So from that Im assuming those could be pretty true about him, especially skin being so delicate because of the radiation. Witnesses reported he dried, or his body was mummified alive. Its a little like if you were in a skyscraper, and you said to yourself, This is solid! [] You just feel safe within it. For Russian football coach and player, see, This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is. "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. In a weird way, it was more moving to me than moving through the actual power plant itself. "The operators were afraid of him," Mr Breus agrees. Yes, i thought the same about Razim Davletbayev. Ultimately, though, he is happy the show has refocused attention on the disaster and the scale of damage caused. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. In the hours after the explosion, he spoke to Oleksandr Akimov, the shift leader at the No. "I've never heard there was a crowd of people who went to watch the fire at night," he says. Role of Akimov in Chernobyl As we know from the official data, Akimov is wrongfully accused of being responsible for the accident. The ears look different to me, but I may be wrong. Read about our approach to external linking. g][^b'v@2RPROza"e =-2Ik053NC=~k{'H|(V>a!Y^5idI1OLgx]zdO f6D*@=7'9 At 9:29 is Razim Davletbayev, deputy head of the Turbine Hall. 0000000756 00000 n "I saw other colleagues who worked that night. "They took off their clothes, but not like it was shown in the film, not right down to nothing," Mr Breus insists, also pointing out that their role was ultimately not significant to the story. Likewise Toptunov was Lyonya. The body of one of them, Valery Khodemchuk, was never recovered from the reactor debris. 3, Firefighters pictured in 1986 before cleaning debris from the roof of the 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, Chernobyl mini-series review: 'It stops you sleeping', Chernobyl disaster: 'I didn't know the truth', Craig Mazin maintains that Dyatlov in particular was a "real bully", The people who moved to the Chernobyl exclusion zone, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Canadian grandma helps police snag phone scammer, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus. Lyuba tries to cheer her husband up, she brings him pictures that their children drew. Ive never heard anything about his face, only his skin blackening and shriveling. The reactor was already in a run-away state. There was no mention of the flawed construction. Is there any other reports regarding Akimov? In the series, Pripyat residents rush to a railway bridge for a better view of the fire, unaware of the exposure. (k[YUWvP His father was involved in the Soviet space program and during his childhood, he was surrounded by scientists and engineers.[2]. [. The Accident at Chernobyl: What Caused the Explosion? He had health problems afterwards.". By Rod Adams April 1, 1996. Always nice to see new programs about this :). When Alexander has taken his duties, the reactor was in the state of preparation for the shutdown of the power. 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. I know he has been brought up alot in discussions especially about his face. On 10 July 1984 Aleksandr Akimov was appointed to the position of shift supervisor of Reactor Unit 4. He died of radiation sickness two weeks after the accident at the age of 33. The traffic was insane. ", "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. "It was clear they felt sick. 0000012642 00000 n 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Two weeks have passed since the explosion as Akimov's suffering is ends. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? "However, the technological aspects have some discrepancies which may not exactly [be] lies, but merely fiction," he adds. "They took off their clothes, but not like it was shown in the film, not right down to nothing," Mr Breus insists, also pointing out that their role was ultimately not significant to the story. 3, Firefighters pictured in 1986 before cleaning debris from the roof of the No. Fresh perspectives. "Its high rankings show that people are still interested in Chernobyl. [4], In 2008, Akimov was posthumously awarded with the 3rd degree Order For Courage by Viktor Yushchenko, then the President of Ukraine.[5]. What interviewer? August 25, 2022 askans. Found an error? The precautions were not enough, as, since 1986, physicians have reported a rise in birth defects. 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. Children are shown playing in the radioactive dust, which falls from the sky like snow. BBC Ukrainian Hours after the world's worst nuclear accident, engineer Oleksiy Breus entered the control room of the No. "In hospital, I was treated with a guy who biked to that bridge in the morning on 26 April to watch it. Ultimately, though, he is happy the show has refocused attention on the disaster and the scale of damage caused. Russians and Ukrainians have watched it via the internet, and it has had a favourable rating on Russian film site Kinopoisk. I can guarantee that nothing other than necrosis of the skin took place. One after the other, like giant beetles, kilometre after kilometre. I will start a new life. What are you thinking? However, the power reduction had been too abrupt, which put the reactor into a "poisoned" condition (a buildup of 135Xe, a strong neutron absorber), and made the reactor stall. There is a myth that no life can survive in Chernobyl, which is simply not true. [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. Yes, i thought the same about Razim Davletbayev. "For example, that useless secrecy, which became one of the reasons behind the Chernobyl disaster. 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. That night was important because the system tests were taking place. It was also difficult to assess how much radiation patients had been exposed to, as the gradual loss of hair and some darkening of the skin were the only visible signs. 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. They were nothing like that. Mr Breus worked with many of the individuals portrayed and has given his verdict of the series. Or something along those lines. Vasily Ignatenko, depicted in the series, was among the first firefighters sent to tackle the blaze. How would I find another job after that?". 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. At first, our commanders didnt know what to do. There were little slots for food and such, but then there were some grimmer rooms. .] And also being under that same piece of sky, you start to feel a little closer, in a sense, to who they were. Open Wide, O Earth is remarkable for many other details it captures about Soviet life, as well. "It was our job," says Oleksiy Ananenko, who was on shift at the time, while the others had been ordered in by their manager. You could see the equipment and pumps exposed. The original footage was probably taken at reactor 4 control room during the time our guys were on crew, that's why many of them can be seen. But while many have complimented the show's attention to detail, he believes it is also one of the downsides of the TV series. 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. But no matter how strict he was, he was still a high-level professional.". Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. My body parts not covered by clothes - such as hands, face and neck - were red". Press J to jump to the feed. There are many charities that support facilities which help babies who were born with severe birth defects, including neurological difficulties and heart conditions. In 1986, Dr. Gale and the director of the Soviet Unions Central Institute for Advanced Medical Studies signed an agreement to monitor the 100,000 people who were residents in the danger zonea 30-kilometer (18.7 mi) radius surrounding the site which ultimately became the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. In the hours after the explosion, he spoke to Oleksandr Akimov, the shift leader at the No. He was the one who refused to continue with the test. ", 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. Press J to jump to the feed. When I finished my shift, my skin was brown, as if I had a proper suntan all over my body. Those who take the responsible and leading posts are usually the ones to blame for the failures. 04:00 - Further fire fighting units arrive from Chernobyl, Polesskoe and Kiev. Firefighters were also asked to help clear radioactive debris from the roof after the fire was extinguished. "As we moved through it, we were aware that there were the ghosts of history around us," Mazin said. Thanks for the tip off. 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. Akimov was the one who declared an emergency after shutting down the reactor - but it was already too late. [3] The operators attempted to perform a rundown test before scheduled routine maintenance, during which reactor 4 exploded. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. 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. Hours after the explosion, helicopters were flown over Reactor No. Cheish Merryweather is a true crime fan and an oddities fanatic. ", he asks the one in the neighbouring bed, "We only pressed the shutdown button!" "I saw the damage at reactor No. . A member of staff at the plant from 1982, he became a witness to the immediate aftermath on the morning of 26 April 1986. 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. [4] He died from the acute radiation poisoning on 14 May 1986 and was laid to rest at the Mitinskoe Cemetery in Moscow. 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. 4 reactor, and operator Leonid Toptunov, who both feature prominently in the series. 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. The body of one of them, Valery Khodemchuk, was never recovered from the reactor debris. 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. "Their characters are distorted and misrepresented, as if they were villains. They knew where the valves were, so they were the right men for the task. 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. The goal was to test the system for preventive maintenance in case of a real power shutdown. {$[sz HqCUF3W){8HPA|]+\ Y,*6mw1(,>6D>(e]7MRWvfW4j}6`rW/G*(' !S%B=V>npH wp"2N?)JeXiPC`;\BUc |)g}hUtS1' a$)ELOrIB/0vgkmE^)wqHwB4:^ Firefighters were also asked to help clear radioactive debris from the roof after the fire was extinguished. [. It kills you slowly, and it kills you in an excruciating manner. He and his crew then stayed and manually pumped the emergency feedwater into the reactor. When the operators pushed the red button, the reactor didn't stop but exploded.". .] Warning: spoilers ahead. 0000015771 00000 n Its no better now than it was 28 years ago. 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. Viewers dont need to see what remains of shift supervisor Alexander Akimovs face watching the reaction in Dr. Khomyuks eyes is more than enough. The Chernobyl nuclear accident is one of the most shocking and devastating catastrophes of modern times. Oleksiy Breus says the accident helped reveal the substantial flaws of the Soviet system. Yet, with us, death is a biological event. Aleksandr Fyodorovich Akimov and Leonid Fedorovych Toptunov "In my opinion, [Aleksandr Akimov and Leonid Toptunov] are the most tragic figures from the Chernobyl personnel. But no matter how strict he was, he was still a high-level professional.". That is how you advance your career and win awards. They later died in hospital in Moscow.". 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. Mr Breus worked with many of the individuals portrayed and has given his verdict of the series. Everyone stay calm. The actor playing Alexander Akimov, for instance, was never even put in makeup to depict the loss of his face. See a comparison with a very old photo of Stolyarchuk: https://bit.ly/3wBuX2S Pay attention to the "indentation" of the line of his moustache on the right side of the face. Jesus, that is terrible for Nekheav, at least they all did what they could to remove all the water from them valves to avoid a steam explosion and tbh I think it is for the best we dont find out about poor Akimovs faces, He got a very large dose all over and I read somewhere he didnt want to die so he tried to act normal but when he would stand the skin around his legs would fal down like loose socks, I just invisioned that in my mind that sounds awful. Once she sees how Akimov is tearing entire strains of his moustache out "Don't worry", he says, "it doesn't hurt. Unknown to Akimov, during his work he was exposed to a lethal dose of radiation that was later determined to be 15 Gy. "It was just our work. He was talking about another operator Brazhik. https://i.imgur.com/gfghbDQ.jpg. Residents started to panic when there was a metallic smell in the air, and the atmosphere appeared different. They are also used for research on diseases including rabies. "Radiation exposure, red skin, radiation burns and steam burns were what many people talked about but it was never shown like this. [5], In 2008, Toptunov was posthumously awarded with the 3rd degree Order For Courage by Viktor Yushchenko, then the President of Ukraine.[6]. Here's an interview with Kovalenko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnFeTe0nDw8. 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. [4], He was admitted to Pripyat Hospital but was quickly transferred to Moscow Hospital 6. Although it has been more than three decades since the Chernobyl disaster, there are many still suffering the consequences today. You could see the equipment and pumps exposed. Radioecologist Sergey Gaschak explained, Animals dont seem to sense radiation and will occupy an area regardless of the radiation condition.[10]. Warning: This story contains plot details from the miniseries. Theres something wrong with you.. 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. 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. xb```a``vb`e`} @V h r `0+Q -`5B@e GS:a/(r_g|8)|Z (a_x@ &d He was 33 at that time. 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. [1], Leonid Toptunov was born on 16 August 1960 in Mykolaivka, Buryn Raion, Sumy Oblast. "It was our job," says Oleksiy Ananenko, who was on shift at the time, while the others had been ordered in by their manager. On the night of 26 April 1986, Leonid Toptunov was working in the control room at the reactor control panel, with Aleksandr Akimov. I always wonder why toptinov called him sasha? 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. "They were not looking good, to put it mildly," he says. 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. The miners finished their work ahead of schedule, but by then the molten core had cooled itself. Mr Breus says the series creators showed the radiation effects on the human body well. The events of Chernobyl made me focus on my own mortalityon all our mortality. Meduza shares its thoughts about the shows latest installment, Open Wide, O Earth, and looks at some of the showrunners editing decisions. He was portrayed by actor Volodya Stepanenko in the 2004 Zero Hour TV series. Cheish Merryweather is a true crime fan and an oddities fanatic. 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. They knew where the valves were, so they were the right men for the task. 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. 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. Their skin had a bright red colour. In 1976, Akimov graduated from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute, with the degree of specialist in engineering and automation of heat and power processes. Nowadays, an old sarcophagus covers the damaged fourth reactor at the nuclear power plant, and the New Safe Confinement (NSC) structure sits above that. [1], On the night of 26 April 1986, Akimov was on duty as the shift supervisor of the 4th power unit. Akimov heard reports of massive reactor damage, but did not believe it, and as a result relayed false information about the state of the reactor for hours after. 0000008353 00000 n He stayed behind and had his crew turn on the emergency water pumps to flood the reactor - sadly, the power source was inactive. The level of radiation in the Chernobyl zone is still the same today as it was in 1986.[9]. At 04:00, Moscow ordered feeding of water to the reactor. "There are many stereotypes shown, typical of Western portrayal of the Soviet Union," argues Oleksiy Breus. DYATLOV (to the room) This is an emergency. I am still very convinced, that this footage actually shows Boris Stolyarchuk. The information is all on the level of 'he said, she said'. Hes not a man anymore, but a reactor. "Another friend treated at the same time said he had a date with his girlfriend close to the bridge that night. Belarus shares a border with Ukraine, and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is quite close to said border; in 2010, UNICEF reported that 20 percent of adolescents in Belarus suffer from chronic illnesses or disabilities caused by birth defects. I also heard that his otopsy file is closed to the public and is only accessible with specific permission. Is it Kovalenko? Temperatures beneath the reactor were high and the series shows them stripping naked. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Toptunov had literally turned white.". 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. [3] However, the reactor stalled unexpectedly during test preparations, dropping to a low 30 MW. He has only two weeks left to live. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. Poor guy. "I saw other colleagues who worked that night. The work done would last until the morning hours of the 27th by trying to pump water into the exposed reactor core. He points to a few inaccuracies in the TV portrayal. "The Chernobyl catastrophe is depicted in a very powerful way, as a global catastrophe that absorbed huge numbers of people. Before he was gone, he told about the test proceedings. Mr Breus says the series creators showed the radiation effects on the human body well. 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]. He is reported to have stated that he believed he had done everything correctly. Aleksandr Akimov was born on 6 May 1953 in Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR (Republic of the Soviet Union . 0000001545 00000 n Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter', Why half of India's urban women stay at home. Founder of Crime Viral community since 2015. If you can find a source, Id be interested to know. 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. "A big cup, vodka, KGB everywhere.". In 2008, Akimov was posthumously awarded with what they called the 3rd degree Order for Courage. PEREVOZCHENKO It exploded. Firefighters sent from neighbouring Pripyat did not know of any radiation exposure and Ignatenko died of acute radiation syndrome on 13 May 1986. %PDF-1.6 % The locals thought they would later be returning to their homes, but this was never the case. They later died in hospital in Moscow.". Unfortunately, it takes these tragic events to impress this on us.[6]. The School in Sperizh'e pictured in 2016. 0000000016 00000 n endstream endobj 27 0 obj<>stream "Radiation exposure, red skin, radiation burns and steam burns were what many people talked about but it was never shown like this. He was the third child of Tatiana Petrovna Ignatenko and Ivan Tarasovish Ignatenko. Later this perception changed.". 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.

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