Evening Otorten - Encrypted report

[SURI]

EVENING OTORTEN

Recipient G (+ K)
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

LEFT COLUMN
Change  n o t i f i c a t i o n
Task preparation
Action


RIGHT COLUMN
Event location
Route news
Final result

[Hunter]

This isn't a coded message, but a wall newspaper common to that time, and later, produced by students in work collectives. Students often had humorous content, especially where the teachers' strict control was compromised, such as "on potatoes."

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Это никакая не шифровка, а обычная для того времени, и более поздних времен, настенная газета, которую своими силами делали в трудовых коллективах, студенты. У студентов она часто была юмористического содержания, особенно там, где жёсткий контроль преподавателей падал, например, "на картошке".

[SURI]

I disagree with that. The evening Otorten coincides with the unknown diary (same encryption) and with Ivanov's conclusion in the letters. No one will just write in their diary that they sat by the fire or changed clothes or went to the tent or celebrated a birthday when they didn't have one. Ivanov also clearly points to a targeted selective force and draws attention to the motive. He doesn't mention all the names in vain either.


This passage succinctly captures the whole essence of the incident.

Ivanov
"But there were those who benefited from silence. First of all, the director (or whatever he was) Gordo kept silent. He was one of the culprits in the accusation that the group made a lot of mistakes. The head of the city sports committee was silent (I don’t remember his last name), because he was also guilty of the fact that the group went "semi-savage", moving into the stage of "savagery" at the final stage.

I was quite surprised that these two absolutely guilty people in the death of the guys were lightly punished at the bureau. Seems like they were given a reprimand. And this meant that it was impossible to bring them to criminal liability, because they were members of the CPSU, and until very recently, until 1986, the instruction of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the instruction letter of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, signed by Stalin and Molotov in 1939, were in force on the elimination of serious distortions in the fight against enemies of the peoples. This letter stated that many cases of unjustified bringing people to criminal responsibility are allowed in the localities, abuses are allowed in the bodies of the NKGB and the NKVD in this case, and it was proposed that a member of the CPSU(b) could be prosecuted only with the consent of the party committee and it was possible to arrest them only with the sanction of the first secretary personally. So, the city committee and the regional committee did not give such consent to the involvement of these two people. And that's it, the issue was solved."

[GlennM]

 
I consider the combat leaflet not central to anything about solving the DPI. There are admittedly things I do not understand. Dated feb 1, 1959 , they pen a satirical leaflet, but have not produced a certification letter for the cairn on Otorten. I find no logic in writing that certification  document standing in the cold on Ortoten when it could be penned in the tent.

 The Khibina group means nothing to me. The Dyatlov group would have meanng

Love and hiking. should have been " Love of hiking" It still works and is less provocatve.

I fail to see humor in Armenian Quiz as a title. Mansi, I could understand.

Finally, the leaflet is deficient in naming all the hikers in the funny document.

I have no sense that this leaflet was finished or if it was to be shared. I do feel that conspiracy theorists can read anything into anything else. The combat leaflet wasn't a pronlem, the weather was.

[SURI]

Можно ли одной печкой и одним одеялом обогреть 9 Туристов?

Is it possible to warm 9 tourists with one stove and one blanket?


The Armenian Quiz shows that some of the tourists really didn't warm up and froze.

[GlennM]

Is it possible to warm 9 tourists with one stove and one blanket? ( Yes, if the stove is working!)

Does not strike me as funny. Nine blankets and no stove makes better sense for humor.


The Armenian Quiz shows that some of the tourists really didn't warm up and froze.

What has Armenia to do with it? Was there a known case of frozen Armenians? That is funny, why?  Are they supposed to be too illiterate and backward to get out of the cold? Who in the group has Armenian heritage? More insulting than funny, I think. I read it was a Westerner.

I certainly am not channelling some secret meaning out of the comnat leaflet, but a conspiracy theorist could readily explain why a cryptic document was composed in the dead of Winter in the middle of nowhere and delivered to no one means something. Why not just use a Radio?  Igor knew how..

[SURI]

What has Armenia to do with it?

That's the code. It's not about Armenia, but about the meaning of the message, which the recipient understands very well.

The combat leaflet was marked with the number 1, so another "number" was to follow, but no longer from Otorten. And that in turn refers to the final result and the last number in "SPORT" and Dyatlov no longer belonged to it, otherwise he would not have "froze".

[Ziljoe]

The combat leaflet needs context and the Armenian quiz. Its humour and in english terms its like starting a joke with "a man walks into a bar " , or "knock knock , who's there" . Its a running joke  but the Russian format.

The “Armenian Quiz” question isn’t a code — it’s a reference to the Soviet “Armenian Radio” joke format. In student wall newspapers, these were often left open‑ended so everyone could give their own funny answer. The joke here is simply about how hard it is to warm nine people with one stove and one blanket. It’s normal student humour from the era.

Example 1 (classic Soviet version)
Q: Armenian Radio is asked: “Is it possible to build communism in one country?” 
A: Armenian Radio replies: “It is possible, but better not to try.”



Example 2
Q: Armenian Radio is asked: “Can a person live forever?” 
A: Armenian Radio replies: “He can, but not in our climate.”



Example 3
Q: Armenian Radio is asked: “Is it true that Ivan Ivanovich won a car in the lottery?” 
A: Armenian Radio replies: “Yes, but not a car — a bicycle. And he didn’t win it — it was stolen.”

(This one was extremely famous.)



Example 4
Q: Armenian Radio is asked: “What is the difference between an optimist and a pessimist?” 
A: Armenian Radio replies: “A pessimist says things can’t get worse. An optimist says they can.”



Example 5
Q: Armenian Radio is asked: “What is the best way to predict the future?” 
A: Armenian Radio replies: “Wait until it happens.”

Everything is a joke in the leaflet at each others expense , it was used in other situations and is in a mock military style. The soviets had a sense of humour but doesn't translate easily into English but when you do start to understand , it is very funny.

 There's no answer written to the Armenian quiz like the Armenian radio jokes as its a quiz . Its for the group to answer amongst themselves to see who can give the funniest reply , its their own entertainment for in the tent when they have little to do, it wasn't written for us to look at 60 years later and to try and add meaning and workout how or why they died.

Its one joke after another like, criticism of the sledge , the time it took to set up the "portable" stove,etc. From this context , it fits perfectly and the humour of the era.

This link is worth reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Yerevan_joke
It explains why the Armenian joke came to be and used to talk about many things , including sex. so the Yeti bit is a huge joke too.


Regarding Ivanov.

1. Ivanov was NOT talking about Dyatlov’s cause of death
He wasn’t hinting at:

- codes 
- conspiracies 
- selective forces 
- hidden messages 
- paranormal events 
- military involvement 

He was talking about bureaucratic responsibility inside the Soviet sports system.

Nothing more.


 2. What Ivanov was actually saying

Ivanov’s point was extremely simple:

Two officials at the university were responsible for approving the group’s route and safety paperwork.
He believed they:

- let the group go “semi‑savage” 
- didn’t enforce proper oversight 
- didn’t follow the rules 
- were negligent in their duties 

He thought they should have been punished.
But they weren’t.

Why?

Because they were Party members, and Party members were protected by internal rules.

That’s it.



3. Why he mentioned the 1939 Stalin/Molotov decree

He wasn’t saying:

- the decree was relevant to Dyatlov 
- the decree was a code 
- the decree was connected to the hikers 
- the decree explained the deaths 

He was saying:

“These two officials only got a reprimand because Party members couldn’t be prosecuted without approval from the Party committee.”

The 1939 decree was simply the legal reason they couldn’t be punished.

It’s like saying:

“They didn’t get fired because HR policy protected them.”

Nothing mystical. 
Nothing coded. 
Nothing hidden.


 4. So yes — Ivanov was blaming the officials for letting the group go

He believed:

- the group should not have been allowed to go in that condition 
- the route was too ambitious 
- the oversight was too weak 
- the paperwork was sloppy 
- the sports committee failed in its duty 

He was angry that:

- the officials were guilty 
- but Party rules shielded them 
- so they only got a mild reprimand 

This is internal Soviet bureaucracy, not a clue to the cause of death.

[SURI]

Thank you for the ChatGPT message.

Interesting how the Armenian Quiz was so prophetic. Do you think Ivanov didn't notice that he didn't put 2 and 2 together?

Everything is said in Ivanov's letters. Names, motives, selective force. His letters seem like they say nothing substantial, but they say everything that cannot be said publicly. You have to be able to read between the lines. Ivanov suggests murder (but not soldiers) and an accident.

There was a directed force that selectively acted on individuals, excluding others. The case involved those who ordered the murder and its perpetrators.

If it were not intentional, Ivanov would not have demanded higher sentences and arrests, and there would also have been no cover-up.

By the way, a natural phenomenon does not require a motive.

[SURI]

We have Armenian Quiz + savage group + selective force + 2 absolutely guilty people

The Armenian Quiz wasn't just a puzzle. The tourists did not warm up, really died, and the stove was not used.

It wasn't just negligence on the part of the officials. According to Ivanov, they were fully responsible for the deaths of the tourists.

The selective force is clearly evident in the cause of tourist deaths.

Ivanov knew very well what he was writing about.

[GlennM]

Of course we might consider the possibulity that there was encoded information  in  a repaired sock, or ski boots had false heels. They are about the only horses left to beat. Thanks to the forum for clearing up the Armenian running joke. By the way, how many Arnenians would it take to erect a tent stove?

[Ziljoe]

The Evening Otorten is a standard type of humour called a combat leaflet or wall newspaper . It was common and encouraged thing to do and used over the top exaggeration because even the people of the soviet union knew things were exaggerated. Printed versions can be found online, they also mock the west about incidents and weather conditions.

It was encouraged for morale.

Heres something of what the original might have looked like to understand, remember, its done on a note pad , in cold conditions and probably in poor light.




It telles that the unit is one and there's humour. A thought just came to me as to why the original s missing, it may have had a picture that was politically embarrassing or just wrong.

It would seem on futher investigation that the Dyatlov pass incident did have an effect on how hikes were organised in later years and that comes from the report  in
(Fund of the department of administrative and trade and financial bodies of the Central Committee of the CPSU for the RSFSR, 1956-1966). The Dyatlov incident had three things to raise its profile over other tourist hikes and accidents. It was escalated to the Kremlin , this shone a spotlight on the lack of supervision and organised responsibility , the political party celebrations were at the same time, all 9 of the hikers died and many of the hikers had connections .

The impact was internal and it seems things were done to improve the certification.

Everything

[SURI]

Of course, it's not just about the leaflet, but about Ivanov's overall view of the case. Surely there could have been more clues that pointed Ivanov in this direction.

So if we read between the lines, the clues lead to UPI, or (figuratively speaking) to UFOs.

Ivanov
"Based on the evidence gathered, the role of UFOs in this tragedy was quite obvious."

I build on Ivanov's foundation, you build on sand, in this case perhaps on a non-existent avalanche.

[Ziljoe]

Well, heres our combat leaflet. Lets see if we get it?.

Forum Evening Otorten — Special Edition

Section 1: Weather Report
Today’s conditions on the Dyatlov Forum: 
Visibility excellent, winds moderate, snowfall of new theories expected by evening.

Section 2: Armenian Radio Corner
Q: Why does the Dyatlov forum have so many theories? 
A: Because every member has the correct answer — and nine backup theories just in case.

Section 3: Cultural News
A new archaeological discovery has been made: 
the “Lost Draft of the Tent Layout,” last seen under three pages of debate about footprints. 
Excavation continues.

Section 4: Sports
The annual “Avalanche vs. Katabatic” wrestling match has been postponed. 
Both competitors claim victory in advance.

Section 5: Morale
Comrades, remember: 
Our forum is like a good Soviet hiking group — 
everyone marches in different directions, 
but somehow we still arrive together.

[GlennM]

Clever stuff, Ziljoe. Point well made, unless one insists that the combat leaflet is actually the Ural Mountain codex.

[Ziljoe]

Clever stuff, Ziljoe. Point well made, unless one insists that the combat leaflet is actually the Ural Mountain codex.

Thanks Glenn,I took the “Ural Mountain Codex” as the highest possible compliment. If anyone ever does manage to translate our little leaflet into an ancient manuscript of hidden wisdom, I’ll happily pretend that was the plan all along.

The whole idea was just to echo the humour the hikers used themselves. A bit of satire, a bit of camaraderie, and a reminder that not everything needs decoding,sometimes it’s just meant to make us smile.

[Axelrod]

Yes, this wall newspaper contains encrypted information. These are the death dates.
The last entry indicates their death dates.
1 hour and 2 minutes mark February 1st (the date of death of nine).

27.4 seconds mark the date of death of Yuri Yudin (April 27, 2013).
In English, the month and day are reversed, but in German and French, the order is the same as in Russian.

What other information is encrypted here? I don't know yet.

[GlennM]

 

[SURI]

The sports report states the expected result of the match as of February 1st. This result is visible not only in written form, but also on the "field".

[Hunter]

Ziljoe, thanks for your reply regarding "Armenian Radio." Were you aware of it before you became interested in the tragedy, or did you only find out about it recently?

SURI, you simply didn't live in the USSR, with that mentality. You should have written. When you're in a good mood. Once, at work, I was forced to do something outside my area of ​​expertise, and a whole poem about it was born, even while I was doing it.

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Ziljoe, спасибо за ответ по поводу "армянского радио". Знали про него до того, как стали интересоваться трагедией или недавно нашли информацию.

SURI, вы просто не жили в СССР, тем менталитетом. Писали бы. Когда веселое настроение. Как-то на работе заставили заниматься делом не по профилю, так родилась целая поэма по этому поводу, причем в процессе занятия этим делом.

[Ziljoe]

Hunter


Thanks , no i wasn't aware of it until i started researching deeper in the last couple of days and I'm glad i did. It gives context and i see similar uses today in world current affairs. The ironic exaggeration is the joke and eben makes sense to how the russians communicate in some of the Russian forums. Its a context that helps understand from my view point that the combat leaflet is nothing but a joke by the hikers amongst themselves.

[SURI]

The numbers in "Sport" correspond exactly to the date on the leaflet and also the number of tourists. The last number even had to be written with an accuracy of a tenth of a second to convey what it was supposed to convey. There could easily have been other numbers, but there weren't.

The "Armenian Quiz" and “Sports” sections are the most convincing evidence that "Evening Otorten" is encrypted. What is described there then happened. It has nothing to do with fun.

Ivanov clearly points out the savagery of the group in the final stage (at the time of the incident) and the action of selective force. This is a secret that should not have been revealed.

[Senior Maldonado]

The "Armenian Quiz" and “Sports” sections are the most convincing evidence that "Evening Otorten" is encrypted. What is described there then happened. It has nothing to do with fun.

Wrong. The right interpretation of the Combat leaflet is this:

The combat leaflet is nothing but a joke by the hikers amongst themselves.

As for Ivanov's idea that the hikers were attacked by "selective force", it contradicts his another statement that DPI was an ordinary accident with group of people. It is clear, that through the whole life Ivanov has not come to a single and solid conclusion on what had happened.

[GlennM]

...and not a single meaningful result ever came from these amateurish cryptic pieces of paper kindling.  Some people even today can't take a joke!

[Axelrod]

I don't understand how, in 1959, they were able to guess the date of Yudin's death in 2013.

I can still understand that they guessed and wrote down the date of their own death...

Or did Yudin himself decide to die on that date  - April, 27...

Or was it a Higher Power?

[GlennM]

Higher Power has far more important things to attend to.

[SURI]

As for Ivanov's idea that the hikers were attacked by "selective force", it contradicts his another statement that DPI was an ordinary accident with group of people. It is clear, that through the whole life Ivanov has not come to a single and solid conclusion on what had happened.

Ivanov couldn't talk openly about the murder. He couldn't declassify the case himself, so he used phrases like "savage group" and "selective force." Even so, he said enough. He couldn't say openly, it was murder and an accident, only between the lines in one sentence. Ivanov solved the case, he had enough evidence for his conclusion, but he was not allowed to make it public. He could not do his will.

[Senior Maldonado]

Ivanov solved the case

No, he did not. He indeed received general message from Urakov (together with Klinov, Kirilenko, Eshtokin) that the hikers had become victims of an event which maps to the federal government level. But the fact that Ivanov was dangling in his theories from plasmoids to piloted spacecrafts equiped with ray guns indicates that he has not found final solution.

Do not worry! We can go beyond Ivanov and try to find one. 

[Hunter]

If we analyze this combat leaflet, what could possibly be mocked or a friendly (or not so friendly) joke about comrades:

Editorial
LET'S MEET THE 21ST CONGRESS BY INCREASING TOURIST PRODUCTION!

This is a cruel joke, connected to the fact that the Party meddled in practically everything, and everyone and their dog often used the Party as a cover for their own interests. For example, there's a draft letter in which they try to get one of the hikers off work under the pretext of a hike in honor of the Party Congress.

Lectures on love. A reference to an entry in the group's diary: "Then the discussion resumes again and again, and all our discussions that took place during this time are primarily about love. Someone gets the idea to take down all our statements in shorthand or start a special notebook about it."

About heating. To this day, some researchers can't understand how anyone could go on a hike with army blankets instead of sleeping bags. But if you read the reports from those years, you'll find that sleeping in a tent with army blankets and a stove is quite comfortable. This is likely a reference to the debates (say, in a hiking club) about the best way to spend the night on winter hikes.

Abominable Snowmen. They might have discussed some event about which they might say, "I/we are now like abominable snowmen."

Tourist sleds. This is clearly mocking the poor design of the sleds that Kolevatov made.

Regarding the stove, this is clearly mocking its lengthy assembly. For example, in the USSR, shop wall newspapers might write, "Mechanic Ivanov fulfilled the defective parts plan by 200%," i.e., they would point out that this worker exceeded the acceptable number of defective parts, but at the same time, it seems like they're praising him, not criticizing him.

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Если разбирать этот боевой листок, что там могло быть высмеяно или же дружески (или не очень) пошутить над товарищами:

Передовица
ВСТРЕТИМ XXI СЪЕЗД УВЕЛИЧЕНИЕМ ТУРИСТОРОЖДАЕМОСТИ!
Это злая шутка, связанная с тем, что партия лезла практически во все дела, и партией часто прикрывали свои интересы все, кому не лень. Например, есть черновик письма, где одного из участников похода хотят отпросить у предприятия под предлогом похода в честь съезда партии.

Лекции про любовь. Отсылка к записи в дневнике группы: "Затем снова и снова возобновляется дискуссия, причем все наши дискуссии, которые были за это время, преимущественно про любовь. Кому-то приходит в голову стенографировать все наши высказывания или завести на этот счет особую тетрадь."

Про обогрев. До сих пор некоторые исследователи не понимают, как можно было переться в поход с армейскими одеялами вместо спальников. Но если прочитать отчеты тех лет, то выяснится, что при использовании печки, спать в палатке используя армейские одеяла вполне комфортно. Вполне вероятно, отсыл к спорам (скажем, в турклубе) по поводу того как лучше ночевать в зимних походах.

Снежный человек. Могли обсуждать какое-либо событие, про которое могли сказать "что я/мы теперь как снежные люди".

Туристические сани. Тут явно высмеивают неудачную конструкцию саней, которые сделал Колеватов.

По поводу печки. Тут явно высмеивают её долгую сборку. Например, в СССР в цеховых стенгазетах могли писать "слесарь Иванов выполнил план по браку на 200%" т.е. указывают, что данный работник превысил количество допустимых бракованых деталей, но при этом вроде как и не ругают, а хвалят.

[SURI]

Ivanov solved the case

No, he did not. He indeed received general message from Urakov (together with Klinov, Kirilenko, Eshtokin) that the hikers had become victims of an event which maps to the federal government level. But the fact that Ivanov was dangling in his theories from plasmoids to piloted spacecrafts equiped with ray guns indicates that he has not found final solution.

Do not worry! We can go beyond Ivanov and try to find one. 

Ivanov was unwavering in his convictions. He knew exactly what he was talking about. He was no fool. As I said, he couldn't speak openly, so he used various forms of communication to express what he needed.