His decisions helped save millions of lives, but he paid the ultimate price. Jared Harris as Valery Legasov: HBO, Rudi Blaha / Associated Press. We are so focused on I was filled with trust and respect for him Valery Alekseevich himself flew over the reactor by helicopter 5-6 times a day. officials denied the threat to the public. The case of Valery is mysterious and unsettling to this day. The best part of those tapes are his admission that the roots Chernobyl disaster lies in a systematic fault in Soviet science and bureaucracy, along with his interview with Adamovich. They always do. In the final episode of HBO's Emmy award-winning miniseries Chernobyl, Valery Legasov (Jared Harris) stated this while explaining the Soviet Union's role in the nuclear disaster and subsequent cover . I know that in the miniseries he speaks of the cost of lies, but I know that the miniseries isn't very accurate sometimes. His report was 400-pages long, and he presented it during a five-hour Even though one was only allowed to spend a maximum of two weeks at the site, Legasov spent four months (!) 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. When the scientist hesitates to explain how a nuclear reactor works, he's . I must resign. At the same time, he was not always right, he ordered what to do and how to do it. Add to that his unpopularity among the younger scientists due to his meteoric rise in Soviet science and his questionable handling of the situation after the accident, and Legasov found himself being pushed back from all quarters. He took this role in order to gain practical experience that would be the basis for later research. 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 . Legasov, with only a few anomalies. "[5] In public, Legasov supported the official story that operator error caused the accident. The most notable thing he said was: After I had visited Chernobyl nuclear power plant, I came to the conclusion that the accident was the inevitable apotheosis of the economic system which had been developed in the USSR over many decades. Vasily Ivanovich Ignatenko was born on 13 March 1961, in the Brahin District of the Gomel Region of the Byelorussian SSR. Tula, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, Educated At: presentation to the International Atomic Energy Agency. There were no books or movies or songs. The poster for HBO's Chernobyl. Having put the tapes in the ventilation system of the house, he returns home, feeds his cat, smokes a cigarette, and hangs himself. A scientist was needed to join the state commission and all Alexandrovs deputies from the Kurchatov Institute were unreachable. Two years later, he ended his own life unexpectedly. Valery legasov was a nuclear physicist. Alexievichs book about Chernobyl was published in Russian in 1997, more than ten years after one of the reactors at the Chernobyl power plant exploded, in what was probably the worst nuclear accident in history. It is better to move around the zone with a dosimeter. The real Valery Legasov. people. I swear we get this question once a week on this sub No, the cost of lies quote is fictional. " Legasov: [showing pictures of the damaged reactor] The atom is a humbling thing. He saw his main goal was not in justifying the Soviet Union and hide certain information, but, on the contrary, to educate the world community on what to do in such situations, Inga told Russian newspaper, MK. Did Valery Legasov really commit suicide? There was no suicide note but he left a series of recorded tapes detailing how disillusioned he had become of the . [7], Legasov married Margarita Mikhailovna and had two children, Inga Legasova and Aleksey Valeryevich. Whatever I touch - everything is ruined: no one needs anything! Finally, the HBO series Chernobyl, the fifth and final episode of which aired Monday, tells a fictionalized version. Sooner or later, that debt is paid. They [23], With the first draft of Legasov's report received by the Central Committee, some were shocked and one minister forwarded it to the KGB with the recommendation that the authors be prosecuted. Liam Daniel/HBO. Our drinking water - Is the world drying up? Valery was a proponent of transparency between the commission's findings and the public in spite of the Soviet government's efforts to downplay the Chernobyl . As if the subject matter of Chernobyl wasn't dark enough, the HBO miniseries began with the suicide of the man who led the investigation of this nuclear accident . [2][3][4] He attended secondary school in Kursk. We cut the phone lines. Clothes, objects, and light itself seem to come straight out of nineteen-eighties Ukraine, Belarus, and Moscow. [1] Ustynyuk called Legasov at 22:30 on the same day saying he might still prevail with support from other top scientists that had not been consulted on the decision. 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). A lot changed after Chernobyl. [1], Legasov attended a turbulent meeting with the Politburo, on 3 July in which the causes of the accident and flaws in the RBMK reactor were discussed. Answer: His housekeeper, who discovered the body. Craig Mazin tried to warn us. [2] While he was a shy student, he excelled in both academic work and social activities being elected secretary of his school's Komsomol committee. Yes. Save. In effect, Plokhy argues, it was the Soviet system that created Chernobyl and made the explosion inevitable. Valery Legasov Real Quotes & Sayings. The answer is NO. hours after it occurred. But the real story of Valery Legasov in Chernobyl, played by Jared Harris, makes it somehow even more tragic. 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. [11], There are several theories concerning Legasov's motivations and state of mind. Father used to bring the documents home. the Chernobyl accident, why one person behaved in such a way and why another [7] Legasov was impressed by the operation of the KGB in the area but considered the Civil Defence group to be in shambles. He was appointed by the Soviet Government to investigate the Chernobyl disaster less than 24 hours after it occurred. Meta Midnight in Chernobyl Key Figures. It was Legasov who was directly involved in organizing the liquidation process of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. A page for describing Quotes: Chernobyl. the chemistry of noble gases. [20][21] He had been involved in work on industrial safely with the GKNT (State Committee for Science and Technology), in which he had explored the risks involved in energy generation. Conference Footage. Lies. One would think that a vacuum created by lies could be filled by truth. Lead was included as a radiation absorber, as well as sand and clay, which it was hoped would prevent the release of particulates. Valery Alekseyevich Legasov was a Soviet inorganic chemist and a member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. #ValeryLegasov #Chernobyl #ChernobylHBO. Chernobyl accident. Most of the first government commission were replaced by new staff due to radiation exposure. MOSCOW (AP) _ Valery A. Legasov, a physical chemist who led the commission the investigated the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, has died at the age of 51, the official Soviet news agency Tass announced. Fewer young people joined. Valery Legasov: 5 Fast Facts You Need to . Before you were Deputy Secretary, you worked in a shoe factory. First, shed never say this. There could have been another reason for choosing Legasov - before the disaster took place, he had stressed the importance of new security methodology for preventing large catastrophes and, as his daughter recalls, pointed to the problems of RBMK-1000 reactors (the one that exploded) and the risks of operating nuclear reactors, offering to secure them with a protective shield - a proposal that was denied by colleagues. The Mad Men actor is playing Valery Legasov. 1. This is a lie. [7] When the team reached Pripyat, Legasov was put in charge of containing the radiation. [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. Legasova, Valery was the one who ordered and organized the mass exodus of [5][11] Even after Chernobyl, he remained a proponent of nuclear power generation.[29]. The staff began to age. Probably, he didnt want to be a burden on my mother. Herein lies one of the series biggest flaws: its failure to accurately portray Soviet relationships of power. He wasnt meant to be in Chernobyl. 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. 21. r/chernobyl. [1] Water in the lower barboteur was drained but Legasov was convinced that an explosion was not possible,[7] in contrast to what some scientists and politicians feared. In the popular HBO mini-series "Chernobyl," early episodes show scientists Valery Legasov, played by Jared Harris, and Ulana Khomyuk, a composite character played by Emily Watson . [1] Even before the Chernobyl disaster, Legasov was known to stress the need for new security and safety methods to prevent large catastrophes. Even the house pets left in the exclusion zone after people are evacuated are shown through the eyes of men who are sent there to execute them. [28], Some in the scientific community were still displeased by Legasov and his legacy. That is how we keep the people from undermining the fruits of their own labor.". [1] One senior scientist wrote "Legasov was a clear representative of that scientific mafia whose political leanings instead of scientific leadership led to the Chernobyl accident. He has succeeded in sending his message: Legasov claims political pressure censored the mention of Soviet nuclear secrecy in his report to the IAEA, secrecy which forbade even plant operators having knowledge of previous accidents and known problems with reactor design. Up until Chernobyl, he was being groomed to be the de facto leader of the Soviet scientific community - a place full of politics and nepotism. There are exceptions, flashes of brilliance that shed light on the bizarre workings of Soviet hierarchies. In fact, it wasnt the carrot of a single promotion, or even several promotions, and it wasnt one nasty and abusive boss. He led the commission that investigated the catastrophe. The grave of Valery Legasov (1936-1988) at the Novodevichye Cemetery in Moscow. Valery Alekseyevich Legasov (1 September 1936-27 April 1988) was a Soviet Inorganic Chemist who is known for his involvement in the cleanup of the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster. Pikalov (having driven around the exploded reactor with a high-range dosimeter): It's not three roentgen.It's 15,000. Assessment of the problem and implementation of operations had to be undertaken by the government commission. I was reading some portions of it but it felt as if he was mainly speaking on what happened and his experiences. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Valery legasov was a nuclear physicist. Two weeks later, on August 25, Valery Legasov, wearing a gray suit and striped tie, his face puffy and haggard behind thick glasses, took the floor on the opening day of the special . Testifying in court during the final episode, Legasov says, Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. It was almost by accident that he found himself included in the state commission on response to the Chernobyl disaster on April 26, 1986, his daughter Inga Legasova recalls. But when she asked survivors about Chernobyl they accessed their own stories more easily, because the story hadnt been told. Written by Craig Mazin. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Legasov found that the plant personnel were ready to do anything, but they had no real understanding of how to plan and organise. [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. Also, his attempts to establish a industrial safety system authority made him a darling to no one in science.
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