Yuri (Georgiy) Alekseevich Krivonischenko
Yuri Krivonischenko, along with Yuri Doroshenko, was found one and a half kilometers from the tent in the forest under the cedar. It is believed that both Yuri died the very first, since all the outer clothing was cut off by other hikers in order to warm themselves. According to the examination, Krivonischenko and Doroshenko died from hypothermia. But at the same time, chopped branches were found right under the cedar. Why both Yuri froze in a calm forest near a fire and in the presence of firewood is unclear.
Our correspondents met with Yuri's elder brother - Konstantin Krivonischenko.
Konstantin Krivonischenko with wife Nina Panteleevna
To many researchers of this tragedy, Yuri Krivonischenko seems to be a rather mysterious person. It is known that he worked at the Mayak secret nuclear enterprise. It is believed that he was a KGB recruit. Yuri’s clothes turned out to be radioactive. For some reason, Yuri Krivonischenko, as well as another victim - Semyon Zolotaryov, was buried separately from other hikers in a prestigious and already closed city cemetery.
Camping photo: Yuri in the center on a raft in a scarf
Yuri’s brother, Konstantin Alekseevich, now lives in Kiev. This is what he told us.
What to say about Yuri? He was a sociable and cheerful guy. He wrote very emotional poems. His favorite song was "I love you, life, and I hope this is mutual". And when he died, our mother found a piece of basalt, attached a silvered plate with an engraving on it with this line from Yuri’s favorite song. She put it on a shelf in memory of Yuri.
Krivonischenko's father saved by Stalin
What did Yuri's father know from eyewitnesses
In this regard, it is interesting to recall Krivonischenko's father testimony from the case files. We give it completely with all grammar errors.
Krivonischenko witness testimony
Sheet 273
Protocol
witness testimony
On April 14, 1959, the prosecutor criminologist of Sverdlovsk region Romanov interrogated as a witness in District Prosecution Office, in compliance with Article 162-168 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the RSFSR
Warned on the responsibility for the first part of Art. 92 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR for refusing to testify and under Art. 95 Criminal Code of the RSFSR for giving knowingly false testimony is forewarned. Krivonischenko (signature)
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Witness testified: After the funeral of my son on March 9, 1959, I had students over at the apartment, participants in the search for the nine hikers. Among them were those hikers who at the end of January and the beginning of February were on an expedition in the north, a little bit to the south of Mount Otorten. There were apparently at least two such groups, at least the participants of the two groups said that they had seen the light phenomenon that struck them on February 1 north of the location of these groups: the extremely bright glow of some kind of rocket or projectile. The glow was so strong, that some of the hikers that were already inside the tent and getting ready to go to sleep, were alarmed by this glow, went out of the tent and observed this phenomenon. After a while they heard a sound like a strong thunder from far away. I don't know the names of those who said that, because I have never seen them before and I don’t know them, but obviously the students who saw and heard this light and sound phenomenon can be tracked, as there were several people, and it was not difficult to determine which groups were in the North at that time. The students said that they had observed a similar phenomenon twice: on the first and the seventh of February 1959.
The students said that near the fire under the cedar were found belongings that were not on the deceased - my son and Doroshenko, at the same time, they didn't have shoes but there were socks laying around. We can assume that there were more people at the cedar tree than the two found there dead. The rest must have gone away when two
Krivonischenko (signature)
Sheet 274
were already dead, or if they were still alive and left at the campfire like a temporary base - then the abandoned did not see the clothes, since when freezing they would have probably put on everything that could get their hands on.
The students said that the fire at the cedar didn't go off due to lack of wood, but because nobody maintained it. This, too, obviously could be either because people who were at the fire did not see what to do, or because they were already blind or dead (blinded) mistake signature. They say that a few meters from the fire there were dry branches fallen from a tree that were not used. In the presence of a fire, it was not possible not to see something that could be easily used, so being blind seems like possible explanation. Both hikers found at the campfire gradually lost sight (but very quickly) and although they could maintain the fire wile the wood lasted - they could not do it after they couldn't see what to do. They froze after they were already dead. This is only a guess of mine.
Krivonischenko (signature)
Interrogated (signature)
Shortly before his death, Yuri resigned
To clarify. The Mayak dissaster occurred on September 29, 1957. And Yuri, for sure, came under exposure there. His relation with the company soon went south. The family archive contains Yuri's letter of resignation dated August 15, 1958.
"Please provide me with payment and accept my resignation at my own request from the company PO Box 404/10 due to complete unwillingness to work in this system".
The resolution of the authorities on the letter is: "We can not find a reason for dismissal. It is necessary to fulfill the order of the head of the enterprise and begin work on the site "Ozero".
But Yuri still quit. He took a break and went to Otorten. It is possible that Krivonischenko went on the expedition in the same clothes in which he had been at the enterprise. This means that the radioactive elements found on his sweater and pants (only a sweater - ed. note) could be picked up while working on the rehabilitation site "Ozero".
Yuri Krivonischenko letter of resignation
On 15 Aug 1958 Yuri Krivonischenko hands his letter of resignation "due to complete unwillingness to work in this system". This does not sound like a whim. Something happened and we will never know what exactly. To me it doesn't sound just like harsh conditions for work. Something completely ticked him off. It is not clear as of what happened after that. Mayak enterprise not only rejects the resignation but sends Yuri to one of the most polluted constructions site "Ozero". Only because of this resolution we know where was Yuri working when he went to Otorten.
In the following thread it seems mail is not going through for some reason, but it speaks of the persistent inquiry of a facility which allegedly no more employs Krivonichenko, on the document dated 24 April 1959 it even calls him "former" engineer. According to Alexey Rakitin Yuri Krivonischneko was not relieved of duties but reassigned, probably with the connections his father had, to a secret department of which even his former employers didn't know about.
15 Aug 1958 | Letter of resignation: "Please provide me with payment and accept my resignation at my own request from the company PO Box 404/10 due to complete unwillingness to work in this system." The resolution of the authorities on the letter is: |
31 Mar 1959 | Nuzhdin inquiry to Ivanov: We don't have this document, but it is mentioned in Ivanov's answer below. |
23 Apr 1959 | Ivanov answer to Nuzhdin: "I inform you that Krivonischenko Georgiy Aleekseevich died during an expedition in the mountain region marked as 1079 in the Ivdel region of the Sverdlovsk district. Krivonischenko G. A. is buried by relatives in the city of Sverdlovsk. Death certificate issued by Ivdelskiy City registry office is given to the parents of the deceased." |
24 Apr 1959 | Nuzhdin inquiry to Ivanov: "I ask you to expedite the answer to your number 34/466 of March 31, 1959 regarding the circumstances of the death of a former engineer of our enterprise Krivonischenko Georgiy Aleekseevich." |
17 Jul 1959 | Ivanov answer to Nuzhdin: "I am reporting again, that Krivonischenko Georgiy Aleekseevich died during an expedition in the mountain region marked as 1079 in the Ivdel region of the Sverdlovsk district. Krivonischenko G. A. is buried by relatives in the city of Sverdlovsk. Death certificate issued by Ivdelskiy City registry office is given to the parents of the deceased. Similarly letter was sent to you on April 23 this year, to the address indicated on the stamp of your letter, but the letter was returned for lack of addressee. Attached Post Office reference" |
10 Jun 1959 | Nuzhdin inquiry to Ivanov: "For the third time, please inform where and under what circumstances did the engineer of our enterprise Krivonischenko Georgiy Aleekseevich die. Earlier, we asked you twice about this, №34/466 form 31.III.59 and 34/584 from April 24, 1959, but there was no response from you." |
16 Jul 1959 | Nuzhdin inquiry to Ivanov: Same document as above is registered in Sverdlovsk. |
There are photos of Yuri Krivonischenko on 6:28 and 6:58
Yuri’s mom didn’t part with her son’s belongings
We thank Konstantin Alekseevich and Nina Panteleevna for the warm welcome and for sharing these memories.
We took some of Yuri's poems from the family archive. They may seem imperfect to someone, but they tell us a lot about the character of this person. Let Yuri rest in peace, as well as his comrades in this tragic expedition.
Yuri Krivonischenko with a friend. Perhaps it was to her that he dedicated his poems.
Skis in the corner, backpack on the closet, Y. Krivonischenko. |
Campfire I look at the burning fire. Y. Krivonischenko |
Yuri Krivonischenko has beautiful sense of rhythm and rhyme that I haven't taken the time to match, translated word for word, except the strophe in italic, that repeats at the beginning and at the end of the Campfire poem.
In addition, we also know that the authorities in Moscow knew what had happened to the nine students long before anyone in Sverdlovsk had any reason to think that something was wrong. A document that prepared for an investigation was already made on February 6, 1959. At that point in time, everyone in Sverdlovsk believed that everything was just fine with the Dyatlov group.
But in Moscow they knew otherwise. Since preparations for an investigation were already completed in Moscow on February 6, they must necessarily have known about the fate of the nine even earlier.