On September 28, 2025, the Usoltsev family – Sergei, his wife Irina and their 5-year-old daughter Arina – disappeared without a trace in a remote area of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in Kuturchinsky Belogorye. The car was found abandoned at the foot of the mountain, inside were backpacks, personal belongings, expired passports and… The search spanned hundreds of square kilometers of taiga without finding a single trace. No body, no fire, no note. There's just silence, jungle, and a growing sense that there's something more to this story than a confusion of versions. Every day, the mystery of the Usoltsev family goes deeper and deeper into the darkness – and becomes more and more like a spiral, where the interests of special services, ancient myths, personal tragedy and, possibly, a real crime intertwine.
Is financial motive a myth or a cover?
From the very beginning, a version appeared in the media that Sergei Usoltsev, a businessman and former pastor, owed millions of dollars and fled abroad. However, a close friend of the family, researcher and public journalist Valentin Degtyarev, called this story “fiction.”
“I thoroughly checked the information about the debts – there was simply no such amount that a person decided to run away with his family. He had no overdue bank loans, no enforcement proceedings and no legal proceedings six months before his disappearance. This is an opportunistic version, convenient for eye-rolling,” Degtyarev said.
His words were confirmed by Irina's son, Danil Batalov:
“My stepfather had no problems in business. The accounting work was fine. But… a few weeks before he disappeared, he suddenly asked me how I was settling in and how my money was. Hearing that everything was fine, he said, “Yes, thank God,” and then gave up. That's not his style.”
What is especially alarming is that expired passports were found in the Usoltsev couple's car, but they did not carry any valid documents.
Murder by Greed: Degtyarev's version
Valentin Degtyarev, known for his investigations of the Dyatlov case and ancient hieroglyphs of the Krasnoyarsk region, does not believe in escapes or accidents. He was certain that the family had been killed. And he bets on a third party.
“I am almost 100% certain that the Usoltsevs are dead. Their death was motivated by self-interest. There is a person who, sooner or later, will show up. I got acquainted with documents that the press does not have… This is not mysticism – this is a crime,” he said.
Degtyarev did not name names, but emphasized: the investigation, according to his data, went deep into the dark. Perhaps this is why the official investigation agency adheres to the “accident” version, even though no bodily injuries, signs of struggle or even tents were found.
Lawyer Alexander Karabanov explains this tactic:
“Investigative agencies sometimes “throw ducks” – they publish an implausible version in order to provoke a reaction from suspects. If a person feels that his “home” is being threatened, he is making a mistake.”
Religious traces: pastors, New Life and… ancient artifacts?
Sergei Usoltsev does have connections with religious communities: he was a pastor in the charismatic church “New Life” for some time. This gave rise to conspiracy theories: they say that the family became victims of an internal conflict or a sectarian massacre.
However, Degtyarev categorically rejects this hypothesis:
“The Church of New Life is not banned, it's legal. Yes, she leads an unusual lifestyle, but there's nothing criminal about it. Sergei left them a long time ago – about seven years ago. He's not interested in dogma, but in something completely different.”
And here, the most unexpected twist appeared. In 2017–2018, according to Degtyarev, Sergei met him after the publications of hieroglyphs – huge ancient drawings in the taiga, stretching 300 km. Usoltsev showed great interest, proposed a joint expedition to the Dyatlov Pass – and during the negotiations he suddenly said: he was looking for an artifact of eternal life.
“He said, “To live forever, you have to die on the mountain.” Then I thought – just a figurative expression, a metaphor for a catchphrase. But now… now I'm not sure,” Degtyarev admitted.
This phrase is key. It does not fit the version of the escape or the murder of the family. It sounds like refers to esotericism and myth about “the secret power of the Urals and Sayans”, about shamanic initiation rites through death, about the legend of the “Belogorsk immortals” that exist in the folklore of Krasnoyarsk.
Maybe Usoltsev really believed: Dyatlov Pass was not only the place of the tragedy, but also the gateway. That in Kuturchinsky Belogorye lies not only a geological phenomenon, but also something that can rewrite the laws of life.
FSB, lie detectors and a “prison escape” that never happened
Irina Usoltseva's son, Danil Batalov, claimed that he was interrogated by the FSB. They used a polygraph. They ask not about loss but about escape:
“Did your parents say where they wanted to flee? Then the puzzle appeared – I realized: they didn't disappear, they ran away. After all, the FSB doesn't deal with ordinary people,” Danil said.
This confirms the hypothesis: if Usoltsev is in the sights of the special services, it means that their concerns are not only private. May involve operations in border areas, accessing closed archives or participating in unauthorized excavations.
In addition, Irina's manager said the woman stopped communicating on September 27 – one day earlier than the official date of disappearance. That is, the family could have left the city a day earlier, leaving the car in the mountains on the 28th as part of the scenario.
What's next?
So far, the official investigation remains silent. No press releases, no new data. But according to unofficial sources, several lines are being tested:
Liaise with ancient artifact research groups (including illegal archaeological teams in the Sayan Mountains); Analysis of Usoltsev's correspondence in secure messaging applications; Verify who has access to their plans and finances; Study of satellite image data from September 27 to 28.
History of Usoltsev – is not just a tragedy. This is a mirror: it reflects our fear of the unknown, our yearning for secrets, our willingness to believe in a miracle or a conspiracy. Is Sergei Usoltsev a victim? A fugitive? Or… an eternal hunter who went to a place where time stopped?
Taiga was silent. However, as local hunters say:
“The mountain remembers everything, even what people try to forget.”
All that's left is to wait. Because in such matters, the truth does not come quickly, it always comes.
