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Why would you run like hell away from your tent without your boots in the Ural mountains night? For me, plausible explanation is that indeed somebody did not w

Why would you run like hell away from your tent without your boots in the Ural mountains night? For me, plausible explanation is that indeed somebody did not want them alive but wanted it to look natural. Scared them away from their tent at gunpoint. Had to hit their toughest guy in the head. They also had some people with stange past in that group.

lb1lf 10y ago
> Why would you run like hell away from your tent without your boots in the Ural mountains night? -Because you are sound asleep one moment, only to find yourself in the midst of a number of explosions the next? That would unsettle me no end, for sure. Not saying that I know for sure what happened; only that the simplest explanations often are the best. I do find it rather unlikely that Soviet armed forces (if they were testing something suffiently secret to 'justify' killing any accidental spectator, even their own citizens) would even let people enter the area; much easier (and less drastic!) to just tell people to turn around 'for security reasons' and be done with it than letting them get too close, then killing them. Now, death by negligence/indifference in the course of military action, on the other hand, would hardly be a first. (And if someone WANTED them dead, the area does appear to lend itself well to making people disappear; doubly so when under a regime which had taught people not to ask too many awkward questions.) It would be rather surprising if anyone but Soviet authorities of one variety or the other was involved in activities which couldn't be allowed to come to light in the area, so I (perhaps too lightly) discount options like a secret CIA infiltration mission, yetis, aliens, poachers, rum runners...)
- guard-of-terra 10y ago
  Unsettle is one thing; fleeing without boots and not returning to pick them up is another thing. This is practically uninhabited area and it is really huge and cold. Even of Soviet armed forces wanted, they could not "tell people to turn aroud".
- frederikvs 10y ago
  > I do find it rather unlikely that Soviet armed forces [...] would even let people enter the area "What, that pass, in februari? Not like anybody will be stupid enough to be hiking there." or "No, if we tell people not to go, they'll want to know what we're doing over there. Best just keep quiet about it." or a combination of both.

lb1lf 10y ago

> Why would you run like hell away from your tent without your boots in the Ural mountains night? -Because you are sound asleep one moment, only to find yourself in the midst of a number of explosions the next? That would unsettle me no end, for sure. Not saying that I know for sure what happened; only that the simplest explanations often are the best. I do find it rather unlikely that Soviet armed forces (if they were testing something suffiently secret to 'justify' killing any accidental spectator, even their own citizens) would even let people enter the area; much easier (and less drastic!) to just tell people to turn around 'for security reasons' and be done with it than letting them get too close, then killing them. Now, death by negligence/indifference in the course of military action, on the other hand, would hardly be a first. (And if someone WANTED them dead, the area does appear to lend itself well to making people disappear; doubly so when under a regime which had taught people not to ask too many awkward questions.) It would be rather surprising if anyone but Soviet authorities of one variety or the other was involved in activities which couldn't be allowed to come to light in the area, so I (perhaps too lightly) discount options like a secret CIA infiltration mission, yetis, aliens, poachers, rum runners...)

guard-of-terra 10y ago
Unsettle is one thing; fleeing without boots and not returning to pick them up is another thing. This is practically uninhabited area and it is really huge and cold. Even of Soviet armed forces wanted, they could not "tell people to turn aroud".
frederikvs 10y ago
> I do find it rather unlikely that Soviet armed forces [...] would even let people enter the area "What, that pass, in februari? Not like anybody will be stupid enough to be hiking there." or "No, if we tell people not to go, they'll want to know what we're doing over there. Best just keep quiet about it." or a combination of both.