0 He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. 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. Unfortunately, the first five years after the accident, the details were kept secret, but now the scientists and activists have the access to archives. The actor playing Alexander Akimov, for instance, was never even put in makeup to depict the loss of his face. But Chernobyl continues to hit its mark, from a bonafide miners joke (Whats as big as a house, burns 20 liters of fuel every hour, puts out a shit-load of smoke and noise, and cuts an apple into three pieces? A Soviet machine made to cut apples into four pieces!) to hospital beds and zinc-lined coffins. Warning: This story contains plot details from the miniseries. The control rods had graphite moderators to speed up reaction and the other part of the rods were made of boron to decrease reaction. "A thin stream the firemen poured probably evaporated before it even reached reactor.". [. 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. Warning: spoilers ahead. According to Sources: Akimov suffered severe Leg Burns and the high amount of radiation caused it face to slowly dissolve away. He has only two weeks left to live. In 2008, Akimov was posthumously awarded with what they called the 3rd degree Order for Courage. On 10 July 1984 Aleksandr Akimov was appointed to the position of shift supervisor of Reactor Unit 4. At 9:29 is Razim Davletbayev, deputy head of the Turbine Hall. On the night of 26 April 1986, Leonid Toptunov was working in the control room at the reactor control panel, with Aleksandr Akimov. 0000002865 00000 n In this article, we will tell you about the supervisor of the shift, Aleksandr Akimov, and his role in the accident. Or something along those lines. This should come as no surprise that the reasons for the explosion are being thoroughly investigated. I know he has been brought up alot in discussions especially about his face. Just found this on Sky. 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]. "Its high rankings show that people are still interested in Chernobyl. Thank you! 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. Answer (1 of 4): There would have been a hydrogen explosion instead of a steam explosion. In the series, Pripyat residents rush to a railway bridge for a better view of the fire, unaware of the exposure. 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. During the test, Akimov called for the AZ-5 (scram) button to be pressed to shut down the reactor, and Toptunov operated the button. In the days that followed, 32 people died at Chernobyl, and many more suffered radiation burns. Leonid Fedorovych Toptunov (Ukrainian: , Russian: ; 16 August 1960 14 May 1986) was a Soviet engineer who was the senior reactor control chief engineer at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Reactor Unit 4 on the night of the Chernobyl disaster, 26 April 1986. At first, they also tried to reason with me, saying, Youre young. He wanted a promotion which was promised to him in case of a successful test. Oleksiy Breus says the accident helped reveal the substantial flaws of the Soviet system. Can either be found at house parties telling everyone Charles Manson was only 52 or at home reading true crime magazines. Alexander Akimov was the head of the night shift that worked at reactor number 4 on the night of the accident. Now, volunteers, including veterinarians and radiation experts, have formed the nonprofit charity Dogs of Chernobyl. 3, Firefighters pictured in 1986 before cleaning debris from the roof of the No. It's now a museum. Here's an interview with Kovalenko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnFeTe0nDw8. He and his colleagues who died from ARS suffered a prolonged and agonising death as the very chromosomes of their bodies were destroyed and organ failure escalated." The bones of your body, he says, "decompose as you become a seeping, foul smelling soup of human material". This is how they decided to portray the Minister of Coal Industry Mikhail Shchadov. [2], Akimov worked with his crew in the reactor building after he learned the extent of the accident. his younger brother is donating bone marrow but the transplant can't stop the decay of the tissue. [3] However, the reactor stalled unexpectedly during test preparations, dropping to a low 30 MW. I've never seen any reliable source for anything regarding his face. The Chernobyl disaster, considered the worst nuclear disaster in history, occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, then part of the Soviet Union, now in Ukraine. BBC Ukrainian Hours after the world's worst nuclear accident, engineer Oleksiy Breus entered the control room of the No. However, it is about respecting it for what it can do. Russians and Ukrainians have watched it via the internet, and it has had a favourable rating on Russian film site Kinopoisk. 0000000016 00000 n The dogs have been driven out of the woods by the wild wolves that habitat the area. During the evening of April 25, engineers made several fatal mistakes, including disconnecting Reactor No. The autopsy qualifies as medical records so of course they are all closed to the public. 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. Is there any truth or is it all here say? Residents started to panic when there was a metallic smell in the air, and the atmosphere appeared different. However, the deputy chief engineer of the power plant Anatoly Dyatlov ordered to proceed with the tests. {$[sz HqCUF3W){8HPA|]+\ Y,*6mw1(,>6D>(e]7MRWvfW4j}6`rW/G*(' !S%B=V>npH wp"2N?)JeXiPC`;\BUc |)g}hUtS1' a$)ELOrIB/0vgkmE^)wqHwB4:^ Although it has been more than three decades since the Chernobyl disaster, there are many still suffering the consequences today. The missing containment wasn't mentioned either', 'It is the morning of the 10th May. 0000000756 00000 n He's growing weaker, wheezes, can hardly talk anymore. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Panting. This is an eerie and deserted location, as the homes of Kopachi were completely bulldozed and buried by the Soviet Army. 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. And Oleksiy Breus sees their portrayal as "not a fiction, but a blatant lie". What are you thinking? More than 600,000 civil and military personnel have been given the honorary status of Chernobyl liquidators since the cleanup began in 1986. .] 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. When I finished my shift, my skin was brown, as if I had a proper suntan all over my body. Cheish Merryweather is a true crime fan and an oddities fanatic. Within two weeks, both Mr Akimov and Mr Toptunov had died in a Moscow hospital of acute radiation syndrome (ARS). This documentary. But no matter how strict he was, he was still a high-level professional.". "I saw other colleagues who worked that night. Two more workers died because of injuries. There is little doubt that ARS patients, and those with severe skin injury, have When we talk about the events that have changed the world, we always remember the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion. Read about more radioactive calamities on 10 Modern Radiation Accidents Involving Civilians and 10 Famous Incidences of Death by Radiation. However, they didnt know about the faults that had been made during the construction of the reactor. Also, emotions and mood at that time are shown quite precisely, both among the personnel and the authorities. 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. "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. During his first years at Chernobyl, he held positions of senior turbine management engineer and shift supervisor of the turbine hall. It is the same in the case of the Chernobyl disaster. Finally, 11 days after the disaster, officials warned the residents of Kiev that they should avoid eating leafy vegetables and to stay indoors. Vasily Ignatenko, depicted in the series, was among the first firefighters sent to tackle the blaze. "I saw the damage at reactor No. 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. 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. The buses which escorted the residents out of Pripyat spread the radiation to wider areas. The nurses let me in. Alexander Akimov is the one who had control over reactor number 4 at the night of the explosion, but whether he is the one to be held responsible remains an open question. Mr. Alexander was the one who managed the block control panel of the reactor in Chernobyl. "Their characters are distorted and misrepresented, as if they were villains. trailer 3, Firefighters pictured in 1986 before cleaning debris from the roof of the No. HBO. 0000013685 00000 n startxref 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 the hours after the explosion, he spoke to Oleksandr Akimov, the shift leader at the No. April 1986, it turns out, wasnt Dyatlovs first nuclear accident. "Another friend treated at the same time said he had a date with his girlfriend close to the bridge that night. Toptunov had literally turned white.". endstream endobj 27 0 obj<>stream 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. For instance if someone's face melted off or someone's eyes changed color, the details absolutely would have showed up in the many academic articles and books written about ARS in Chernobyl victims. "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. ", 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, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh's legal troubles are far from over, 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. 4. At least 5,000 people were badly affected at the time, while women who were pregnant were simply told to have abortions. DYATLOV (to the room) This is an emergency. 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. How would I find another job after that?". Two weeks have passed since the explosion as Akimov's suffering is ends. Oleksiy Breus says the accident helped reveal the substantial flaws of the Soviet system. 0000005085 00000 n Arriving at work that morning, Mr Breus says he did not see any fire. His burnt lungs hardly let him breathe, his intestines have decomposed, excrements mixed with blood are oozing from his body. This may be, in part, why the hype around the HBO and Sky series about the disaster has been so substantial.
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