Malakhov. Continued (October 27, 2026)
Andrey [MALAKHOV] and the next TV-show on the Dyatlov group The Dyatlov Pass: who assembled the watches equipped with listening devices? (2026-X-27):
[–] Joining us on today’s program is Alexandra Lvovna Ivanova, daughter of Lev Ivanov. She is taking part in our investigation. Let’s welcome Alexandra Lvovna. Good evening!
[IVANOVA]: Hello to the studio. Hello, everyone!
[–] What have you brought for us today, Alexandra Lvovna?
[IVANOVA]: Andrey Nikolayevich! Thank you for spending so many years trying to investigate this case. It feels as though, together with you, we are contributing to that effort. I, too, try to delve into everything and provide you with various documents and materials. I believe that, perhaps, we might actually manage to achieve something.
[–] Well, we also hope that we’ll be able to accomplish something. Now, regarding the statement made by Natalya Yevgenyevna Maslennikova - his daughter - who says she cannot believe her father would have changed his testimony, and considering how much he suffered... Marina, what is your take on this, as a psychologist?
[BIBNYOVA]: I believe it is entirely possible that her father changed his testimony. At that time, the KGB and the security services held immense influence; they were capable of exerting powerful pressure on a person’s psyche, effectively tapping into all of their underlying psychological complexes. There was also fear for one’s own family and loved ones.
In moments like these, people think less about themselves - or about the abstract concept of truth - and more about their family and loved ones. I believe he could have changed things.
[–] But your own father, Alexandra Lvovna - he couldn’t let go of this case for the rest of his life. And although he couldn’t disclose everything, I understand that in 1991 he wrote a letter to the central television network. What was in that letter? Tell us!
[IVANOVA]: Yes, I found some documents - his personal archives - and handed everything over to the Dyatlov Foundation. It turns out he did write a letter. There was a TV program called "Ecology of the Unknown." They must have discussed the case at the time, which prompted him to write to them. He wrote about a radiological examination. He stated:
"I tested items from the site for radiation, and they showed no radioactivity. However, the internal organs - based on examinations of the body cavities - showed significant background radiation, which indicated a targeted radiological exposure. It appeared as though they had been subjected to a fairly wide beam."
[–] By the way, another controversial figure among the hikers was Nikolai Thibeaux-Brignolle. I should remind you that he was found alongside Kolevatov, Dubinina, and Zolotaryov. He also had severe burns on his leg.
(At this point, Malakhov confused him with Krivonishchenko.)
A great-nephew of this hiker conducted his own investigation. Here is what he had to say about a potential "French connection" in this story.
Vladimir [ERMOLAEV]: Nikolai Thibeaux-Brignolle was my grandmother’s cousin. My mother was born in 1952. The family lived in the town of Kamensk-Uralsky in the Sverdlovsk Region. Kolya Thibeaux-Brignolle even managed to visit shortly before his death - my mother saw him then. That was in 1958.
He was a cheerful, sociable guy, but back in those days, having a French surname like that was difficult. Life was hard, full of hardships and deprivation... My grandmother’s parents were victims of political repression: her father was executed in 1937, and her mother was sent to a labor camp for ten years. **
The surname "Thibeaux-Brignolle" appeared in Russia back in the 19th century. According to family legend, the original bearer came from the town of Brignolle, located near the border of France and Belgium. But how much truth was there to that? We don’t actually have any specific details about that individual.
Later, we even conducted a genetic analysis. It’s possible the surname was simply invented by someone - we don’t know who this person really was. It’s highly likely that the name was part of some sort of fabrication; the genetic analysis showed no evidence of those particular roots.
For our family, it remains a mystery. Who was he? It’s possible that someone in the early 19th century adopted this surname to help build a career in Russia, but his true origins remain unclear.
[–] Vladimir Yermolaev, a great-nephew of Nikolai Thibeaux-Brignolle, is here with us in the studio. As I understand it, you also attempted to conduct your own investigation - and even tried to recover the camera that belonged to your uncle.
[YERMOLAYEV]: At one point, the investigator was asked what had become of Nikolai’s camera.
[ - ] Because a great many of the photographs we’re looking at were actually taken by your uncle.
(At this point, Malakhov once again confused him with Krivonishchenko.)
[YERMOLAYEV]: It’s a known fact that the camera was never returned. The investigator allegedly claimed that the camera was contaminated with radiation, and on those grounds, he refused to return it.
[ - ] But what conclusion did you reach while conducting your own little investigation?
[YERMOLAYEV]: I don’t think we need to look for any fantastical explanations here. I suspect that a conflict arose between the members of the group and the local inhabitants - representatives of the indigenous peoples. However, the Soviet authorities did not want to agitate the population, so they concealed the reasons behind the hikers' deaths.
[–] Let’s hear from someone who gave an extensive interview prior to this program: Vladimir Mikhailovich Askinadi, a friend of Igor Dyatlov. For the first time, he speaks about a diary that was also confiscated. Pay attention!
[ASKINADI]: I kept a diary myself while I was part of the search party. In my dormitory room, my bed was positioned right next to the window, serving as a desk. A school-style notebook - it was just sitting there on the windowsill. If I can recall anything now, back then I remembered it with second-by-second precision.
I truly believed I would go through my entire life with that kind of memory. But as it turns out, that’s not the case. The notebook went missing, and I didn’t even notice it was gone right away. And it turns out, I wasn’t the only one who had things go missing…
[XENIA]: So, the diaries you kept - they went missing?
[ASKINADI]: Yes. There was a wonderful young woman - her surname was Radosteva. She had kept records, too. She wasn’t part of the search party - none of the women were - but she had kept a diary. She and others were on duty at the sports club’s hiking section. She recounted that two men arrived, wearing gray hats and mid-season overcoats. They confiscated all the records - not just the diaries she had written, but every chronological record they could find. And they left without explaining anything to anyone.
[XENIA]: And who could that have been?
[ASKINADZI]: It was definitely the KGB. We didn’t ask any questions. And Gordo didn’t ask any questions either when he was told: "We are firing you for negligence - for allowing a group to set out without checking their route logs, or even verifying that they had them."
[XENIA]: And what was his actual position?
[ASKINADZI]: He was the head - or chairman - of the institute’s sports club. Everyone reported to him: the motorcyclists, the hockey players, the hikers, the mountaineers. He was in charge of it all.
[XENIA]: Are you aware that Ivanov mentioned that someone responsible for their expeditions was fired?
[ASKINADZI]: Well, that would be Gordo - he’s the one they fired.
[XENIA]: That’s mentioned in an interview with Viktor Iosifovich; he talked about it. I just can’t recall the surname. But by that point, he had already been fired, right?
[ASKINADZI]: Yes, he had been fired. In fact, he knew he was going to be let go before it actually happened. He spent his final days there just sitting around, doing nothing. We ran into each other in the hallway, and he said, "Is there anything I can do for you before I leave? Maybe get you a little parting gift?" I told him, "No, I don’t need anything."
[–] Is it possible, Nikolai Nikolayevich, that they confiscated the diaries? Or perhaps it was simply lost years later?
[LUZAN] (historian of the security services): I suspect that if there was a criminal case, then, naturally, certain items would have been seized as part of the investigative process. That is a perfectly standard, legal procedure. There is one point I would like to raise for the witness - the person who was actually there - to consider. There is a single detail that effectively rules out many of the existing theories, if you happen to have noticed it.
Incidentally, this is barely mentioned in this program. For nearly 41 days, a team of sappers - combat engineers - worked at the site of the tragedy. They were led by an officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
If you look back at other tragedies involving hikers, you’d be hard-pressed to find another instance where the military was brought in for such operations. Some experts have suggested that these young people simply happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time - right when military tests were being conducted.
[–] Yes, Oleg Nikolayevich?
[ARKHIPOV]: I would like to corroborate what Vladimir Mikhailovich Askinadzi said. It’s true: at the sports club - located in the main building of the Ural Polytechnic Institute (UPI) - there were teams on duty, consisting mostly of young women who hadn’t been sent out to join the search parties.
They received radio messages and kept detailed logs of everything happening during the search operations. I spoke with a woman who confirmed that all of these records were seized by individuals in plainclothes. That definitely happened.
I’d also like to highlight another crucial detail - the disappearance of Kolevatov’s diary. There were rumors in Sverdlovsk that the diary ended up in the hands of certain "competent authorities." It’s possible he had it with him until the very end.
And let’s not forget that Zolotaryov had a camera - we were just looking at one of the photos taken with it. Yuri Yudin always emphasized that Zolotaryov was the only person on that ill-fated expedition who carried two cameras!
They sent one of those cameras to his mother, Vera Ivanovna. And what about the second camera - what was in it? Was there film in the camera that was sent to the mother of the late Zolotaryov, or not? We cannot rule out the possibility that there was no film in it at all.
[-] Let’s also mention that two years after the tragedy involving the Dyatlov group of hikers - in 1961 - a pilot named Gennady Patrushev crashed in that same area. He was, in fact, one of the first people to arrive at the scene of the original tragedy, and he, too, conducted his own investigation…
Oleg Nikolayevich Arkhipov provided us with the crime scene investigation report (dated May 25, 1961). Take note of the names that appear in this report: Investigator Korotayev, Junior Counselor of Justice Tempalov, and a witness named Cheglakov. All three of these individuals also appear in the Dyatlov case file.
It makes one wonder: why did Patrushev attempt to conduct his own investigation?
[ARKHIPOV]: There is information suggesting he was acquainted with Igor Dyatlov and Zina Kolmogorova. After the tragedy occurred, he became somewhat withdrawn. At one point, he let slip to his wife that as long as he had fuel in his plane, he would keep flying over that specific area. Patrushev was a highly inquisitive man, and he took this tragedy to heart, as if it were a personal loss. When his wife asked if he wasn't afraid that something might happen, he replied, "I am experienced enough to land my plane even on top of a utility pole."
Most intriguingly, on the day of his final, tragic flight, he was not flying his own aircraft, but someone else's. Later, there was talk that a technician named Petukhov came forward to apologize, citing certain technical malfunctions. But, Andrey Nikolayevich, we would very much like to hear an expert’s opinion on this.
[–] Yuri Mikhailovich! You have reviewed the report on the pilot’s death. Based on your professional expertise, what actually happened?
Yuri [SYTNIK] (Honored Pilot of Russia): The crash was caused by the aircraft colliding with a tree at an altitude of 8 meters. The plane in question was equipped with chemical tanks, as it was being used for forest pest control operations. These are bark beetles, various kinds of bugs, and so on.
Although there was a fire in the cockpit, 30 liters of fuel remained. One liter was taken from those 30 liters for analysis; the fuel was found to be within specifications.
Typically, such operations over a forest are conducted at an altitude of 15–20 meters above the treetops. Visibility must be at least 3 kilometers. Therefore, it is unlikely that the pilot could have struck a tree without seeing it - even if there had been haze or fog - which rules out weather conditions as a factor.
Furthermore, when experts examined the crash site, they determined that the throttle lever was set to the "idle" position. Yet, the engine must have been running, as the impact with a birch tree scattered the aircraft’s propeller blades and their fragments across a distance of 25–30 meters.
In other words, the engine was turning, the aircraft was in good working order, and it was traveling at a significant speed - sufficient to shear through a large, sturdy pine tree. After the initial impact, the wreckage continued to travel for another 100 meters.
The pilot suffered severe burns; the force of the impact was so great that his head was severed. However, the remains were recovered, and it was confirmed that the individual had been in perfect health and completely sober.
But why was he descending? What was he doing in that specific area? And how is it that this man - who had spent nearly two years conducting an investigation - perished, following the same fate as the crew whose own crash he had been investigating? The evidence shows that the aircraft was functional, there was fuel on board, and the pilot was in a sound state of mind. So, what caused the crash? What exactly happened inside that cockpit?
[-] Where did the journals disappear to, and what really happened to the pilot? A brief commercial break, and then, the encounter we’ve all been waiting for. Intelligence historian Nikolai Nikolayevich Luzan, and our guest - who has now begun to speak - Viktor Iosifovich.
How will this conversation unfold, and what will Viktor himself reveal about his own life story? Stay tuned!
Good evening, once again! We are discussing the most mysterious tragedy of the 20th century: the death of nine hikers at the Dyatlov Pass. All of them were employed at, or completing internships for, secret industrial facilities.
We continue. We’ve touched upon this subject today, and the name Lev Semyonovich Gordo has come up - he was the chairman of the sports club. His son, Vladislav, is speaking about these events on television for the very first time.
Vladislav [GORDO]: My father was unaware that Igor Dyatlov had changed the route on his own initiative. By February 15th, everyone who knew about the expedition was expecting word from Dyatlov, but none came… My father first realized he was being followed by the KGB when he approached the Uktus airport to request a helicopter or plane to travel to the pass.
When he arrived at the airport to ask for an aircraft, he was told: "That is a restricted zone! To fly there, you would need authorization from as high up as Moscow."
A man in plainclothes would board the helicopter with them, ensuring they only flew to areas where there was nothing classified.
After the tragedy, my father was frequently summoned by the KGB. They would question him, instructing him on what he could or could not say, and how he should conduct himself. He was under pressure from two sides: the authorities were demanding his silence, while the victims' relatives were demanding an explanation of how it all happened. And so, he found himself caught between two fires…
When my father returned from interrogations by the KGB, he would sit on the balcony for hours, just smoking. He was deeply distressed… They made my father the scapegoat, because, in effect, he was the one who had issued all the permits for this expedition.
He was blamed for everything, but these accusations were unjust - after all, he had processed all the paperwork and made all the necessary preparations.
For Communists, the worst thing that could happen was receiving a formal reprimand - one that was officially recorded in their personnel file. He was subsequently dismissed from his position. Six months later, he was reinstated, and the party disciplinary action was rescinded, as his guilt could not be proven.
Kolevatov (Antropov) and Dyatlov and Dubinina in film (2020).
[–] Joining us today is Yevgeny Antropov, an actor who appeared in the series *The Dyatlov Pass*. It seems to me that the more often you visit us, the more that business of crawling around inside a tent - which you did on our last show - must feel like mere child’s play.
[ANTROPOV]: Honestly, I feel like I’m invited here for some sort of… I don’t know, spiritual merit - just to gain access to all this information that I’d never find anywhere else in my life. I sit here listening, completely wide-eyed, looking around in disbelief - I can hardly believe what I’m hearing.
* Well, that’s true. We’ve been working on this for a long time ourselves, and we’ve come to realize that this story always presents more questions than answers.
Speaking of the pilots: for the first time on television, we hear from the widow of the captain of the Mi-4 helicopter - Potyazhenko - who was the first to spot the tent and the hikers. Let’s listen to Margarita Ivanovna. She, too, has decided to share her story for the very first time.
[MARGARITA]: My husband, Viktor Vasilyevich Potyazhenko, flew to the area to search for the missing hikers - the ones who disappeared at the pass. He was the deputy squadron commander; that was his job, which is how he ended up involved in the search. But no matter how many helicopter pilots arrived, none of them could manage to land.
A landing site had been cleared, but he was the only one capable of setting down inside that "well" without clipping the trees.
They were the ones who spotted the tent from the air. They were the first to see it. They sat down and tried to let the dogs out. But the dogs wouldn’t obey; they cowered and simply refused to come out. In the end, they were sent back to Ivdel.
It’s clearly a terrifying place - the Mansi people wouldn’t go there; they were afraid of it. They spoke of some unknown, mysterious force present there.
They didn’t quite make it - they were still 10 kilometers away from the mountain. The mountain was surrounded by these pillars, where sacrificial offerings - reindeer heads - had been left.
[–] As a radio operator, how did you first learn that something was going on there?
[MARGARITA]: I stepped out of my office - I had been sitting at my desk and went to get a radiogram. They were putting together a weather report, and I noticed the place was packed with military personnel. That’s where I saw a man named Kurikov. He said, "This is a dangerous place!"
[–] What’s your take on this, Oleg Nikolayevich? We tracked her down in the city of Vladimir.
[ARKHIPOV]: As for this lady’s latest comments, I find it hard to evaluate them - she claims, for instance, to have seen Kurikov… but where exactly did she see him? It is a historical fact that Potyazhenko took part in the search operations - that much is true. But as for her other conjectures - well, I’m inclined to treat those with a fair amount of caution.
[–] There’s also an intriguing story suggesting that Boris Yeltsin could have changed the entire course of these events - but something happened. Listen to this!
[ASKINADZI]: I have information - reports - indicating that even Yeltsin, during his time as president, never received this information.
[XENIA]: How could that be?
[ASKINADZI]: That’s just how it is! The Dyatlov Foundation, which Kuntsevich headed, reached out to his wife, Naina. The idea was that a letter - even if it didn't reach the President directly, but instead went through the security services, who would then advise him on what to say - might help put an end to all this sensationalism and the aimless groping in the dark.
And then we could finally find some peace. Half the country is in tears.
But Naina remained silent - just kept silent, month after month. For half a year, she said nothing. Then Yeltsin passed away… Meanwhile, in Sverdlovsk, a monument to Boris Yeltsin was erected. One night, the statue was knocked over, and its nose was broken off. This upset Naina so much that she became hysterical. She told everyone, "Leave me alone!"
After Yeltsin’s nose was repaired, the statue was knocked over again shortly thereafter…
[XENIA]: I suppose the secret just vanished somewhere…
[ASKINADZI]: Exactly! And I later asked, "Guys! Why didn't you think to ask him about it back when he was the Regional Committee Secretary?"
[–] Nikolai Nikolayevich! It hasn't been mentioned that you also worked with Boris Yeltsin. Do you think he could have changed anything?
[LUZAN]: Of course - he certainly had the authority. But I suspect it wasn't really up to him at the time… because the case file - as I understand it - was kept somewhere around here. It was classified as "top secret" - and, in all likelihood, it still is today. So, it simply wasn't within his power or authority to resolve the matter.
[KOSKIN]: The Foundation did reach out to Boris Yeltsin once he became President of Russia. They received a perfunctory, bureaucratic response - something along the lines of, "We have received your inquiry and will look into it," and so on. In other words, he didn’t say anything.
[IVANOVA]: My father actually wrote a letter to Yeltsin, too! He also tried to draw his attention to the matter, since Yeltsin used to go on hiking trips himself.
[LUZAN]: Yes, exactly. And he played volleyball, too.
[IVANOVA]: He was trying to bring some attention to the whole affair.
[–] We’ve printed out the letter your father sent to the program *Ecology of the Unidentified*; I think it would be interesting to take a look at it.
Throughout that period, all information was kept classified. But there were also those for whom silence was advantageous. The director, Gordo, remained silent - as did the head of the city sports committee. I’m surprised that, at the Party bureau meeting, these two men - who were absolutely to blame for the youths’ deaths - received only a mild reprimand.
A party member can only be held criminally liable with the consent of the party committee. In this case, neither the city committee nor the regional committee granted such consent to prosecute these two individuals.
Regarding the radiological examination: I tested objects from the site for radiation, and they showed no radioactivity; however, the internal organs exhibited significant background radiation. It appears as though a fairly broad beam was directed specifically at the areas where the physical injuries were sustained.
In several locations, young fir trees showed signs of scorching. Yet, there were no traces of a blast wave - Maslennikov and I examined this very thoroughly. We burned all of the hikers' clothing, all their papers - which yielded no useful information - and everything else. This is standard procedure for investigative authorities. Sincerely, Ivanov.
[IVANOVA]: May I add something else?
[–] Our program is coming to a close, friends. Tomorrow, we will continue, featuring an exclusive interview with Semyon Zolotaryov’s niece - who has never given an interview before - about her uncle’s funeral. We’ll also discuss why his common-law wife didn’t even attend the farewell and subsequently disappeared.
Our journey to Azerbaijan. What about Zolotaryov’s son, Alexander - where is he? Plus, more from the meeting between Nikolai Nikolayevich and Viktor Iosifovich - what did they agree upon? We’ll continue this topic tomorrow. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones! |
Topic: Malakhov 2026/10/27 (part 1) (Read 161 times)