0000001545 00000 n Poor guy. Its no better now than it was 28 years ago. Two more workers died because of injuries. However, it is about respecting it for what it can do. Read about our approach to external linking. The story of the reactor's catastrophic explosion, as told in an HBO/Sky miniseries, has received the highest ever score for a TV show on the film website IMDB. 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. 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. DYATLOV We know. 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. 3, Firefighters pictured in 1986 before cleaning debris from the roof of the No. Once more his temperature increases and then he falls into coma. Akimov tries reassuring his even more shellshocked colleague, reactor engineer Leonid Toptunov, that they did everything right. The dogs have been driven out of the woods by the wild wolves that habitat the area. As we moved through it, we were aware that there were the ghosts of history around us, Mazin said. Hes not a man anymore, but a reactor. They later died in hospital in Moscow.". 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. "I saw other colleagues who worked that night. Press J to jump to the feed. Toptunov only had two months' experience in operating the reactor and this was his first shutdown as operator. There was a comment on a post about him. 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. Akimov-- are we cooling the reactor core? He began his career at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in September 1979. He got a mild type of acute radiation syndrome, a doctor said. Akimov was the one who declared an emergency after shutting down the reactor - but it was already too late. Tatarchuk said of the aftermath, It was criminal. 0000016820 00000 n Not really regarding to Akimov specifically, but in my book Im reading the wife of the firefighter who stayed by his side all the way described lots of horrific side affects from the radiation, and he wasnt even in the same situation as Akimov. At least one of the survivors ended up with permanently reddened, damaged skin. Found an error? The traffic was insane. Only a Second World War survivor can imagine a similar scene.[4]. 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 A member of staff at the plant from 1982, he became a witness to the immediate aftermath on the morning of 26 April 1986. This documentary. Press J to jump to the feed. Vasily Ignatenko was just 25 when he succumbed to slow death via radiation poisoning after fighting the fires of Chernobyl. The buses which escorted the residents out of Pripyat spread the radiation to wider areas. Read about more radioactive calamities on 10 Modern Radiation Accidents Involving Civilians and 10 Famous Incidences of Death by Radiation. The actor playing Alexander Akimov, for instance, was never even put in makeup to depict the loss of his face. Remember this scene? [3] However, the reactor stalled unexpectedly during test preparations, dropping to a low 30 MW. Two weeks have passed since the explosion as Akimov's suffering is ends. He died of radiation sickness two weeks after the accident at the age of 33. The calamity is considered the most disastrous nuclear power plant accident in history, and the area itself is still suffering in its aftermath. 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. Unknown to Akimov, during his work he was exposed to a lethal dose of radiation that was later determined to be 15 Gy. During his stay, he discussed possible causes of the accident with Akimov and Dyatlov but they were mystified. "Radiation exposure, red skin, radiation burns and steam burns were what many people talked about but it was never shown like this. Biography Akimov was born in 1953 in the Soviet Union. "In hospital, I was treated with a guy who biked to that bridge in the morning on 26 April to watch it. I know he has been brought up alot in discussions especially about his face. When the reactor has been put into a poisoned condition, they tried to raise the power at whatever the cost. 0000017865 00000 n "It was clear they felt sick. "There are many stereotypes shown, typical of Western portrayal of the Soviet Union," argues Oleksiy Breus. Firefighters sent from neighbouring Pripyat did not know of any radiation exposure and Ignatenko died of acute radiation syndrome on 13 May 1986. Abagian recalled, Children were running in the streets; people were hanging laundered linen out to dry. I don't understand why it happened. Akimov eventually succumbed to acute radiation syndrome two weeks after the disaster at the age of 33. I've never seen any reliable source for anything regarding his face. 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. In March 1983, Toptunov began his career at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. They knew where the valves were, so they were the right men for the task. Photographer Igor Kostin recalled, The clever ones also added a vine leaf for extra comfort.[5]. "The miners are shown as tough guys who are not afraid of anything, but not the power plant workers.". 04:00 - Further fire fighting units arrive from Chernobyl, Polesskoe and Kiev. 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. To capture the gruesome deaths that befell plant engineers and first responders, makeup and prosthetics designer Daniel Parker studied the stages of radiation sickness, identifying seven kinds of wounds that depend on a victims proximity to the radiation source. It is the worst human-induced accident that the Earth has ever seen, to say the least of it. ProtectedbyreCAPTCHAandtheGoogle Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Its as if the showrunners saw it all happen with their own eyes. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnFeTe0nDw8. Press J to jump to the feed. This later became known as the "Bridge of Death" after reports that those who stood there allegedly died from radiation sickness. Contrary to reports that the three divers died of radiation sickness as a result of their action, all three survived. He was talking about another operator Brazhik. Chernobyl guide Yuri Tatarchuk explained, Kopachi was very badly contaminated and so it was decided to bury it, house by house. Thanks for the tip off. "I've never heard there was a crowd of people who went to watch the fire at night," he says. More than 500,000 residents in Ukraine were ultimately forced to leave their homes. What are you thinking? 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. Everyone who worked to restore coolant flow would have suffered greatly from leg burns, because they were standing in the water. )EBiz0xCBM7.q \T:vWM3@M1my0R(;-owTH|B0 8o%;'A~,6rCBU+3gZ/7kzXjUD%o|M\? There was no smoke or fire, just fumes coming from the damaged part. He was portrayed by actor Volodya Stepanenko in the 2004 Zero Hour TV series. 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. Firefighters were also asked to help clear radioactive debris from the roof after the fire was extinguished. The level of radiation in the Chernobyl zone is still the same today as it was in 1986.[9]. Witnesses reported he dried, or his body was mummified alive. During the evening of April 25, engineers made several fatal mistakes, including disconnecting Reactor No. The guy that posted it was a Radiation Specialist and had access to records of a lot of the Chernobyl victims. However, the operation was flawed, as the scale of the disaster was like nothing ever seen before. In 1983, he graduated from the Obninsk Institute for Nuclear Power Engineering, with a specialist degree in nuclear power plant engineering. We flew out to see what was happening, then returned and flew back in the morning.[2], The amount of radiation the Chernobyl disaster released into the atmosphere was 50 million curiesequivalent to around 500 Hiroshima bombs. Hours after the world's worst nuclear accident, engineer Oleksiy Breus entered the control room of the No. In this article, we will tell you about the supervisor of the shift, Aleksandr Akimov, and his role in the accident. xb```a``vb`e`} @V h r `0+Q -`5B@e GS:a/(r_g|8)|Z (a_x@ &d The body of one of them, Valery Khodemchuk, was never recovered from the reactor debris. And also being under that same piece of sky, you start to feel a little closer, in a sense, to who they were. Meduza shares its thoughts about the shows latest installment, Open Wide, O Earth, and looks at some of the showrunners editing decisions. xref Before he was gone, he told about the test proceedings. Who would applaud that?". 04:30 - Chief engineer Fomin arrived in the Block 4 control room. Hours after the world's worst nuclear accident, engineer Oleksiy Breus entered the control room of the No. I can guarantee that nothing other than necrosis of the skin took place. Now, volunteers, including veterinarians and radiation experts, have formed the nonprofit charity Dogs of Chernobyl. Read about our approach to external linking. Underreported stories. %%EOF HWKF=1Zz& TfOku]T#t4d-Ti,J$bTM7d)clC2 VFO&3 zE_6tVQjA[ri&xHG|/4^})-}IrT8bv_d O7fj8jGX a?2`/gn)/nXo]}JR'.H}k%L,CXBk>:+l(]9[F|/#O5X# Y0Gl8f,1 qCy*$ Ao6!^TqRVPyQG. Im not a religious man, but I suppose thats as religious as Ill ever feel. "However, the technological aspects have some discrepancies which may not exactly [be] lies, but merely fiction," he adds. On 10 July 1984 Aleksandr Akimov was appointed to the position of shift supervisor of Reactor Unit 4. 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. [3] Due to a design flaw, the descending control rods momentarily accelerated the nuclear reaction and caused the reactor to explode. Russians and Ukrainians have watched it via the internet, and it has had a favourable rating on Russian film site Kinopoisk. The information is all on the level of 'he said, she said'. 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"It was our job," says Oleksiy Ananenko, who was on shift at the time, while the others had been ordered in by their manager. 30 33 Related Topics Chernobyl Ukraine Europe Place 33 comments Best Add a Comment ApprehensiveFarmer17 2 yr. ago Akimov had 100% of his skin burnt by radiation. [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. [11] They were found guilty of gross violation of safety regulations which led to an explosion. Even after more than three decades, the death toll of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is still wildly disputed. That night was important because the system tests were taking place. Vasily Ivanovich Ignatenko was born on 13 March 1961, in the Brahin District of the Gomel Region of the Byelorussian SSR. Ive never heard anything about his face, only his skin blackening and shriveling. Select it and press Ctrl+Enter, Yegor Moskvitin reviews a poignant new depiction of the Soviet disaster, I was there, and I dont want to watch this anymore, A journalist in Baltimore shows HBO's Chernobyl to his stepfather and discovers that he was part of the USSR's military cleanup, The widow of a Chernobyl engineer remembers her husband and describes returning to work at the power plant after the 1986 nuclear accident. They were nothing like that. I feel bad for akimov because he died with the guilt weighing on him that he some how caused the accident and why did it happen, I also feel really bad. The reason was the reactor's unstable condition due to low electrical network power. 9:23 into the video, to me it looks like him, Oh God. But I have to ask about his legs. Their skin had a bright red colour. 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. "Another friend treated at the same time said he had a date with his girlfriend close to the bridge that night. [2], Akimov worked with his crew in the reactor building after he learned the extent of the accident. startxref The events of Chernobyl made me focus on my own mortalityon all our mortality. "The operators were afraid of him," Mr Breus agrees. Some Chernobyl leaders built their defense on their bones. It would have eventually boiled . 0000001006 00000 n 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. ', 'The worst cases are brought to hospital No. Some of the events he witnessed that morning were realistically depicted in the show, he says, but others he describes as fiction. However, this plan only did more harm than good. [4] During the accident, he was exposed to a fatal radiation dose of 1300rem. There is a myth that no life can survive in Chernobyl, which is simply not true. [3][page needed] At some point he gave deathbed confessions stating repeatedly: I did everything correctly. "In hospital, I was treated with a guy who biked to that bridge in the morning on 26 April to watch it. He was the third child of Tatiana Petrovna Ignatenko and Ivan Tarasovish Ignatenko. One of the most dramatic scenes in the miniseries shows three power plant workers volunteering to go into an underground tunnel beneath the damaged reactor to open a vital drainage valve. And the atmosphere was radioactive.[3]. Menu. I will start a new life. "There are many stereotypes shown, typical of Western portrayal of the Soviet Union," argues Oleksiy Breus. "It was just our work. Within two weeks, both Mr Akimov and Mr Toptunov had died in a Moscow hospital of acute radiation syndrome (ARS). Don't have high hopes going into this one guys. https://i.imgur.com/gfghbDQ.jpg. "Another friend treated at the same time said he had a date with his girlfriend close to the bridge that night. In the end, however, the showrunners abandoned the idea of a flashback, to avoid disrupting the storys rhythm and to steer clear of armchair psychology. The episode also cut a scene showing May Day parades that went ahead in cities across Ukraine, despite Chernobyls spreading radiation. A member of staff at the plant . "My chances are small", he told his colleagues "But if I survive this, one thing is sure: I will never work in a power plant again. 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. [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. Contrary to reports that the three divers died of radiation sickness as a result of their action, all three survived. Warning: spoilers ahead. 1953. Sam Troughton, an English actor, performed the role of Chernobyl supervisor of the shift in the Chernobyl series by HBO in 2019. "If I didn't do it, they could just fire me. 21 23 After the humans evacuated, wildlife grew rapidly with limited predators to hunt them downwild boar multiplied eightfold in the two years following the disaster. Sputnik/RIA Vasily Ignatenko was 25 years old when he died of radiation. 0000000016 00000 n Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.stern.de/panorama/weltgeschehen/tschernobyl-anatomie-einer-katastrophe-3597302.html. For Russian football coach and player, see, This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is. At first, they also tried to reason with me, saying, Youre young. Most of the liquidators were military reserves, and the army did not have enough uniforms suitable for working in radioactive conditions. [1], On the night of 26 April 1986, Akimov was on duty as the shift supervisor of the 4th power unit. The scene where Dr. Khomyuk is jailed by the KGB was filmed in Vilnius at a real former KGB prison. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Its a little like if you were in a skyscraper, and you said to yourself, This is solid! [] You just feel safe within it. TV Shows. FromBudapesttoBishkek. Mr. Alexander was the one who managed the block control panel of the reactor in Chernobyl. BBC Ukrainian Hours after the world's worst nuclear accident, engineer Oleksiy Breus entered the control room of the No. During the test, Akimov called for the AZ-5 (scram) button to be pressed to shut down the reactor, and Toptunov operated the button. Experts were unable to make an exact reading, as 200 meters (656 ft) above the reactor, radiation levels had reached 1,500 rems, but the counters were not capable of reading any higher than 500 rems. 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. In an attempt to contain the disaster, helicopters dumped lead slabs weighing 40 kilograms (88 lb) each on the reactor, followed by several tons of radiation absorbing-sand. "It was just our work. The reactor power level had been reduced, preparing for a planned safety test. I think you mean Aleksandr Akimov at Chernobyl, who was the shift supervisor on the night of the disaster. I'll try and find it. 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.
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