Why did Zina think Kolevatov would cause a "quarrel" in the group?

[Zozzle]

I was reading Zina's letters from before the hike and noticed this sentence:

The group is ok, I don't know how will it be the moment we go. Will we quarrel. After all, Kolevatov is with us.

https://dyatlovpass.com/zinaida-kolmogorova

(In Zina Kolmogorova letter to Lidiya Grigoryeva January 22, 1959)


Maybe this has been answered elsewhere but why does she think his presence in the group would cause some sort of trouble? Was he known to complain a lot?

Zina had been in a relationship with Doroshenko, was Kolevatov jealous? Did he get rejected by Zina?

[Paf]

I think Kolevatov is quite an outsider in the group.

He's only been hiking with Dyatlov once, and once with Blinov, when the others were quite more used to hike together and for some, good friends.

Plus, he had been working earlier in his life. Ha was probably not "the standard student" in a matter of maturity. (Dubinina herself is saying some of the guys are quite more mature than herself.) Zina is young, she can feel a shift between them (not that everybody will, some guys are probably closer to him than to her in a maturity matter.)
He is probably ambitious, very ambitious (enough to leave a very good job in Moscow to get a better, more secure one later.), or he has something to hide witch motivated his decision: in any case, not the "standard student" here neither.
He don't seems very involved in the hiking club : his list of known hike is not long. I think the New Year hike he did with Dyatlov was a test after he asked to enter the Ortoten trek. His mother said he had to pay/provide most equipment until he "ran out of money" (probably not quite, but still). So he probably earned his place in the trek that way.

For me, there is nothing here but a comment about Kolevatov's trait, and not important enough to make the "probable quarrel" neither a fact or a matter of life. But who knows, Kolevatov is so mysterious !

[Zozzle]

To me it sounds like there must have been a specific instance before (maybe not on a hike) where Kolevatov had an argument with some member of the group. Or maybe Dyatlov told the others that they had problems with him on the previous hike.

There is some mixed stuff about him in the Diaries (and his own Diary was lost). He seemed to be quite liked by Lyuda.

Unknown Diary 30/01:

"Volunteers" (S. Kolevatov and K. Tibo are repeating their duties as a punishment for slowing the group yesterday) took a long time to start a fire.

Zina's Diary 28/01:

Sasha Kolevatov tested his device, then quit.

(Probably a make-shift sled, constructed with the extra pair of skis they carry, they refer to this in the Evening Otorten)

Zina's Diary 30/01:

Kolya didn't get to be a watchman so me and Rustik will stay on duty today.

Lyuda's Diary 24/01:

We talked all kinds of nonsense, of course; everyone was interested, everyone wanted to speak out, eventually trying to out-shout each other and prove their own opinion. Sasha Kolevatov was the best in our debates. Probably he expressed not only his own thoughts but, anyway, he obviously won.

Lyuda's Diary 26/01:

Rustik and Kolya reasoned a little about everything, about work, etc. I like these guys.

Nothing too bad. He was slowing the group down on one day and didn't get to be watchman, which is a bit odd. Otherwise he seemed to be liked by the group.

[RMK]

The name "Kolya" is a diminutive of "Nikolay", so in the present context, it refers to Nikolay Thibeaux-Brignolle, not Aleksander Kolevatov.

[Zozzle]

Oh sorry, I still get confused by all the nicknames.

And even "Sasha" isn't his real name, it's Aleksander. Where does that come from? And Zolotaryov is called Sasha as well although his name is Semyon. Yuri Doroshenko is called "Yurka" by Lyuda, while the other Yuri that actually has a K in his last name, Yuri Krivonischenko, is called Georgiy, for some reason. And lets throw in a "Gosya" for Dyatlov as well.

These damn russian kids with all their nichnames.

[RMK]

Oh sorry, I still get confused by all the nicknames.

That's perfectly understandable.  Nicknames don't always make a lot of sense.  For instance, the diminutive of "Vladimir" is not "Vlad", but "Volodya".  Or in English, "Hank" and "Harry"  are both nicknames for "Henry".

And Zolotaryov is called Sasha as well although his name is Semyon.

Yeah.  Why did he introduce himself as "Sasha", anyway...?

Yuri Doroshenko is called "Yurka" by Lyuda, while the other Yuri that actually has a K in his last name, Yuri Krivonischenko, is called Georgiy, for some reason.

That I can actually speak to.  "Georgiy" is Slavicized Greek, whereas "Yuri" is a purely Slavic equivalent of the Greek name "Γεώργιος" ("Georgios"); the English equivalent of the name, of course, is "George".  Also, I'm not completely sure, but I believe the "-ka" suffix in "Yurka" is a diminutive suffix that one uses with children, or with people one knows well (if I'm mistaken, someone who knows should provide correction or clarification).

[Manti]

And even "Sasha" isn't his real name, it's Aleksander. Where does that come from?

In Russia "Sasha" is the standard nickname for Alexander.

I heard that in Germany it's used as a female name instead sometimes, is that true?

[Paf]

In France as well !
It's written either Sacha (mostly boys) or Sasha (both boys and girls), or even Sascha ( quite less common).

But it's also a nickname for Alexandra, no ? So it can be a female nickname in RUssia as well (or am I mistaken ?)

[Manti]

You are right.

[ThorstenW]

And even "Sasha" isn't his real name, it's Aleksander. Where does that come from?

In Russia "Sasha" is the standard nickname for Alexander.

I heard that in Germany it's used as a female name instead sometimes, is that true?

Here in Germany i know " Sascha " as a male name. " Sasha " i never heard as a female name here.