One thing that puzzles me after reading that article: if the bodies of the men like Vasily Ignatenko weren't dangerous why did the authorities bury them inside zink caskets under a layer of concrete?

Edit: I guess one answer is that they were scared/ill-informed - but the Soviet authorities seemed to be doing everything they could do downplay the risks from radiation - so why would they do that?

news outlets like Forbes aren't going to help