Russian Scientist Shares 54 Years of Bigfoot Research
Posted Monday, June 29, 2026
By Squatchable.com staff
So I stumbled across this absolutely fascinating interview over on YouTube, and I just had to share it with everyone here. If you're into the deeper, more academic side of Sasquatch research — the kind of stuff that pushes the boundaries of what mainstream science is willing to acknowledge — then this one is going to hit different.
The episode features Dr. Igor Bourtsev from the Department of Hominology in Moscow, Russia, sitting down with Janice Carter and Robin Haynes in South Carolina for a lengthy discussion on what these researchers are calling the "science of hominology." And honestly? It's one of the most compelling conversations about our hairy friends that I've come across in a while.
Dr. Bourtsev has been in this field since 1965 — that's 54 years of boots-on-the-ground research. His very first expedition was in the Caucasus alongside Janna Kaufman, who apparently just celebrated her 100th birthday back in July. Kaufman led expeditions in that region for about 50 years. Let that sink in for a moment. A woman who spent half a century studying these creatures is still alive and well in Paris. That's the kind of dedication that rarely gets talked about.
One of the biggest takeaways from this interview is the ongoing push to get hominology recognized as a legitimate branch of science. Dr. Bourtsev and his colleagues are working on a project called "Hominology International — International Study of Forest People," which aims to formalize the study of Sasquatch, Yeti, Almasty, and other relict hominids worldwide. The founder of hominology as a discipline was Professor Porchnev back in the 1960s, and the work has been continuing ever since.
What really got my attention was the discussion about vocalizations and language. Crypto-linguist Scott Nelson apparently studied audio recordings of these creatures and came to the conclusion that they can actually speak human language. Not just mimic sounds — actually use words and construct meaning. Janice Carter backed this up with her own experiences, explaining how she grew up on a farm in Tennessee where her grandfather befriended the alpha male of a local family group — a Sasquatch she refers to as "Fox." Through years of observation, she learned some of their language and discovered that they can speak English. Some of them even have accents, and instead of saying "you," they'll say "yah" or "ye."
Robin Haynes chimed in about hearing distinct talking outside his windows in South Carolina. The house is built five feet off the ground, and apparently it's pretty common for them to sit underneath and just... chat. In their own language and sometimes in English.
There's also mention of the ongoing DNA studies, including collaboration with Dr. Melba Ketchum, and the fascinating case of Zana — a wild woman who lived in Abkhazia in the 19th century, had children with local men, and whose descendants are still being studied today. DNA analysis is being conducted in Denmark and at the Institute of General Genetics in Moscow.
And if that wasn't enough, the host brought up Kevin Lang's story — a man from Idaho who encountered an orphaned young Sasquatch while deer hunting and ended up caring for the little guy in the mountains for almost five years. Lang reported that the young Sasquatch picked up English remarkably fast and could eventually form basic sentences.
Honestly, this interview is packed with so much information that it's hard to fit it all into one article. If any of this resonates with you — the academic push for hominology, the linguistic abilities, the multi-generational research coming out of Russia — then do yourself a favor and go watch the full episode. It's well worth the time.
The physical evidence these researchers discuss — tree braids, stick structures, footprints, bones found in Mongolia — combined with the eyewitness accounts and ongoing DNA work, paints a picture that mainstream science really can't keep ignoring forever. Something is out there, and people like Dr. Bourtsev, Janice Carter, and Robin Haynes are making sure the documentation keeps coming.
Go check it out. You won't be disappointed.