurs were identified. After the war, some of them could serve their sentences in Ivdel (Ivdellag). By 1959, one of thosewho remembered Zolotarev from the front, was literally stunned to see him among a group of students.
They reported their suspicions to their chief Ryazhnev. He himself was not very simple. Ryazhnev, it seems to me, created a corruption network in the very heart of the former Ivdellag. Mining loose gold by simply flushing the river sand, he was also actively involved in the resale of furs and the trade in alcohol. With his "light hand" the abandoned settlement 2 Severny was actively developing. And at the peak of his success, he learns that one of the tourists may be connected with the Chekists. Having considered the degree of danger, he gives the order to eliminate the group. The photo shows the moment of departure of rested tourists. Ryazhnev is talking with a young man (probably a local resident). In a moment from the conversation, he hides a knife in his right sleeve. By the way, no one paid attention to this before. Two more people are standing next to them. Most likely, they then left after Dyatlov's group. There were from three to five people in total. Some are former criminals, local residents involved in criminal business. But they all carried out Ryazhnev's criminal order.
I don't think he immediately ordered them to be killed. Not at all. They decided to kill the students, but after they found and took with them a core with a rock sample. I am also sure, even 100%, that their main gold mine was in the same stream where the last four bodies were found in the spring. I think there is gold there today. Surprisingly, no one has verified this yet.
Everything else was a matter of technique. Sudden attack. Probably after someone provoked the students to run out of the tent. Chase, beating, death of people. I associate the presence of traces of radiation with the personality of Alexander Kolevatov. As you know, he worked at the Mayak plant in the Chelyabinsk region. Therefore, he took part in the elimination of the radiation accident at the plant. All his personal belongings, like himself, were irradiated. Hence the traces of radiation on their clothes and on body tissues. It is unclear only one, why investigator Ivanov ordered this examination? After all, initially he and his colleagues did everything to ensure that the truth about the death of the group remained unknown forever.
So banal theft led to the fact that nine people were killed, and this place itself remained damned for eternity. Such is life, as sad as it is to say. The mystery itself was not as interesting as it was believed until today.
Promotional video:
Ryazhnev and Ognev see off tourists.
Pay attention to this guy. He talks to Ryazhnev and hides the knife in the sleeve of his quilted jacket.
It seems to me that these three are their killers. Ryazhnev sent them.
Abandoned village 2nd North.
A copy of Zolotarev's diploma from a personal file.
Secret biography of Zolotarev?
Semyon Zolotarev's personal file from the archives of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.
This is a check on the fact of the transition of Zolotarev's fighters to the side of the Germans.
Secret part of the Zolotarev case (cover).
Documents from the secret personal file of Sergeant Semyon Zolotarev.
Author: Valentin Degterev