DYATLOV (to the room) This is an emergency. Oleksiy Breus says the accident helped reveal the substantial flaws of the Soviet system. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. Lyudmillas story appears in Svetlana Alexievichs book, Voices From Chernobyl, where she says, None of the doctors knew I was staying the night with him in the compression chamber. Only a Second World War survivor can imagine a similar scene.[4]. Everyone stay calm. I am still very convinced, that this footage actually shows Boris Stolyarchuk. In a weird way, it was more moving to me than moving through the actual power plant itself. They were nothing like that. Chernobyl guide Yuri Tatarchuk explained, Kopachi was very badly contaminated and so it was decided to bury it, house by house. "A big cup, vodka, KGB everywhere.". He wanted to live. ", Most of the firefighters were pouring water on the damaged reactor, he says. Alexander Akimov worked with other employers in the reactor after the explosion. Its a little like if you were in a skyscraper, and you said to yourself, This is solid! [] You just feel safe within it. A Soviet machine made to cut apples into four pieces!) to hospital beds and zinc-lined coffins. ", Russia to make its own show about Chernobyl, Giant structure moves in to cover Chernobyl, TV drama Chernobyl: 'So chilling, it spares you nothing', Chernobyl: The end of a three-decade experiment, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. He points to a few inaccuracies in the TV portrayal. The reactor was already in a run-away state. Hes not a man anymore, but a reactor. Akimov-- are we cooling the reactor core? 0000016820 00000 n Mice embryos used for research have dissolved in the conditions, and horses left that lived within 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) of the power plant died due to their thyroid glands disintegrating. [4] His parents once asked about the cause but he only could say they had followed regulations. Thanks for the tip off. Firefighters were also asked to help clear radioactive debris from the roof after the fire was extinguished. Or something along those lines. Two more workers died because of injuries. Yes, i thought the same about Razim Davletbayev. UC San Francisco's Lydia Zablotska, MD, PhD, grew up in Ukraine, trained as physician . He was the one who refused to continue with the test. Miners were brought in to dig a tunnel under the reactor to create a space for a heat exchanger, to stop the molten core melting through the concrete pad and contaminating the groundwater, threatening millions of lives. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. "When he was present at the block, it created tension for everyone. He is reported to have stated that he believed he had done everything correctly. "The operators were afraid of him," Mr Breus agrees. But while many have complimented the show's attention to detail, he believes it is also one of the downsides of the TV series. 9:25 is very likely Khodemchuk, and 9:29 is Davletbayev. Read about our approach to external linking. The reactor power level had been reduced, preparing for a planned safety test. Continue Reading 6 2 More answers below Michael Karnerfors Does anybody know what the sources the author of this article could have used? Chernobyl engineer Oleksiy Breus, then and now, beside the backdrop of the TV portrayal of the disaster, By Viacheslav Shramovych and Hanna Chornous, Mr Breus revisited the reactor's control room 20 years after the disaster struck, Viktor Bryukhanov (left) sits alongside deputy chief engineer Anatoly Dyatlov (orange shirt) and chief engineer Nikolai Fomin during a trial over the accident, British actor Adam Nagaitis played Vasily Ignatenko, one of the first firefighters on the scene of the disaster, The view of the damaged building from the roof of reactor No. Here's an interview with Kovalenko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnFeTe0nDw8. "I was surprised they even brought us there," Mr Breus says of arriving at work the morning after the explosion. There were fears that "lava" from the molten reactor could reach the water, triggering a further, potentially far more powerful explosion. Are Sky and HBO's miniseries "Chernobyl" historically accurate? He was the third child of Tatiana Petrovna Ignatenko and Ivan Tarasovish Ignatenko. A member of. In 1983, he graduated from the Obninsk Institute for Nuclear Power Engineering, with a specialist degree in nuclear power plant engineering. On the night of April 26, 1986, Alexander Akimov was at work as the shift supervisor of the night crew of Chernobyl Plant Unit Four. When the situation got out of control, the AZ-5 button was pressed. The Red Forest is now one of the most contaminated sites in the world, with more than 90 percent of the radioactivity found in the soil. ', 'The worst cases are brought to hospital No. There were little slots for food and such, but then there were some grimmer rooms. 4. They were very pale. Within two weeks, both Mr Akimov and Mr Toptunov had died in a Moscow hospital of acute radiation syndrome (ARS). 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 way worse for him because he received almost 100% burns from radiation both from the inside and the outside, This article in the German Magazine "Stern" describes Akimov's condition : https://www.stern.de/panorama/weltgeschehen/tschernobyl-anatomie-einer-katastrophe-3597302.html, 'Though Akimov has already recovered from the first symptoms of radiation sickness, his skin is brown and his bone marrow is irreparably damaged. Toptunov only had two months' experience in operating the reactor and this was his first shutdown as operator. Nekhaev even had to have his leg amputated. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Hours after the world's worst nuclear accident, engineer Oleksiy Breus entered the control room of the No. Once she sees how Akimov is tearing entire strains of his moustache out "Don't worry", he says, "it doesn't hurt. They knew where the valves were, so they were the right men for the task. It was just awful, and right in the middle of a city.. Vasily Ignatenko, depicted in the series, was among the first firefighters sent to tackle the blaze. Residents started to panic when there was a metallic smell in the air, and the atmosphere appeared different. They were very pale. But Mr Breus believes most Pripyat residents would have slept through the explosion, and he only learned of the accident when he arrived at work the following morning. As we moved through it, we were aware that there were the ghosts of history around us, Mazin said. A member of staff at the plant from 1982, he became a witness to the immediate aftermath on the morning of 26 April 1986. On May 21, the American premium cable network HBO aired the third episode of Chernobyl, a new miniseries about the catastrophic nuclear accident in April 1986 that rocked the Soviet Union. Akimov had 100% of his skin burnt by radiation. Im not a religious man, but I suppose thats as religious as Ill ever feel. His burnt lungs hardly let him breathe, his intestines have decomposed, excrements mixed with blood are oozing from his body. I'll try and find it. They pumped water into the reactor core, which was the right thing to do at the moment but the wrong thing to do in a long run. It kills you slowly, and it kills you in an excruciating manner. That night was important because the system tests were taking place. A member of staff at the plant . I always wonder why toptinov called him sasha? They knew where the valves were, so they were the right men for the task. The explosion occurred. FromBudapesttoBishkek. 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. Russians and Ukrainians have watched it via the internet, and it has had a favourable rating on Russian film site Kinopoisk. 9:23 into the video, to me it looks like him, Oh God. According to Sources: Akimov suffered severe Leg Burns and the high amount of radiation caused it face to slowly dissolve away. "The miners are shown as tough guys who are not afraid of anything, but not the power plant workers.". Press J to jump to the feed. In July 1987, Chernobyls plant director Viktor P. Bryukhanov, chief engineer Nikolai M. Fomin, and deputy Anatoly S. Dyatlov were sentenced to two to ten years at a labor camp. Nearly 8.4 million residents of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia were exposed to the radioactive cloud that was released. Found an error? 0000007280 00000 n 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. During the evening of April 25, engineers made several fatal mistakes, including disconnecting Reactor No. Is it Kovalenko? What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? 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! For example, Mazin says the showrunners deliberately outfitted the divers at the beginning of the episode with authentic Dynamo wind-up flashlights, using the wonderful noise they emit to create the scenes atmosphere. At 9:25 time mark, do you think it might be Khodemchuk? Vasily Ignatenko, depicted in the series, was among the first firefighters sent to tackle the blaze. A few hours later Akimov is dead. Frantic. He wanted a promotion which was promised to him in case of a successful test. [. [] It was a kind of torture I would have never even contemplated. In April 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics becomes one of the world's worst man-made catastrophes. He got a mild type of acute radiation syndrome, a doctor said. The shows creators havent managed to keep track of all the little things (even though their attention to detail is why many people fell in love with the miniseries in the first place): Valery Legasov, the character played by Jared Harris, drinks his vodka from a large glass in small sips, as if it were whiskey, and everyone in the cast keeps addressing each other as comrade in complete seriousness. Following the disaster, citizens in the city of Kiev were advised by authorities to take regular warm showers, keep their windows closed, and regularly wash their furniture. Sam Troughton, an English actor, performed the role of Chernobyl supervisor of the shift in the Chernobyl series by HBO in 2019. Whilst he was in hospital. He has only two weeks left to live. But no matter how strict he was, he was still a high-level professional.". He got a mild type of acute radiation syndrome, a doctor said. In the hours after the explosion, he spoke to Oleksandr Akimov, the shift leader at the No. [4], In 2008, Akimov was posthumously awarded with the 3rd degree Order For Courage by Viktor Yushchenko, then the President of Ukraine.[5]. "A thin stream the firemen poured probably evaporated before it even reached reactor.". The dogs are tagged and their radiation exposure studied. Another common birth defect in this region is microcephaly, in which a babys head is smaller and not in proportion with the rest of their body. Aleksandr Fyodorovich Akimov and Leonid Fedorovych Toptunov "In my opinion, [Aleksandr Akimov and Leonid Toptunov] are the most tragic figures from the Chernobyl personnel. Always nice to see new programs about this :). 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. "The miners are shown as tough guys who are not afraid of anything, but not the power plant workers.". 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. [. Dyatlov could be Tolya, Scherbina could be Borya, Legasov could be Valera, etc. This actor is also famous for his acts in the BBC Robin Hood series. 0000003954 00000 n Later this perception changed.". Their skin had a bright red colour. Its unknown if this incident caused his sons illness, but screenwriters considered using memories of this personal tragedy as a way to explain Dyatlovs questionable decisions during the Chernobyl disaster. It is the worst human-induced accident that the Earth has ever seen, to say the least of it. Akimov was the one who declared an emergency after shutting down the reactor - but it was already too late. Aleksandr Akimov and Leonid Toptunov did their best at saving the situation. 04:00 - Further fire fighting units arrive from Chernobyl, Polesskoe and Kiev. There have been reports that the skin on his legs fell off like a sock when trying to stand. There was no smoke or fire, just fumes coming from the damaged part. [4] During the accident, he was exposed to a fatal radiation dose of 1300rem. ", "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. [3] However, the reactor stalled unexpectedly during test preparations, dropping to a low 30 MW. According to Sources: Akimov suffered severe Leg Burns and the high amount of radiation caused it face to slowly dissolve away. Aleksandr Akimov was born on 6 May 1953 in Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR (Republic of the Soviet Union). Tatarchuk said of the aftermath, It was criminal. Mr Breus says the series creators showed the radiation effects on the human body well. Because what it can do is savage. Nevertheless, Mazin says the creators wanted to avoid abusive filmmaking and decided not to show the absolute extremes of radiation sickness. Meduza shares its thoughts about the shows latest installment, Open Wide, O Earth, and looks at some of the showrunners editing decisions. "A thin stream the firemen poured probably evaporated before it even reached reactor.". "For example, that useless secrecy, which became one of the reasons behind the Chernobyl disaster. I felt it probably the most when we were in the city of Chernobyl [] theres a small building thats basically the cultural center, where they put on shows and songs about the Soviet Union and Lenin, and that is the room where they eventually held a trial that we will talk about in episode five. ", I'd say it is indeed Akimov, and the man standing next to him might be Kovalenko, reactor#4 supervisor. Arriving at work that morning, Mr Breus says he did not see any fire. We dont think of our own death. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. When the reactor has been put into a poisoned condition, they tried to raise the power at whatever the cost. The HBO miniseries includes many of the real people operating the reactor at the time of the meltdown. This further increase in power caused the reactor to explode. They didnt have a clue. Originally, robots from West Germany, Japan, and Russia were used to help clean the debris, but they could not operate due to the high levels of radiation. People that are usually blamed for the explosion are the plant employees who worked at the night of the explosion: Aleksandr Akimov, the supervisor of the shift; Leonid Toptunov, the senior reactor control chief engineer; and Anatoly Dyatlov, deputy chief engineer of the power plant. Mr Breus worked with many of the individuals portrayed and has given his verdict of the series. 2023 BBC. Role of Akimov in Chernobyl As we know from the official data, Akimov is wrongfully accused of being responsible for the accident. g][^b'v@2RPROza"e =-2Ik053NC=~k{'H|(V>a!Y^5idI1OLgx]zdO f6D*@=7'9 Now, volunteers, including veterinarians and radiation experts, have formed the nonprofit charity Dogs of Chernobyl. The one thing, though, that I did feel, walking through the power plant was a little bit of a better sense of how easy it would be to deny. [4] He left the control room but decided to return out of a sense of responsibility. Lyuba tries to cheer her husband up, she brings him pictures that their children drew. Mr. Alexander was the one who managed the block control panel of the reactor in Chernobyl. In the shows podcast, writer and executive producer Craig Mazin shared some details about filming the third episode of Chernobyl, revealing that two scenes were cut from the start that would have introduced supervisor Anatoly Dyatlovs son, who died of leukemia at the age of 10, years before the Chernobyl disaster. Is there any other reports regarding Akimov? He's growing weaker, wheezes, can hardly talk anymore. Read about our approach to external linking. Cheish Merryweather is a true crime fan and an oddities fanatic. What are you thinking? How would I find another job after that?". 1953. The nurses let me in. "It was just our work. Don't have high hopes going into this one guys. There was no smoke or fire, just fumes coming from the damaged part. 0000001387 00000 n Aleksandr Fyodorovich Akimov (Russian: ; 6 May 1953 - 11 May 1986) was a Soviet engineer who was the supervisor of the shift that worked at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Reactor Unit 4 on the night of the Chernobyl disaster, 26 April 1986. This may be, in part, why the hype around the HBO and Sky series about the disaster has been so substantial. It took 3.5 hours to evacuate. "Its high rankings show that people are still interested in Chernobyl. In the days that followed, 32 people died at Chernobyl, and many more suffered radiation burns. In the weeks immediately after the explosion, 29 power plant workers and firefighters died from ARS, caused by exposure to high doses of ionising radiation, according to Soviet officials.
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