#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Vladimir Domarev first came to Norilsk in May 1925 as a member of the fourth Norilsk expedition led by Pavel Alliluyev. Here, together with Nikolay Urvantsev, he examined mount Rudnaya. In 1936, Domarev was arrested and given ten years in prison under the “political” article 58. He ended up in Norilsk again, but as a prisoner. In 1947, Vladimir, who had already been released, was appointed chief engineer of the Norilsk combine’s geological department. On the night of April 23, 1947, an armed raid was carried out on the building. Demanding the keys to the funds and cash register, the bandits inflicted 17 stab wounds on Domarev. This is how one of the Norilsk old-timers, Iosif Shamis, recalled it.
“Vladimir Domarev is a geologist, a Leningrader, at the head of a party of Norilsk geologists, he conducted research in the area of the Kureyka river, the right tributary of the Yenisey, in those places close to the Arctic Circle, where they later began to build the Kureyskaya hydroelectric station. But he also worked on the Hantayka, also the Yenisey’s right tributary, where the Hantayskaya hydroelectric power station was later built. Subsequently, Domarev was appointed chief engineer of the Norilsk Geological Department. Large forces of geologists who already had considerable experience were concentrated there. And it should be noted that Domarev’s personality as the department head soon received universal recognition from the geologists’ team, as well as from the Norilsk combine’s design department workers. But Vladimir Domarev proved himself not only as a geologist.
Night. Norilsk combine’s geological department. It was located in a simple one-story wooden house, one of those that were considered temporary office buildings during the construction period. The chief geologist, one of the entire team, was late at work in his office. Suddenly, the office’s front door opened sharply, and a group of people armed with knives burst through the threshold – straight to Domarev: “Give me the keys!” He, of course, instantly realized that they were asking him for the keys to the safes where priceless samples of the Norilsk deposits were kept. Domarev tried to explain to them that there was and could not be money in the safes. The villains were clearly nervous, they looked around, afraid that they might be overtaken. And, obviously, the main ringleader went back to Domarev, shouting: “Give me the keys quickly, otherwise you’ll die on the spot!” And death came… Domarev was stabbed to death by the villains. No one reported the results of the autopsy to the public. It was said that his heart stopped as a result of a direct knife blow. Others said that the throat was also damaged.
Norilsk residents, people who had gone through fire, water and copper pipes, moved with their heads bowed… Deep mourning gripped everyone who had ever encountered Domarev. Many people saw him off on his last journey along the main street of the Norilsk village, across lake Dolgoye – to the cemetery, on the edge of the city under construction.
We should say a kind word to the combine’s head Vladimir Zverev. He was informed that Domarev’s wife, Natalia, was on the way with an orphaned daughter, Ira. Vladimir Zverev ordered to control their arrival, meet them and deliver them to his office. Putting everything aside, he greeted them like family. He told them what kind of worker Domarev was and that his death was a huge loss for the combine, but the main thing he told them was that he was a kind, brave, strong and selfless person! He immediately called the hotel director and asked to accommodate the arrivals in a cozy double room on the second floor and provided with kitchen and other household utensils to satisfy all their needs. Zverev immediately assigned Natalya to work in the combine’s planning department…”
In the History Spot photo project’s previous publication, we told how the Norilsk press fought for the truth at the dawn of its birth.
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Text: Svetlana Ferapontova, Photo: Nornickel Polar Branch archive
