Igor Dyatlov Group Incident Supplement Documentation

Radiograms, or radio telegrams, were the primary means of communication for the Soviet search parties during the 1959 investigation, as the remote Ural Mountains terrain made physical delivery impractical. These messages were formal, coded transmissions sent via radio from search teams to headquarters in Ivdel or Sverdlovsk, often detailing discoveries, logistics, and urgent updates. They form a critical part of the official case files, preserved in archives like the State Archive of the Sverdlovsk Region (SASO) and the Center for Documentation of Public Organizations of the Sverdlovsk Region (TsDOOSO). Many were exchanged between February 20 and May 5, 1959, when the last bodies were recovered.
Key examples include:

Discovery of the Tent (February 26-27, 1959): Searcher Boris Slobtsov radioed a report after spotting the tent on the slope of Kholat Syakhl: "Piece of broken ski was found 20m from the tent." This was followed by an update from Egor Semyonovich Nevolin, the radioman: "We managed to identify footprints of eight or nine people starting from the tent and going about 1 km down the slope, and then they were lost." These confirmed the hikers' hasty exit and initiated the full mobilization of rescuers.
Body Recoveries and Logistics (March-April 1959): Radiograms documented the exhumations and transport. For instance, one from search leader Georgy Ortyukov described moving bodies: "The bodies are being lifted to the landing site," noting three bodies (Dyatlov, Kolmogorova, and Slobodin) being transported via helicopter. Another expressed frustration: "This is a scandal!" when pilots refused to airlift bodies due to concerns over radioactivity (though unconfirmed at the time).
May 1959 Excavations: As snow melted, deeper searches in the ravine yielded more evidence. Radiogram No. 4 from May 5 reported: "During excavation, items were found at a depth of 2 m 30 cm from the top of the snow cover and 30 cm above the ground stop In place of Dyatlov group tent is found the sheath from a dagger 18 cm long made of textolite and one spoon the sheath assumed to belong to Kolevatov stop." Another to Prodanov detailed coffin dimensions for the final burials: "The dimensions of the coffins are 180 cm, the remaining dimensions are of the actual height." These were part of a series (pp. 2-12 in TsDOOSO Fund 191) that included search plans and CPSU oversight reports.

These radiograms reveal the operation's urgency and bureaucratic layers, with some exchanges lacking paper trails, leading to gaps in the record. They were later transcribed and included in the 2013 Dyatlov Foundation publication of the case files.

Key Documents from the Investigation

The official investigation, led by prosecutors like Tempalov and Lev Ivanov, produced a two-volume criminal case file (dismissed on May 28, 1959, as an "overwhelming force"), obtained by the Dyatlov Foundation in 2012 from ГАСО. These documents include inventories, forensic reports, witness testimonies, diaries, and analyses, totaling hundreds of pages. They emphasize the group's orderly abandonment of the tent but struggle to explain the cause of death (six from hypothermia, three from trauma).

Notable documents:
Tent Inventory and Inspection Act (Act #199, February 27-28, 1959): Prosecutor Tempalov's initial report listed contents: three cameras (Zolotaryov's, Krivonischenko's, Slobodin's), group diaries, alcohol, a satirical leaflet ("Evening Otorten"), clothing, food (oatmeal, canned meat), and gear like an ice axe and skis. It noted cuts: "The nature and form of these lesions suggests that they were formed from the contact with the blade of a weapon (knife) on the inside surface of the fabric of the tent." Footprints were described as "eight or nine pairs" leading downhill, deformed by weather but indicating no external intruders.
Diaries and Personal Records: Multiple diaries were recovered, including Zoya Kolmogorova's (noted as potentially authored by an unknown person due to handwriting discrepancies), Yuri Yudin's, and Igor Dyatlov's last entry (January 31: "Tired and exhausted we started to prepare the platform for the tent... It is hard to imagine such a comfort somewhere on the ridge, with a piercing wind"). A third unidentified diary was listed, while Alexander Kolevatov's was lost or stolen.
Forensic and Medical Reports: Autopsies detailed injuries (e.g., Slobodin's minor skull fracture, chest trauma on Dubinina and Zolotaryov). A radiological analysis (March-April 1959), ordered by Ivanov, found beta radiation on clothing (200-300 counts per minute above background) from Krivonischenko and others, linked to his nuclear plant work but fueling conspiracy theories. Ivanov's 1990 article admitted no rational explanation, mentioning suppressed reports of "flying spheres."
Radiological Certificate (Case Files pp. 371-377): Conducted by radiologist Levashov, it measured contamination on numbered items (e.g., №1-4 clothes), confirming spots up to 9900 cpm but dismissing gamma/alpha emissions.
Oversight and CPSU Reports: Volume 2 includes supervision notes from Ivanov's superiors, like Evgeniy Okishev, ordering the case closed as an accident despite anomalies.

These files, quoted in 1990s books by Matveeva and Rakitin, were fully published in 2013, highlighting inconsistencies like missing negatives from Krivonishenko's camera (held privately until 1997).

Photos of the Tent

Photographs of the tent, taken by searchers and preserved in Ivanov's archive (16 films total), are among the most analyzed evidence, showing a partially snow-covered structure on a 15-20° slope, contradicting avalanche theories due to its visibility and upright skis/ice axe. The tent, a custom 5x2 meter model sewn from two standard ones (built by Slobtsov in 1956), was pitched ~1 km from the forest edge.

Key photos and descriptions:
Hikers' Own Photos (February 1, 1959): From an unidentified camera (Film №5, 24 frames) and others, the last images show setup around 5 p.m.: Frame depicts snow excavation for the tent base (shutter 1/25 sec, aperture 5.6, GOST 65), with hikers like Dyatlov digging a hollow perpendicular to the slope. Another shows the group posing near the finished tent, skis vertical, in fading light—indicating calm conditions before dinner (6-7 p.m.).
Search Party Photos (February 27, 1959): First post-discovery shots by Vladimir Brusnitsyn and others: The tent appears collapsed inward from snow weight, with a large rear cut (knife-made from inside, ~2m long) and smaller front slit. Skis protrude from snow nearby; an ice axe lies at the entrance beside Dyatlov's jacket (containing a penknife and Kolmogorova's photo). Footprints trail downhill in soft boots or bare feet, merging after 50-60m. One photo (1S-09) shows searcher Koptelov pointing to the site.
Later Analysis Photos (March-May 1959): Grigoriev's images (e.g., 2S-03A) show the outlier rock near the tent and exhumation sites. May photos reveal the dagger sheath and spoon buried 2.3m deep nearby. Colorized versions highlight the tent's orange fabric against white snow, with broken branches nearby suggesting no massive slide.

These photos, developed from films like Krivonischenko's (70 frames) and loose shots (12), fueled debates—e.g., "Yeti" frame (Frame 33, a blurred figure) debunked as Thibeaux-Brignolle. Modern 3D models (by Vasilii Zyadik) reconstruct the slope at 23-30° steepness, supporting slab avalanche hypotheses but not explaining the cuts.

Prosecutor Ivanov closes the case of Dyatlov group