"For example, that useless secrecy, which became one of the reasons behind the Chernobyl disaster. Akimov had 100% of his skin burnt by radiation. 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. 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. "It was clear they felt sick. it's not bad, it was probably made in the past few months before February 24th. Radioecologist Sergey Gaschak explained, Animals dont seem to sense radiation and will occupy an area regardless of the radiation condition.[10]. Abagian recalled, Children were running in the streets; people were hanging laundered linen out to dry. He was 33 at that time. When I finished my shift, my skin was brown, as if I had a proper suntan all over my body. "The operators were afraid of him," Mr Breus agrees. [4] His parents once asked about the cause but he only could say they had followed regulations. ", "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. endstream endobj 27 0 obj<>stream He sent a letter to his parents and left a note on where to find him in Moscow. His burnt lungs hardly let him breathe, his intestines have decomposed, excrements mixed with blood are oozing from his body. "In hospital, I was treated with a guy who biked to that bridge in the morning on 26 April to watch it. Warning: This story contains plot details from the miniseries. 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. Akimov was exposed during his work to a lethal dose of 15 Gy of radiation. 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. Deaths due to the Chernobyl disaster - Wikipedia ProtectedbyreCAPTCHAandtheGoogle Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Is this Aleksandr Akimov? : r/chernobyl - reddit "I was surprised they even brought us there," Mr Breus says of arriving at work the morning after the explosion. moustache is a struggling, wispy version of Akimov's. TOPTUNOV No, that's not--Akimov signals Toptunov not to argue. [4] Toptunov and Akimov received bone marrow transplants in attempt to restore their immune systems. In March 1983, Toptunov began his career at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Alexander Akimov and Chernobyl - trip-to-chernobyl.com He's growing weaker, wheezes, can hardly talk anymore. 0 [. The autopsy qualifies as medical records so of course they are all closed to the public. What happened to Akimov Chernobyl? - AskingForAnswer 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. "Another friend treated at the same time said he had a date with his girlfriend close to the bridge that night. Sometimes absence of evidence is compelling evidence of absence. 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. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? 4s emergency safety systems and its power-regulating system. At first, they also tried to reason with me, saying, Youre young. Who would applaud that?". 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. 0000000016 00000 n Mr Breus worked with many of the individuals portrayed and has given his verdict of the series. 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. How would I find another job after that?". The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. For Russian football coach and player, see, This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is. So from that Im assuming those could be pretty true about him, especially skin being so delicate because of the radiation. 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. Judge Raimond Brize declared in the courtroom, There was an atmosphere of lack of control and lack of responsibility at the plant. The plant officials were also heavily criticized for not evacuating the town of Pripyat sooner. This should come as no surprise that the reasons for the explosion are being thoroughly investigated. "If I didn't do it, they could just fire me. Yes, it's Kovalenko, standing next to Akimov. You could see the equipment and pumps exposed. 0000017865 00000 n Is there any other reports regarding Akimov? Are Sky and HBO's miniseries "Chernobyl" historically accurate? He points to a few inaccuracies in the TV portrayal. Is there any truth or is it all here say? Read about our approach to external linking. 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. Just days after the initial disaster, the wind changed direction and began blowing high levels of radiation in the direction of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Months after the Chernobyl disaster, the radioactivity had spread to Galsjo Forest in Sweden. His famous quote We did everything correctly has been used in the Chernobyl series by HBO. [2], Akimov worked with his crew in the reactor building after he learned the extent of the accident. Children are shown playing in the radioactive dust, which falls from the sky like snow. And Oleksiy Breus sees their portrayal as "not a fiction, but a blatant lie". But while many have complimented the show's attention to detail, he believes it is also one of the downsides of the TV series. Fresh perspectives. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. {$[sz HqCUF3W){8HPA|]+\ Y,*6mw1(,>6D>(e]7MRWvfW4j}6`rW/G*(' !S%B=V>npH wp"2N?)JeXiPC`;\BUc |)g}hUtS1' a$)ELOrIB/0vgkmE^)wqHwB4:^ Vasily Ignatenko, depicted in the series, was among the first firefighters sent to tackle the blaze. AKIMOV . [5], In 2008, Toptunov was posthumously awarded with the 3rd degree Order For Courage by Viktor Yushchenko, then the President of Ukraine.[6]. I'd love to see the original footage they used from CNPP reactor #4, there are shots of Kovalenko, Akimov, Davletbayev and even Khodemchuk. Its as if the showrunners saw it all happen with their own eyes. Alexander Akimov worked with other employers in the reactor after the explosion. The School in Sperizh'e pictured in 2016. 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. 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. Unfortunately, the first five years after the accident, the details were kept secret, but now the scientists and activists have the access to archives. Firefighters were also asked to help clear radioactive debris from the roof after the fire was extinguished. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. On April 26th, 1986, at 1:23 am, Alexander Akimov did what he and thousands of other nuclear plant operators have been trained to do. Press J to jump to the feed. Tel: +38 063 58 16 661E-mail: [emailprotected], Exciting private tours to Chernobyl and Pripyat. ax1N58[zR)8WN}+|[x? "Another friend treated at the same time said he had a date with his girlfriend close to the bridge that night. 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. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. PDF ARS and skin damage in Chernobyl patients - International Atomic Energy "There are many stereotypes shown, typical of Western portrayal of the Soviet Union," argues Oleksiy Breus. "It was just our work. 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. There are many charities that support facilities which help babies who were born with severe birth defects, including neurological difficulties and heart conditions. Sam Troughton, an English actor, performed the role of Chernobyl supervisor of the shift in the Chernobyl series by HBO in 2019. There was a comment on a post about him. The ears look different to me, but I may be wrong. Who is the man on the time stamp on 9:20? And finally they said, The hell with it! Open Wide, O Earth is remarkable for many other details it captures about Soviet life, as well. 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? Because Id spent so much time living in that space, in multiple areas of those spaces for so long, and with the people in my mind for so long to walk where they walked felt so strange. [2] He worked as a unit control engineer and senior reactor control engineer. Hes not a man anymore, but a reactor. August 25, 2022 askans. He had health problems afterwards.". ", "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 our job," says Oleksiy Ananenko, who was on shift at the time, while the others had been ordered in by their manager. When the operators pushed the red button, the reactor didn't stop but exploded.". Police roamed the streets wearing gas masks, but the residents were kept in the dark and only heard rumors. Can either be found at house parties telling everyone Charles Manson was only 52 or at home reading true crime magazines. Vasily Ignatenko And The Brutal Death Of A Chernobyl Firefighter Lyuba tries to cheer her husband up, she brings him pictures that their children drew. 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. Always nice to see new programs about this :). There was no smoke or fire, just fumes coming from the damaged part. 13 Pictures Of The 'Chernobyl' Cast Compared To The - Demilked How would I find another job after that?". Chernobyl guide Yuri Tatarchuk explained, Kopachi was very badly contaminated and so it was decided to bury it, house by house. Some of the events he witnessed that morning were realistically depicted in the show, he says, but others he describes as fiction. A member of. Firefighters sent from neighbouring Pripyat did not know of any radiation exposure and Ignatenko died of acute radiation syndrome on 13 May 1986. He said, A physician deals with life and death every day. Within two weeks, both Mr Akimov and Mr Toptunov had died in a Moscow hospital of acute radiation syndrome (ARS). Russians and Ukrainians have watched it via the internet, and it has had a favourable rating on Russian film site Kinopoisk. Founder of Crime Viral community since 2015. Frantic. Withdrawing a dangerous number of control rods, the operators could only reach 200 MW due to xenon poisoning. The guy that posted it was a Radiation Specialist and had access to records of a lot of the Chernobyl victims. [4] During the accident, he was exposed to a fatal radiation dose of 1300rem. It is the same in the case of the Chernobyl disaster. 9:23 into the video, to me it looks like him, Oh God. 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 . According to Sources: Akimov suffered severe Leg Burns and the high amount of radiation caused it face to slowly dissolve away. Alexander Akimov (Sam Troughton) was the night crew shift supervisor during the early . 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. And the atmosphere was radioactive.[3]. Pretty sure its true, the story of his face being gone came from just before he died while they were questioning him. Read about our approach to external linking. Thats your job, randomly spouting INSAG reports. What would happen to your face if you were to stare directly - Quora I also heard that his otopsy file is closed to the public and is only accessible with specific permission. g][^b'v@2RPROza"e =-2Ik053NC=~k{'H|(V>a!Y^5idI1OLgx]zdO f6D*@=7'9 What interviewer? 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. At 04:00, Moscow ordered feeding of water to the reactor. He stayed behind and had his crew turn on the emergency water pumps to flood the reactor - sadly, the power source was inactive. 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. 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. Don't have high hopes going into this one guys. It seemed a good idea at the time, but it wasnt. 21 23 It's not just a local interest, for a small group of people, but it is still worldwide. 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. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. "I've never heard there was a crowd of people who went to watch the fire at night," he says. In the series, Pripyat residents rush to a railway bridge for a better view of the fire, unaware of the exposure. He began his career at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in September 1979. Toptunov, along with non-essential personnel, was dismissed. Some Chernobyl leaders built their defense on their bones. 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. 0000001545 00000 n [4], He was admitted to Pripyat Hospital but was quickly transferred to Moscow Hospital 6. 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. UC San Francisco's Lydia Zablotska, MD, PhD, grew up in Ukraine, trained as physician . I am still very convinced, that this footage actually shows Boris Stolyarchuk. My body parts not covered by clothes - such as hands, face and neck - were red". [1], Leonid Toptunov was born on 16 August 1960 in Mykolaivka, Buryn Raion, Sumy Oblast. His wife Lyuba is at his side.'. [4], In 2008, Akimov was posthumously awarded with the 3rd degree Order For Courage by Viktor Yushchenko, then the President of Ukraine.[5]. 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. 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. What happened to Akimov Chernobyl? - Quora 8 Real-Life Heroes Who Literally Saved The World From Disaster I havent seen this one yet, looking forward to watching! [3][page needed] At some point he gave deathbed confessions stating repeatedly: I did everything correctly. [3] Due to a design flaw, the descending control rods momentarily accelerated the nuclear reaction and caused the reactor to explode. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. He was talking about another operator Brazhik. Akimov Radiation : r/chernobyl - reddit ", I'd say it is indeed Akimov, and the man standing next to him might be Kovalenko, reactor#4 supervisor. 0000001006 00000 n He knew he was going to die but didn't want to. Vasily Ivanovich Ignatenko was born on 13 March 1961, in the Brahin District of the Gomel Region of the Byelorussian SSR. Answer (1 of 4): There would have been a hydrogen explosion instead of a steam explosion. 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. 43 0 obj<>stream Who would applaud that?". Ultimately, though, he is happy the show has refocused attention on the disaster and the scale of damage caused. Akimov-- are we cooling the reactor core? "They were not looking good, to put it mildly," he says. %%EOF xref The precautions were not enough, as, since 1986, physicians have reported a rise in birth defects. When Alexander has taken his duties, the reactor was in the state of preparation for the shutdown of the power. I know he has been brought up alot in discussions especially about his face. And still the shift leader is ruminating if the catastrophy was his fault: "What have we done wrong? During his first years at Chernobyl, he held positions of senior turbine management engineer and shift supervisor of the turbine hall. The Chernobyl nuclear accident is one of the most shocking and devastating catastrophes of modern times. [11] They were found guilty of gross violation of safety regulations which led to an explosion. Alexander Akimov was the head of the night shift that worked at reactor number 4 on the night of the accident. 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. At first, the head of the tests, Dyatlov A. S., forced them, with his orders, to move away 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 Mr. Alexander was the one who managed the block control panel of the reactor in Chernobyl. I can guarantee that nothing other than necrosis of the skin took place. 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. Identical. 0000013685 00000 n Tatiana Ignatenko was a collective farm fieldworker, and Ivan Ignatenko a tractor, and later truck . Its a little like if you were in a skyscraper, and you said to yourself, This is solid! [] You just feel safe within it. The miniseries has shed the suspense of its first two installments, when the story unfolded like a disaster movie, and it now wants to know the reason for this tragedy. <]>> He got a mild type of acute radiation syndrome, a doctor said. 4 reactor, and operator Leonid Toptunov, who both feature prominently in the series. When I finished my shift, my skin was brown, as if I had a proper suntan all over my body. Aleksandr Akimov was born on 6 May 1953 in Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR (Republic of the Soviet Union). Panting. This later became known as the "Bridge of Death" after reports that those who stood there allegedly died from radiation sickness. "It was our job," says Oleksiy Ananenko, who was on shift at the time, while the others had been ordered in by their manager. 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. This may be, in part, why the hype around the HBO and Sky series about the disaster has been so substantial. List of battleships of the United States Navy, Individual involvement in the Chernobyl disaster#Aleksandr Akimov, Articles containing Russian-language text, Articles needing page number citations from January 2020, Articles incorporating text from Find a Grave.com, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, People associated with the Chernobyl disaster, https://chnpp.gov.ua/ru/about/labour-glory-ru/geroi-likvidatory, "The World; Life After Death: Chernobyl Today", https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/22/weekinreview/the-world-life-after-death-chernobyl-today.html, https://books.google.com/books?id=7gQ0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT419&dq=Aleksandr+Akimov+15+Gray&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjt66vNt5zmAhXOZd8KHeqdAWAQ6AEwAXoECAUQAg#v=onepage&q=Aleksandr%20Akimov%2015%20Gray&f=false, https://books.google.com/books?id=ayhKAQAAIAAJ&q=Aleksandr+Akimov+I+did+everything+correctly&dq=Aleksandr+Akimov+I+did+everything+correctly&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiw3Mu4ypzmAhWRct8KHYs9DFUQ6AEwAHoECAEQAg, "Presidential Decree No. Aleksandr Fyodorovich Akimov and Leonid Fedorovych Toptunov "In my opinion, [Aleksandr Akimov and Leonid Toptunov] are the most tragic figures from the Chernobyl personnel. I will start a new life. Vasily Ignatenko, depicted in the series, was among the first firefighters sent to tackle the blaze. He was exposed to a lethal dose of radiation and died two weeks after the explosion. Just found this on Sky. Is it Kovalenko? ", 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. 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. 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. 0000005085 00000 n You could see the equipment and pumps exposed. 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. A member of staff at the plant from 1982, he became a witness to the immediate aftermath on the morning of 26 April 1986. He was the one who refused to continue with the test. 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. 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. But while many have complimented the show's attention to detail, he believes it is also one of the downsides of the TV series. Two weeks have passed since the explosion as Akimov's suffering is ends. Their skin had a bright red colour. Now, volunteers, including veterinarians and radiation experts, have formed the nonprofit charity Dogs of Chernobyl. The village of Kopachi lies 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) from the site of the Chernobyl disaster. 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. 0000001387 00000 n Some dogs have been fitted with radiation sensors and GPS receivers, which help to map the radiation levels across the exclusion zone.[8].