I have read both sides of the story, and I do belive that Oberg is right. What I find hard to believe: how does a satellite in low earth orbit gain energy (so as to spiral away from the earth)? I can see how a Soviet space craft cold get stuck in the wrong orbit-but withot a boost from firing the engines, how could the craft leave earth orbit?
About the female cosmonaut “burning up”-a re-entering space capsule is enveloped in a plasma cloud, that prevents radio transmissions. The brothers could not have heard such a thing. What did they hear? Who knows.
What I’ve never understood is with all of their successes, why would the Brothers need to forge the “lost Cosmonauts” recordings. I know that the Russians tested communication relays but the I doubt the communications the Brothers intercepted like the burning woman would have been used to test the satellite’s communication relay. Not saying I believe the Cosmonauts were lost but I don’t think it can be easily dismissed.