In February 1959, nine experienced Soviet hikers perished in the northern Ural Mountains under bizarre circumstances. Investigators discovered their tent had been deliberately sliced open from the inside, with the bodies located scattered up to a kilometer away, many of them barefoot or wearing only socks despite the freezing temperatures. While some of the group succumbed to hypothermia, others sustained fatal internal trauma, including crushed ribs and fractured skulls, without any corresponding external injuries. Further compounding the strangeness, one victim was found missing her tongue and eyes, and traces of radioactivity were detected on some of the clothing. Soviet authorities closed the case by attributing the deaths to a “compelling natural force,” a vague conclusion that has only deepened the enigma surrounding their final moments.