If you believe that any Site Content infringes upon your copyright, please notify us by email support@quotecatalog.com. There was a vacuum. daughter Inga, he knew from his first day on the scene he would eventually die. According to his
work. Like in 1941, but even worse, Legasov later recalled. Legasov's health had worsened and he often made visits to Moscow Hospital 6 for long term effects of radiation exposure. Valery Alekseyevich Legasov was a Soviet inorganic chemist and a member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. He was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. A reactor explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant's fourth 5 most deadly industrial and transportation disasters in the USSR, How Hollywood feeds lies about Soviet history, Chernobyl is NOT Russia: A geography lesson of the disaster. [19] Legasov had the opportunity to visit nuclear power plants in the West, such as the Soviet designed Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant in Finland, and was shocked at the higher safety standards, better equipment, a containment structure and superior construction. Two years later, he ended his own life unexpectedly. [11], There are several theories concerning Legasov's motivations and state of mind. They'll deny it, of course. He died one day after the second anniversary of the
[7] Legasov developed a plan to extinguish the reactor fire using nitrogen gas pumped throughout the plant's pipe network but the pipes were too badly damaged to be effective. From a safety point of view, it even stood out as being better, as I understood from the discussions. After recording five audio tapes containing information about Chernobyl, he goes outside to hide them away from the watchful eye of KGB agents. [5][7] Despite lacking information about the state of the reactor, Legasov proposed and managed the effort to extinguish the reactor fire which would otherwise release a massive amount of radiation,[11] although the team was in continual discussions with other scientists by telephone. I would very much like to ask to make such a statement that, as of today, we do not have safe nuclear energy, or a concept of safe nuclear energy, or even a concept of a safe nuclear reactor that is completely ready[7], He had a lengthy stay in hospital during the fall of 1987, including experiencing acute appendicitis,[31] during which he attempted suicide. Chernobyl is a 2019 HBO miniseries based on the nuclear accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986. She is a truth-knower: the first time we see her, she is already figuring out that something has gone terribly wrong, and she is grasping it terribly fast, unlike the dense men at the actual scene of the disaster, who seem to need hours to take it in. [7] From 1983 until his death, he worked as chair of the department of Radiochemistry and Chemical Technology at the Faculty of Chemistry at Moscow State University. So, even if he didn't necessarily speak about that, did he say any notable things in his tapes? [28] He gave interviews to Novy Mir and Yunost in which he changed his public stance and expressed his concern that cultural failings and Soviet science losing its way had led inevitably to nuclear disaster. Our drinking water - Is the world drying up? In effect, Plokhy argues, it was the Soviet system that created Chernobyl and made the explosion inevitable. The state plane was already waiting. Yes. What's not shown in the miniseries is that Legasov had attempted suicide prior and recovered in the hospital. In the same way, its harder to see dozens of scientists looking for clues when you can just create a single fantasy character who will have all the good disaster-fighting traits. All because, it seems, he wants a promotion. When I looked at this device, I was confused by, for example, an unusual and, in my opinion, insufficient construction of safety systems, that would work in extreme situations. Slowly, once the most powerful in the country, they began to lose the standard of modern equipment. I was filled with trust and respect for him Valery Alekseevich himself flew over the reactor by helicopter 5-6 times a day. Conference Footage. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Your notice should include (a) a description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed; (b) the URL where the allegedly infringing Site Content is located; (c) your full name, postal address, telephone number, and email address; (d) a statement that you have a good faith belief that the use of the allegedly infringing material on our Sites is not authorized; (e) your physical or electronic signature; and (f) a statement that you are the copyright owner or an authorized agent of the copyright owner. The Soviet system of propaganda and censorship existed not so much for the purpose of spreading a particular message as for the purpose of making learning impossible, replacing facts with mush, and handing the faceless state a monopoly on defining an ever-shifting reality. Valery Legasov : And now Dyatlov will spend the next ten years in a prison labor camp. Terms of Use 1. Our fact check confirmed that the real Valery Legasov hung himself on April 26, 1988, two years after the Chernobyl disaster (his body was found by his son on the 27th). And cut the phone lines. Both leaders have promised to make their countries great again, and they have a way of alighting on the same points of reference. On the second anniversary of the world's worst manmade disaster the Chernobyl nuclear explosion, Valery Legasov, Russia's top scientist, was found dead in his apartment on April 27, 1988. In Episode 3, for example, Legasov asks, rhetorically, Forgive memaybe Ive just spent too much time in my lab, or maybe Im just stupid. Leaders of the Party rightfully accused the scientific community for the disaster behind closed doors. At 49 years old, Legasov is . [1] He also considered the possibility of ground water contamination to be extremely low, but precautionary work was initiated to cool the reactor using an underground system. Tula, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, Educated At: officials denied the threat to the public. I dont believe any of the many lines said by the character were said by the real person. Valery Legasov Quotes & Sayings. The 1986 Chernobyl crisis was undoubtedly one of the worst nuclear disasters of all time. 2023 Cond Nast. magicalquote.com. Legasov in the show is basically a fictional character. Top Valery Legasov Real Quotes The first of many autumn rains smelled smoky, like a doused campsite fire, as if the ground itself had been aflame during those hot summer months. Of course, that sentence is doubly unfair. In the first episode, for example, during an emergency meeting of the Pripyat ispolkom, the towns governing council, an elder statesman, Zharkov (Donald Sumpter), delivers a chilling, and chillingly accurate, speech, urging his compatriots to have faith. We seal off the city, Zharkov says. Probably, he didnt want to be a burden on my mother. - ", "Scientist who exposed true extent of Chernobyl disaster killed himself a day after second anniversary (As the Deputy Director of Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy in Moscow, Valery Legasov received a distress call on 26 April 1986, asking him to head to Chernobyl. Whatever they are, they are not the truth. Glimmers of this understanding appear in the HBO series, too. [1], In August 1986, he presented the report of the Soviet delegation at the special meeting of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. Although not a reactor specialist, he became a key member of the government commission formed to investigate the causes of the disaster and to plan the mitigation of its consequences. Valery Legasov was born in September 1, 1936 in Tula in the Soviet Union to a Russian family. That's all there is; there isn't anymore. Ethel Barrymore, D. Mendeleev University Of Chemical Technology Of Russia. The real Valery Legasov. As expected, this story has become surrounded by many different rumors. In his testament, he described the
One might say that these are fantasies, embellishments, shortcuts, and even translations. It is true that Europe survived; it is not true that anyone got to the truth, or told it. [5] Malicious rumors began to be circulated such as the accusation of being an alcoholic, over-ambitious or to blame for the Chernobyl disaster. In January 1986, Legasov co-authored a propaganda piece in Soviet Life magazine claiming there had been no nuclear accidents that had seriously threatened personnel or risked contamination, which ignored multiple serious nuclear incidents in the Soviet Union. For some reason, many believe that my father was disappointed by the fact that he wasnt awarded. It was the system, made up primarily of pliant men and women, that cut its own corners, ignored its own precautions, and ultimately blew up its own nuclear reactor for no good reason except that this was how things were done. [7] Legasov reassured Gorbachev by phone that scale of contamination was understood and the reactor was not a continuing threat to other countries. The grave of Valery Legasov (1936-1988) at the Novodevichye Cemetery in Moscow. Essentially everything he did at the trial was done by Dyatlov in real life. [37], On 20 September 1996, Russian president Boris Yeltsin posthumously conferred on Legasov the honorary title of Hero of the Russian Federation, the country's highest honorary title, for the "courage and heroism" shown in his investigation of the disaster. There were no books or movies or songs. On May 5, he already showed signs of radiation sickness (nuclear tan and hair loss) and by May 15, cough and insomnia began to kick in. Iannone, 48, professes little concern, arguing that a sales surge from shoppers afraid to visit stores during the Covid-19 outbreak could provide the kind of OS Supported: Windows 98SE, Windows Millenium, Windows XP (any edition), Windows Vista, Windows 7 & Windows 8 (32 & 64 Bit). And when I visited the Chernobyl station after the accident and saw what was happening there, I myself drew a precise and unequivocal conclusion, that the Chernobyl disaster is an apotheosis, the pinnacle of all the mismanagement that has been carried out for decades in our country. Midnight in Chernobyl Key Figures. And now Im in charge. He toasts, in what appears to be the middle of the day: To the workers of the world. No. "He wasn't meant . He wanted to make sure all of the information was absolutely true.. The one noticeable mistake in this respect concerns the series makers apparent ignorance of the vast divisions between different socioeconomic classes in the Soviet Union: in the series, Valery Legasov (Jared Harris), a member of the Academy of Sciences, lives in nearly the same kind of squalor as a fireman in the Ukrainian town of Pripyat. Valery legasov was a nuclear physicist. Legasov was 51 years old. Those tapes sound like rambling of a very depressed man suffering from PTSD, because that's exactly what they are. [7] Nikolay Antoshkin, an air force general involved in the liquidation remembers: "I met Valery Alekseevich as soon as he arrived. Meta [7] Legasov thought people worked together efficiently and this put them in good spirits. Sooner or later that debt is paid". (There are tiny errors, like a holiday uniform worn by schoolchildren on a non-holiday, or teen-agers carrying little kids school bags, but this is truly splitting hairs.) [7], Along with colleagues like Viktor Alekseyevich Sidorenko, Legasov became concerned about the quality of equipment, poor construction, the lack of training of operators and the lack of training simulators. There were far greater criminals than him at work. He is now mainly remembered for his work in containment of the Chernobyl disaster and presenting the investigation findings to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. Old guards of Soviet science were unexpectedly finding themselves in the backfoot as a result of the backlash from the Chernobyl incident. While nobody knows exactly the right reason for his suicide,
Emma Rose Fox. By and large, Soviet people did what they were told without being threatened with guns or any punishment. In a July 3 meeting of the Soviet politburo on the Chernobyl crisis, the Soviet deputy energy minister, G.A. Legasov was the one that brought in buses and trains for the
Only eight years after his suicide in 1996 did Legasov receive a posthumous honorary title of Hero of the Russian Federation for the "courage and heroism" shown in his investigation of the disaster, awarded by then-president Boris Yeltsin. Jared Harris as Valery Legasov: HBO, Rudi Blaha / Associated Press. [5] Legasov was not religious but very interested in religious history and heritage. The School in Sperizh'e pictured in 2016. He was the chief of the investigation committee of the Chernobyl disaster. I cant think of one anyway. 56 in Moscow and graduated with a gold medal. This is the great-men (and one woman) narrative of history, where its a few steps, a few decisions, made by a few men that matter, rather than the mess that humans make and from which they suffer. Velikhov in particular was concerned that the reactor remains could melt deep into the ground, as shown in the US film The China Syndrome. A year earlier, in 1987, he took a lethal dose of . I am a nuclear physicist, she tells an apparatchik, in Episode 2. It was not the first time that he attempted suicide. Privacy Statement I know that in the miniseries he speaks of the cost of lies, but I know that the miniseries isn't very accurate sometimes. April 26 was Saturday. [5] He frequently made excursions with his wife and children by car and saw many parts of the country. Legasov has been made immortal by the TV show, but if you dig long enough, you'll find that he was a very different man in real life. He wasnt meant to be in Chernobyl. The final episode of Chernobyl also contains a scene that encapsulates the Soviet system perfectly. (Legasov closes his eyes in dismay) Bryukhanov: Comrade Shcherbina. [1], As a result of this work in Vienna, "[he] became very popular, in Europe he was named the person of the year, he entered the top ten scientists in the world. Both Soviet nuclear scientist Valery Legasov (played by Jared Harris) and Soviet Deputy Prime Minister Boris Shcherbina (played by Stellan Skarsgrd) are real people; however, Soviet nuclear . In 2016, a bust and a commemorative plaque were installed on the wall of Valery Legasov's home in Tula.[39]. He wasn't threatened or bullied by the KGB, he wasn't thrown out of his office or anythin. He was assigned to compile a report for the International Atomic Energy Agency about the causes and aftermath of the accident. He just happened to be where he was in the food chain of Soviet science, where someone is important enough to appear before the government . Valery Legasov is a real person. The real-life story is a bit different. But when she asked survivors about Chernobyl they accessed their own stories more easily, because the story hadnt been told. Legasov was . Shasharin, said that "The personnel had no idea . Perhaps in response to this, Legasov received criticism of his leadership and his handling of the containment of the Chernobyl reactor and was ostracized by some of his fellow scientists. It smelled like burnt piles of collected leaves, the cough of a newly revived chimney, roasted chestnuts, the scent of a man's hands after hours spent in a wood shop. Here are some quotes for you to read about the Chernobyl incident as described in the series. But he wasnt, he wasnt an ambitious man, his daughter believes. character commits real-life suicide. But the most demoralizing part, which makes one worried and sick, is that the measures needed are known.[22]. [5], For around two years, Legasov worked as an engineer at the Siberian Chemical Combine in the city of Tomsk-7, as a shift supervisor. A man in a sweater and large horn-rimmed glasses sits in a kitchen listening to his own voice coming from a cassette player. Shcherbina (turning to Legasov): What does that number mean? 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. [2][3][4] He attended secondary school in Kursk. The problem is not just that Khomyuk is a fiction; its that the kind of expert knowledge she represents is a fiction. Ignatenkos monologue in Alexievichs book is some of the most memorable reading I have ever done. [13][9] In 1967,[citation needed] he defended his thesis at the Kurchatov Institute, under the supervisor Isaak Kikoin, on the synthesis of compounds of noble gases and the study of their properties[citation needed]. He led the commission that investigated the catastrophe. [14] At some stage, Legasov experienced face injuries and minor scarring as a result of chemical experimentation. The central figure in Chernobyl (screening in Australia on Foxtel) is Valery Legasov, a nuclear physicist sent to assess the reactor immediately following the initial explosion on 26 April 1986. Valery Legasov > Quotes > Quotable Quote. Jun 2, 2019. [28] Legasov had an article on industrial safety entitled "From Today to Tomorrow" published in Pravda on 5 October 1987 but it received little interest. This was one of the biggest challenges for the creators
"[5] That afternoon, he briefly visited his daughter. This, at last, is the gift of Chernobyl." Pikalov (having driven around the exploded reactor with a high-range dosimeter): It's not three roentgen.It's 15,000. Instead, it is filled by an entirely fictional, fantastical trial at which a large group of peoplescientists, we are toldare given an accurate assessment of events in an accessible, brilliant speech, the likes of which Soviet courts didnt feature. Her baby lived for four hours after birth; she had apparently absorbed the radiation, saving her mothers life. closing title card: [with photo of real-life Legasov] Valery Legasov took his own life at the age of 51 on April 26, 1988, exactly two years after the explosion at Chernobyl. The viewer is invited to fantasize that, if not for Dyatlov, the better men would have done the right thing and the fatal flaw in the reactor, and the system itself, might have remained latent. Because an attempt by a non-professional to bring some kind of insight into their work could hardly be acceptable the scientific spirit and the scientific atmosphere in reactor engineering gradually began to submit to the engineering will, as it were, to the ministerial will All conceptual talks, all attempts at adopting a scientific, consistent approach towards this problem, they did not accept at all. (She lied about it.) He understood quite well what he was doing and how much radiation he was being exposed to.. Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Second, the apparatchik might have worked at a shoe factory, but, if he was an apparatchik, he was no cobbler; he has come up the Party ladder, which might indeed have begun at the factorybut in an office, not on the factory floor. Some in the Ministry of Medium Machine Building (Sredmash) opposed his appointment, fearing Legasov would be difficult to control, since the nuclear establishment wanted to divert blame to others if possible. Valery Alexeyevich Legasov1936911988427 After his death, radiation was found on his belongings. HBOs latest drama series Chernobyl paints a rather accurate picture of
This is what I was passionately working on, mainly figuring out the dangers in sources of energy alternative to nuclear energy. Tatiana Ignatenko was a collective farm fieldworker, and Ivan Ignatenko a tractor, and later truck . In fact, Legasov would have lived in an entirely different kind of squalor than the fireman did. [1], The conference was a public relations triumph for the Soviets as it reassured Western governments and scientists that the disaster was being contained[26] and that the Soviets could competently manage nuclear power in the future.