Lost businessman survives week in taiga
Fyodor reached a road on his own, where volunteer searchers quickly made contact.
After a week, businessman Fyodor Medvedev was found in Sverdlovsk Oblast — he had been sought in the forest between Perm and Yekaterinburg. The man managed to reach a road on his own and saw people. Fyodor recounted how he survived in the taiga.
Fyodor Medvedev went missing in the area of Konzhakovsky Kamen (a mountain in the Northern Urals near Karpinsk) on 18 September. Together with a group, the man was gathering Siberian pine cones at a popular tourist spot and got lost. Staff from MChS (Ministerstvo po chrezvychaynym situatsiyam, Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations — EMERCOM), volunteers from a search team, and his wife searched for Fyodor for a week. He had no connection, so it was unknown whether he was alive or injured.
«He may come out in Perm or in Karpinsk. I’m sure he can survive in the forest», the missing man’s wife told E1.RU.
On 25 September Fyodor reached a road on his own, just 20 meters from the camp. In moderate condition, he was immediately taken to the Central City Hospital of Karpinsk (Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia). We published moving footage of Fyodor’s reunion with his wife.
The volunteer search-and-rescue unit «Proryv» (Proryv, Sverdlovsk Oblast) said volunteers covered more than 600 kilometers, using vehicles, ATVs, and swamp buggies.
«This was one of the most difficult searches. Hundreds of kilometers. Hundreds of people. The maximum number of agencies, friends, and volunteers were involved. People lived in the taiga for a week among wild animals. Despite those who repeatedly tried to break us, saying there was no chance left. We kept searching! Faith, hope, experience, and the team’s cohesion delivered results!» the search team shared.
Volunteers published an interview with Fyodor. The businessman said he had only a lighter and a knife with him. He left the camp and tried to return, but after two hours realized he was lost.
Fyodor explained his week-long survival strategy, including fires, mushrooms, and avoiding wild animals.
«By evening I found a place to spend the night, lit fires, and created smoke to at least send some kind of signal about myself. And I stayed there for the night. On the very first night, wolves came. I don’t know — I was probably woken by my guardian angel. As soon as I came to, I heard a rustle next to me. I grabbed the fire and started throwing burning sticks everywhere. That’s why my fingers are burned now», Fyodor said.
The businessman did not sleep these days, because he had to keep warm and constantly look around. During the day the man walked, and three to four hours before dark he began setting up shelters and lighting fires.
«The taiga is very beautiful by day, and very scary at night,» Fyodor admitted. «I ate berries, green herbs, cones. I made a skillet from stone and fried mushrooms on it — but you can’t eat many of those.»
The man tried to drink from the river often to avoid dehydration. There he encountered a bear already on the second day.
«We saw each other — he was about 7–10 meters away on the other side of the river. He drank his fill and left. And I just sat and watched him — I didn’t understand what would happen. I was simply ready, I don’t know for what… He saw me. But my surname is Medvedev. I think a bear probably wouldn’t eat another bear», Fyodor said.
At night the taiga was very cold. Fyodor said that for the entire week there were no signs that people were nearby. Only on the seventh day did he reach a road; before that he hadn’t seen even a single logging trail.
«I reached the road only thanks to the Lord God. God led me out, because the whole time I did nothing but pray», Fyodor believes.
Once on the road, the man realized he was saved. An hour later he saw a car with people and collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion.
«Right now I feel wildly tired. The moment I saw people, my legs stopped obeying me. And to this day there’s still some tremor in my legs. Overall I feel fine», Fyodor said.
The man offered advice for those who might also get lost in the forest.
«You must not panic. You need to assess the situation soberly if you’re lost. You shouldn’t head off somewhere, because if people know about you, they will search for you. It’s better to stay in place and send signals — light fires, make smoke pots, leave some signs of yourself in any case», the businessman advised.
Fyodor’s wife Yuliya also spoke about the search. According to her, the volunteers worked as a single team of professionals. Many friends also came to look for her husband.
«Everyone searched without stopping. A lot of his friends came, and they didn’t stop day or night either. They lived in the forest, in tents. They came with their wives. The wives cooked and fed the guys. The guys just walked and walked without stopping. So this miracle is our joint one. We are very grateful to everyone. A big human thank-you to all of you for not leaving us one-on-one in such a situation», Yuliya said.
Earlier we wrote about how a brother and sister from Tyumen survived four days alone in the forest.
