Yes, I still can't get the idea out of my head that the murder theory is the only explanation for the whole mystery. In addition, some of the injuries are very difficult to explain without the presence of strangers. Pathologist Eduard Tumanov also believes that it could be murder. He paid very good attention to the nature of the injuries, better than I ever could.
There are of course several problems with the murder theory, mainly the lack of traces of the attackers. We do have traces of the group leaving the tent, but there are no traces of the strangers. Thinking about it, one could put forward a theory that maybe the attackers were not near the tent. Maybe they were not in direct contact with the Dyatlov group at all. Or if they were, it was more likely to have happened near a ravine and a cedar.
So what would scare relatively experienced hikers out of their tents at night? How about rifle shots at night. This is certainly one possibility that scares everyone - especially in a remote place and at night. Someone shot repeatedly in the direction of the tent - to scare and force the group to leave the tent. The shooting could have continued repeatedly. Someone was watching them from a distance all this time, perhaps that is why we have no traces at the scene. This would also explain why the group did not dare to return to the tent immediately. They were a good target at the tent.
Perhaps everything that followed was a combination of bad luck and fear. Falling into the ravine, trying to make a fire (although they knew that they risked becoming a target). Perhaps the shooters waited a few hours and left. They knew that hypothermia would take its toll and the goal was achieved - to sadistically scare, regardless of human life.
An interesting entry for me is in a document that was listed in the criminal investigation as Kolmogorova's diary, but neither her handwriting nor her style matched the handwriting of another diary found among the personal belongings in the tent.
January 30 entry:
" ...Today as yesterday were are following the path of Mansi. Sometimes Mansi writings appear on trees. In general, all sorts of obscure mysterious characters. There is slogan for our trek, "In a country of mysterious signs". If we knew these letters, it would be possible, without any doubt, to go down the path, confident that it would lead us to the right place. Here the trail takes us to the shores of the river. We lose track. In the future, the trail follows the left bank of Auspii river, but the team of deer crossed the river and we are going through the woods. At the first opportunity we will turn back to the river. As it is easier to follow it. At approximately 2 pm we stop for a lunch. Dried meat, guest crackers, sugar, garlic, coffee, stocked in the morning - that's our lunch.
Good mood..."
Of course, the Mansi hypothesis is just a hypothesis. But it is interesting precisely because of the context.