Of course, you can criticize the episode for excessive melodrama: Legasov is suddenly partial to Khomyuk, and the miners who stand up to a coal minister recruiting them for the Chernobyl liquidation effort are too theatrical. Raising power after this point put the reactor into a potentially dangerous state, due to Xenon poisoning, as well as design flaws in the reactor unknown to the operators. On the night of 26 April 1986, Leonid Toptunov was working in the control room at the reactor control panel, with Aleksandr Akimov. Always nice to see new programs about this :). VideoRussian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. The puppies are believed to be descendants of the pet dogs that were left behind by their owners; residents were granted only a few hours notice before they were evacuated and advised to only take vital personal belongings and a certain amount of food. The HBO miniseries includes many of the real people operating the reactor at the time of the meltdown. HWr6'/u;6;vL&uJIZ$U|}b5bFB(D9/Wa"wFdezT$~0An0:1z34Pd6:8xk67muc4AUW['n|1yb-,{R;&]<47LVSIqNpsiw8$<7[sA{M`D)Q|i>v`H;h\ul) #@rGF0#?uUs$ [2_\qM/0[KW.jPqA^|)>FCNM]-` e?5"`JjHLkl}o! On April 26, 1986, an explosion occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the northern part of Soviet Ukraine, an event which today is widely known as the Chernobyl disaster. Before coming to Soviet Ukraine, he installed reactors into submarines at a shipbuilding plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where he was once exposed to a nearly fatal dose of radiation. 2023 BBC. Read about more radioactive calamities on 10 Modern Radiation Accidents Involving Civilians and 10 Famous Incidences of Death by Radiation. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.stern.de/panorama/weltgeschehen/tschernobyl-anatomie-einer-katastrophe-3597302.html. Cheish Merryweather is a true crime fan and an oddities fanatic. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. In the series, Pripyat residents rush to a railway bridge for a better view of the fire, unaware of the exposure. That night was important because the system tests were taking place. Our first priority is--PEREVOZCHENKO, 30's, bursts in. More than 500,000 residents in Ukraine were ultimately forced to leave their homes. Instead, the job was handed over to humans, who could not be exposed for any longer than 40 seconds. Some Chernobyl leaders built their defense on their bones. His family was informed that his death was the only reason he was not prosecuted for the accident. It is the worst human-induced accident that the Earth has ever seen, to say the least of it. For Russian football coach and player, see, This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is. Instead, reserves made their own protective clothing using lead sheets up to 4 millimeters thick as aprons to help protect the spine and bone marrow. They were nothing like that. Tel: +38 063 58 16 661E-mail: [emailprotected], Exciting private tours to Chernobyl and Pripyat. "It was our job," says Oleksiy Ananenko, who was on shift at the time, while the others had been ordered in by their manager. My body parts not covered by clothes - such as hands, face and neck - were red". The body of one of them, Valery Khodemchuk, was never recovered from the reactor debris. 1156/2008 of 12 December 2008", https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/en/1156/2008/sp:max100, Shift supervisor of Night shift at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. "A big cup, vodka, KGB everywhere.". I havent seen this one yet, looking forward to watching! Thats your job, randomly spouting INSAG reports. "It was just our work. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. 6 in Moscow, where Alexander Akomv is suffering towards death. Cheish Merryweather is a true crime fan and an oddities fanatic. Aleksandr Akimov was born on 6 May 1953 in Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR (Republic of the Soviet Union). They were very pale. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? Two more workers died because of injuries. Their faces were only partially covered by respirators, so they could speak to each other, they were not offered a reward, and they were not clapped on their successful return. There were little slots for food and such, but then there were some grimmer rooms. But while many have complimented the show's attention to detail, he believes it is also one of the downsides of the TV series. "I saw the damage at reactor No. Biography [ edit] "There are many stereotypes shown, typical of Western portrayal of the Soviet Union," argues Oleksiy Breus. It was important to me that people understood what was happening to these men, because they suffered in terrible ways, Mazin told The Chernobyl Podcast. Alexander Akimov was the head of the night shift that worked at reactor number 4 on the night of the accident. "I've never heard there was a crowd of people who went to watch the fire at night," he says. Is there any other reports regarding Akimov? These were not random people suffering these were heroes. The Emmy-winning HBO mini-series "Chernobyl," which is a dramatized account of the 1986 nuclear power plant disaster, has rekindled conversation about the accident, its subsequent cleanup and the long-term impacts on people living near the power plant. Aleksandr Akimov was born on 6 May 1953 in Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR (Republic of the Soviet Union . Within two weeks, both Mr Akimov and Mr Toptunov had died in a Moscow hospital of acute radiation syndrome (ARS). Its estimated that more than 900 stray dogs live in the Exclusion Zone. Nearly 8.4 million residents of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia were exposed to the radioactive cloud that was released. Also, emotions and mood at that time are shown quite precisely, both among the personnel and the authorities. [. As the rods were being inserted, the graphite tips of the control rods accelerated the reaction, creating neutron flux in the bottom of the core. "Radiation exposure, red skin, radiation burns and steam burns were what many people talked about but it was never shown like this. They are also used for research on diseases including rabies. moustache is a struggling, wispy version of Akimov's. TOPTUNOV No, that's not--Akimov signals Toptunov not to argue. ax1N58[zR)8WN}+|[x? Read about our approach to external linking. "The Chernobyl catastrophe is depicted in a very powerful way, as a global catastrophe that absorbed huge numbers of people. Yes, i thought the same about Razim Davletbayev. Found an error? Police roamed the streets wearing gas masks, but the residents were kept in the dark and only heard rumors. [4] By 28 April, the symptoms of radiation sickness had mostly subsided. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. "Now you look like a coal minister." It has nothing to do with reality. Russians and Ukrainians have watched it via the internet, and it has had a favourable rating on Russian film site Kinopoisk. After two episodes, with the initial fire extinguished and early panic beginning to subside, the focus shifts to questions about why the reactor exploded and who was responsible for the disaster. Dr. Robert Peter Gale, known as the Chernobyl Doctor, was one of the many physicians and scientists brought in from 15 nations to help with the aftermath of the disaster. Shift leader Borys Baranov died in 2005, while Valery Bespalov and Oleksiy Ananenko, both chief engineers of one of the reactor sections, are still alive and live in the capital, Kiev. He knew he was going to die but didn't want to. At 1:23 AM, the reactors power levels surged, and the events that followed led to an explosion which released more than 50 tons of radioactive material into the atmosphere.[1]. "A big cup, vodka, KGB everywhere.". It was a cruel time.[7]. But no matter how strict he was, he was still a high-level professional.". Once more his temperature increases and then he falls into coma. [4], While the initial Soviet investigation put almost all the blame on the operators and management, later findings by the IAEA found that the reactor design and how the operators were informed of safety information was more significant. His wife Lyuba is at his side.'. 0000011604 00000 n But I have to ask about his legs. Creator Craig Mazin Stars Jessie Buckley Jared Harris Stellan Skarsgrd See production, box office & company info Watch on HBO Max S1 with Prime Video Channels More watch options 1156/2008 of 12 December 2008", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leonid_Toptunov&oldid=1139033343, This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 00:49. "The reactor looked so damaged, it seemed there was nothing else to do there.". By Rod Adams April 1, 1996. Only a Second World War survivor can imagine a similar scene.[4]. . There were fears that "lava" from the molten reactor could reach the water, triggering a further, potentially far more powerful explosion. "I saw other colleagues who worked that night. [5] However, the operators were found to have deviated from operational procedures, changing test protocols on the fly, as well as having made "ill judged" actions, making human factors a major contributing factor. Two weeks have passed since the explosion as Akimov's suffering is ends. ", Most of the firefighters were pouring water on the damaged reactor, he says. However, they didnt know about the faults that had been made during the construction of the reactor. 0000006239 00000 n 0000015771 00000 n 0000003954 00000 n "I've never heard there was a crowd of people who went to watch the fire at night," he says. 9:23 into the video, to me it looks like him, Oh God. Hundreds of people died directly after the explosion, thousands have been injured, and millions suffer long-term health problems. DYATLOV (to the room) This is an emergency. A subreddit to discuss the Chernobyl Disaster that happened on the night of April 26, 1986, and the Exclusion Zone that isolates the city of Pripyat from the rest of the world. "Radiation exposure, red skin, radiation burns and steam burns were what many people talked about but it was never shown like this. For example, everything the show depicts about Lyudmilla and Vasily Ignatenko the bribes, the questions about children, the game of cards, the ban on touching all really happened. He got a mild type of acute radiation syndrome, a doctor said. Pretty sure its true, the story of his face being gone came from just before he died while they were questioning him. Some of the events he witnessed that morning were realistically depicted in the show, he says, but others he describes as fiction. And still the shift leader is ruminating if the catastrophy was his fault: "What have we done wrong? Russians and Ukrainians have watched it via the internet, and it has had a favourable rating on Russian film site Kinopoisk. As the fire department arrives on-site and begins dealing with the titanic blaze, Vasily's colleague, Misha notices a lump of the same black mineral that Dyatlov noticed earlier. Warning: This story contains plot details from the miniseries. Vasily Ignatenko was just 25 when he succumbed to slow death via radiation poisoning after fighting the fires of Chernobyl. All three men were sentenced to 10 years in a labour camp for their role in the disaster and series creator Craig Mazin maintains that Dyatlov in particular was a "real bully", who later made statements that were not credible. The dogs are tagged and their radiation exposure studied. Akimov had 100% of his skin burnt by radiation. The School in Sperizh'e pictured in 2016. Firefighters sent from neighbouring Pripyat did not know of any radiation exposure and Ignatenko died of acute radiation syndrome on 13 May 1986. He was portrayed by actor Volodya Stepanenko in the 2004 Zero Hour TV series. Although he could walk, his parents could see he had strange skin damage. During his studies of the reactor documentation, he mentioned to his friend, Sasha Korol, that control rods may, in certain circumstances, accelerate rather than slow the reaction. According to Sources: Akimov suffered severe Leg Burns and the high amount of radiation caused it face to slowly dissolve away. It was just awful, and right in the middle of a city.. The actor playing Alexander Akimov, for instance, was never even put in makeup to depict the loss of his face. Its as if the showrunners saw it all happen with their own eyes. 4. The precautions were not enough, as, since 1986, physicians have reported a rise in birth defects. Later this perception changed.". They showed us these rooms [], the doors were quite heavy, they were padded on the inside, in case you, I dunno, attempted to smash your head against it. [4] He worked with Akimov to manually open water valves in an attempt to increase water supply to the reactor, during which time they began to experience symptoms of acute radiation syndrome. In 1983, he graduated from the Obninsk Institute for Nuclear Power Engineering, with a specialist degree in nuclear power plant engineering. HBO. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. He was entirely black, due to skin necrosis, but I never read anywhere that he had no face left, Jesus Christ he mummified, that sounds horrific. Dyatlov ordered Toptunov and Akimov to raise the power to the requisite 700 MW. However, this plan only did more harm than good. Their skin had a bright red colour. Contrary to reports that the three divers died of radiation sickness as a result of their action, all three survived. ", "Possibly, Anatoly Dyatlov became the main anti-hero in the show because that was how he was perceived by the power plant's workers, his subordinates and top-management, in the beginning. Akimov tries reassuring his even more shellshocked colleague, reactor engineer Leonid Toptunov, that they did everything right. The Chernobyl disaster is one of the most famous nuclear catastrophes in the world, but not many people know that if it hadn't been for one man, the damage would have been much worse. I don't understand why it happened. Akimov eventually succumbed to acute radiation syndrome two weeks after the disaster at the age of 33. The goal was to test the system for preventive maintenance in case of a real power shutdown. The roles of three key personalities lie at the heart of the story: Plant director Viktor) Bryukhanov, chief engineer Nikolai Fomin and deputy chief engineer Anatoly Dyatlov. Aleksandr Fyodorovich Akimov (6 May 1953-11 May 1986) was a Soviet Engineer who was the supervisor of the shift that worked the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on the night of the Chernobyl Disaster. "It was clear they felt sick. Sometimes absence of evidence is compelling evidence of absence. It would have eventually boiled . During the evening of April 25, engineers made several fatal mistakes, including disconnecting Reactor No. 4 reactor, Oleksiy Ananenko (then and now) with a scene from the TV series showing the three workers wearing respirators, The TV series portrays how 400 miners were involved in digging the tunnel under the damaged reactor, The TV series shows Pripyat residents watching events unfold on what was later nicknamed the "Bridge of Death", The damage caused to the facility by the biggest nuclear disaster in history, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Toptunov, along with non-essential personnel, was dismissed. ", Most of the firefighters were pouring water on the damaged reactor, he says. Dyatlov could be Tolya, Scherbina could be Borya, Legasov could be Valera, etc. 0000001545 00000 n In that moment, standing where Dyatlov, and [Nikolai] Fomin, and [Viktor] Bryukhanov stood it was very chilling. PEREVOZCHENKO It exploded. Arriving at work that morning, Mr Breus says he did not see any fire. 0000010565 00000 n Tatiana Ignatenko was a collective farm fieldworker, and Ivan Ignatenko a tractor, and later truck . There was a comment on a post about him. The work done would last until the morning hours of the 27th by trying to pump water into the exposed reactor core. Finally, 11 days after the disaster, officials warned the residents of Kiev that they should avoid eating leafy vegetables and to stay indoors. I am still very convinced, that this footage actually shows Boris Stolyarchuk. The digging only pushed radioactive material deeper into the soil and closer to the water table, so that contamination spread even further., Today, only two buildings are left standing, one of which is the former kindergarten, where children were not evacuated until 36 hours of exposure. xref AKIMOV . Children are shown playing in the radioactive dust, which falls from the sky like snow. A 10-square-kilometer (4 mi2) area of forest that surrounds the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant has become known as the Red Forest after the contamination caused the trees to die and their leaves to turn a deep red color.