I thank Teddy for her painstaking work in providing transcripts of so many, many interviews. Here are some eye-opening quotes from Okishev, who oversaw the Dyatlov investigation: "Deputy Federal Prosecutor for Investigations Urakov arrived and immediately asked us to bring him the case. He told us to write the closing statement. He went to the Oblast committee and took Klinov and Ivanov with him. When Ivanov cane back he told me that an order was to close the case. We argued: how can we close it, on which grounds? There are nine dead bodies in it!"
And: "But in the late 50s a moratorium was called on nuclear tests*. Western intelligence agencies knew about that test field and kept an eye on it. Ivanov and I then suggested that tests might have been moved to the North Urals. The same mountainous terrain, with neither people, nor inhabited areas for 100-150 kilometers around. I asked the above nuclear specialist (I don’t remember his name now), do you admit tests could be conducted at the time of the moratorium. He smiles and says: “look, let’s not discuss that, I have no right to talk about such things”."
It's conceivable that on the night of Feb. 1 a nuclear warhead exploded (in violation of the test ban treaty) near the hikers. The blast would have been deafening, cause enough to immediately exit the tent and get down to the less exposed trees. Then, after the last four had dug out the snow den (they were the only ones still alive) another warhead exploded and the concussive impact caused the fatal injuries suffered by Dubinia, Zolotaryov and Thibeaux-Brignolle (perhaps Kolevatov dove into the snow just in time and died later).
All nine hikers were exposed to radiation, but that was covered up. During all nine autopsies, district prosecutor Klinov was present. Strange that he would be present. Could it be that he didn't want Vozrozhdenny, who performed the autopsies, to disclose any incriminating information on his reports? Such information could very well have ended up in the hands of the CIA.