The miners finished their work ahead of schedule, but by then the molten core had cooled itself. You could see the equipment and pumps exposed. 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. "However, the technological aspects have some discrepancies which may not exactly [be] lies, but merely fiction," he adds. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. "A thin stream the firemen poured probably evaporated before it even reached reactor.". 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. [3] The operators attempted to perform a rundown test before scheduled routine maintenance, during which reactor 4 exploded. "They were not looking good, to put it mildly," he says. Akimov had 100% of his skin burnt by radiation. This is an eerie and deserted location, as the homes of Kopachi were completely bulldozed and buried by the Soviet Army. "I was surprised they even brought us there," Mr Breus says of arriving at work the morning after the explosion. It kills you slowly, and it kills you in an excruciating manner. 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. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Panting. In preparation, Anatoly Dyatlov ordered the power to be reduced to 700 MW, as the test plan stipulated. Akimov tries reassuring his even more shellshocked colleague, reactor engineer Leonid Toptunov, that they did everything right. Although he could walk, his parents could see he had strange skin damage. They knew where the valves were, so they were the right men for the task. 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. 6 in Moscow, where Alexander Akomv is suffering towards death. And Oleksiy Breus sees their portrayal as "not a fiction, but a blatant lie". The body of one of them, Valery Khodemchuk, was never recovered from the reactor debris. The reactor power level had been reduced, preparing for a planned safety test. Warning: This story contains plot details from the miniseries. "Their characters are distorted and misrepresented, as if they were villains. He sent a letter to his parents and left a note on where to find him in Moscow. He is reported to have stated that he believed he had done everything correctly. The goal was to test the system for preventive maintenance in case of a real power shutdown. The scene where Dr. Khomyuk is jailed by the KGB was filmed in Vilnius at a real former KGB prison.
What happened to Akimov Chernobyl? - Quora When Alexander has taken his duties, the reactor was in the state of preparation for the shutdown of the power. The reason was the reactor's unstable condition due to low electrical network power. I havent seen this one yet, looking forward to watching! 4 to evaluate radiation levels. What interviewer? 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. "There are many stereotypes shown, typical of Western portrayal of the Soviet Union," argues Oleksiy Breus. His father was involved in the Soviet space program and during his childhood, he was surrounded by scientists and engineers.[2]. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. One resident recalled, Queues of jammed buses left the city. 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. [4] Toptunov and Akimov received bone marrow transplants in attempt to restore their immune systems.
These Photos Show Just How True to Real Life the Chernobyl - Insider [3][page needed] At some point he gave deathbed confessions stating repeatedly: I did everything correctly. Toptunov, along with non-essential personnel, was dismissed.
Chernobyl radiation: What radiation poisoning does to you. - Mamamia his younger brother is donating bone marrow but the transplant can't stop the decay of the tissue. Thank you! Founder of Crime Viral community since 2015. Temperatures beneath the reactor were high and the series shows them stripping naked. Residents started to panic when there was a metallic smell in the air, and the atmosphere appeared different. Before he was gone, he told about the test proceedings. Yet, with us, death is a biological event. 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. His family was informed that his death was the only reason he was not prosecuted for the accident. 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. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? Or something along those lines. 0000018917 00000 n
Sputnik/RIA Vasily Ignatenko was 25 years old when he died of radiation. This actor is also famous for his acts in the BBC Robin Hood series. Very awesome. In the series, Pripyat residents rush to a railway bridge for a better view of the fire, unaware of the exposure. However, they didnt know about the faults that had been made during the construction of the reactor. BBC Ukrainian Hours after the world's worst nuclear accident, engineer Oleksiy Breus entered the control room of the No. Finally, 11 days after the disaster, officials warned the residents of Kiev that they should avoid eating leafy vegetables and to stay indoors. Mr Breus says the series creators showed the radiation effects on the human body well. Firefighters sent from neighbouring Pripyat did not know of any radiation exposure and Ignatenko died of acute radiation syndrome on 13 May 1986. The work done would last until the morning hours of the 27th by trying to pump water into the exposed reactor core. Cheish Merryweather is a true crime fan and an oddities fanatic.
Aleksandr Akimov and Leonid Toptunov - But Valery Alekseyevich Stayed HBO. Contrary to reports that the three divers died of radiation sickness as a result of their action, all three survived. Warning: This story contains plot details from the miniseries. In ablaze, he does indeed talk to Akimov and how much he wanted to live.. but Read wasn't talking about Akimov when he said about skin falling off his legs. Two weeks have passed since the explosion as Akimov's suffering is ends. 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. 0000013685 00000 n
Answer (1 of 4): There would have been a hydrogen explosion instead of a steam explosion. 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. 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. Arriving at work that morning, Mr Breus says he did not see any fire. Elk were contaminated, and the moment their bodies were thrown in a quarry after being stripped of their heads and fur was captured on camera. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? They knew where the valves were, so they were the right men for the task. According to Sources: Akimov suffered severe Leg Burns and the high amount of radiation caused it face to slowly dissolve away. Our first priority is--PEREVOZCHENKO, 30's, bursts in. Akimov was exposed during his work to a lethal dose of 15 Gy of radiation. Contents hide. 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. His burnt lungs hardly let him breathe, his intestines have decomposed, excrements mixed with blood are oozing from his body. He had health problems afterwards.". Hours after the world's worst nuclear accident, engineer Oleksiy Breus entered the control room of the No. For example, Mazin says the showrunners deliberately outfitted the divers at the beginning of the episode with authentic Dynamo wind-up flashlights, using the wonderful noise they emit to create the scenes atmosphere. Despite the change in tone, Chernobyl still knows how to terrify its audience, and Emily Watsons performance as Ulana Khomyuk, the nuclear scientist who visits men dying of radiation poisoning, gets under your skin even more than scenes of engineer Leonid Toptunovs bloody hospital bed sheets. In the hours after the explosion, he spoke to Oleksandr Akimov, the shift leader at the No. For example, everything the show depicts about Lyudmilla and Vasily Ignatenko the bribes, the questions about children, the game of cards, the ban on touching all really happened. "It was just our work. It's not just a local interest, for a small group of people, but it is still worldwide. startxref
"Radiation exposure, red skin, radiation burns and steam burns were what many people talked about but it was never shown like this. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. 0000001387 00000 n
Biography Akimov was born in 1953 in the Soviet Union. They showed Mr. Schadov as an incompetent official who is not respected by the miners. 0000009438 00000 n
Hours after the world's worst nuclear accident, engineer Oleksiy Breus entered the control room of the No. Aleksandr Akimov was born on 6 May 1953 in . Children are shown playing in the radioactive dust, which falls from the sky like snow. Instead, the job was handed over to humans, who could not be exposed for any longer than 40 seconds. Arriving at work that morning, Mr Breus says he did not see any fire. Their skin had a bright red colour. The test was completed and the AZ-5 button was pressed to shut the reactor down. 0000001545 00000 n
[4] His parents once asked about the cause but he only could say they had followed regulations. Chernobyl (TV Mini Series 2019) Sam Troughton as Alexandr Akimov.
It's now a museum. 04:30 - Chief engineer Fomin arrived in the Block 4 control room. xref
Everyone who worked to restore coolant flow would have suffered greatly from leg burns, because they were standing in the water. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 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. 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. Following the disaster, citizens in the city of Kiev were advised by authorities to take regular warm showers, keep their windows closed, and regularly wash their furniture. Dyatlov ordered Toptunov and Akimov to raise the power to the requisite 700 MW. Hes not a man anymore, but a reactor. My body parts not covered by clothes - such as hands, face and neck - were red". I also heard that his otopsy file is closed to the public and is only accessible with specific permission. Wrong : the poor guy who saw the skin of his leg fell off was Vyacheslav S. Brazhnik, Senior turbine operator. 0000014730 00000 n
"There are many stereotypes shown, typical of Western portrayal of the Soviet Union," argues Oleksiy Breus. [4] He left the control room but decided to return out of a sense of responsibility. The body of one of them, Valery Khodemchuk, was never recovered from the reactor debris. [. What are you thinking? Tatiana Ignatenko was a collective farm fieldworker, and Ivan Ignatenko a tractor, and later truck . Select it and press Ctrl+Enter, Yegor Moskvitin reviews a poignant new depiction of the Soviet disaster, I was there, and I dont want to watch this anymore, A journalist in Baltimore shows HBO's Chernobyl to his stepfather and discovers that he was part of the USSR's military cleanup, The widow of a Chernobyl engineer remembers her husband and describes returning to work at the power plant after the 1986 nuclear accident. 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. "The Chernobyl catastrophe is depicted in a very powerful way, as a global catastrophe that absorbed huge numbers of people. ", 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. The precautions were not enough, as, since 1986, physicians have reported a rise in birth defects. Tatarchuk said of the aftermath, It was criminal. "It was just our work. 1156/2008 of 12 December 2008", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leonid_Toptunov&oldid=1139033343, This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 00:49. Youll burn together. I followed them around them like a dog I stood by the door for hours, asking and begging. He stayed behind and had his crew turn on the emergency water pumps to flood the reactor - sadly, the power source was inactive.
He points to a few inaccuracies in the TV portrayal. It was supposed to shut down the reactor, but the result turned out to be the exact opposite. 0000000756 00000 n
", By now Akimov's wife Lyuba was allowed to come to Moscow. Who is the man on the time stamp on 9:20? Some of the events he witnessed that morning were realistically depicted in the show, he says, but others he describes as fiction. Two more workers died because of injuries. But while many have complimented the show's attention to detail, he believes it is also one of the downsides of the TV series.
Aleksandr Akimov Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family 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. [1], On the night of 26 April 1986, Akimov was on duty as the shift supervisor of the 4th power unit. Months after the Chernobyl disaster, the radioactivity had spread to Galsjo Forest in Sweden.
The buses which escorted the residents out of Pripyat spread the radiation to wider areas. We flew out to see what was happening, then returned and flew back in the morning.[2], The amount of radiation the Chernobyl disaster released into the atmosphere was 50 million curiesequivalent to around 500 Hiroshima bombs. The guy that posted it was a Radiation Specialist and had access to records of a lot of the Chernobyl victims. Later in May, the Russian first deputy health minister also issued a warning that vodka and red wine were not a cure for radiation exposuredespite popular belief. They later died in hospital in Moscow.". There are many theories about the reasons for the nuclear plant explosion, but they all have the same common denominator: the human element. Sam Troughton, an English actor, performed the role of Chernobyl supervisor of the shift in the Chernobyl series by HBO in 2019. We dont think of our own death. "A big cup, vodka, KGB everywhere.". 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. [] It was a kind of torture I would have never even contemplated. He knew he was going to die but didn't want to. Hours after the world's worst nuclear accident, engineer Oleksiy Breus entered the control room of the No. Its as if the showrunners saw it all happen with their own eyes. Also, emotions and mood at that time are shown quite precisely, both among the personnel and the authorities. )EBiz0xCBM7.q \T:vWM3@M1my0R(;-owTH|B0 8o%;'A~,6rCBU+3gZ/7kzXjUD%o|M\? <]>>
"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.
Is this Aleksandr Akimov? : r/chernobyl - reddit When confronted with confusing reactor indications, he initiated an emergency shutdown of Unit 4 of the large electricity . UC San Francisco's Lydia Zablotska, MD, PhD, grew up in Ukraine, trained as physician . 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. There was no mention of the flawed construction. 10 Most Haunted Buildings In New York City And Their, 10 Iconic Mascots And Their Surprising Backstories, Top 9 Newly Found Photos Of Ted Bundy And Their, Top 10 Murder Houses In Los Angeles And Their, 10 Superhero Actors Who Have Their Own Tragic Backstories, Top 10 Haunting Images Of Historic Tragedies [DISTURBING], 10 Cereals With Strange And Interesting Backstories, 10 Most Haunting Cases Investigated By Ed And, 10 Controversial Toys You Might Already Have in Your Home, Ten Absolutely Vicious Fights over Inherited Fortunes, 10 Female Film Pioneers Who Shaped the Movies, Ten True Tales from Americas Toughest Prison, 10 Times Members of Secretive Societies and Organizations Spilled the Beans, 10 Common Idioms with Unexpectedly Dark Origins, 10 North American Animals with Misplaced Reputations, 10 Modern Radiation Accidents Involving Civilians, 10 Famous Incidences of Death by Radiation, Top 10 Creepiest Forests Around the World, 10 Chilling Myths and Ghosts Youve Probably Never Heard Of, 10 Terrifying First-Hand Accounts Of Sleep Paralysis, Top 10 Creepiest Things From Around The Internet, 10 Creepy And Mysterious Phantom Vehicles. [2] He worked as a unit control engineer and senior reactor control engineer. 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. Role of Akimov in Chernobyl As we know from the official data, Akimov is wrongfully accused of being responsible for the accident. During his stay, he discussed possible causes of the accident with Akimov and Dyatlov but they were mystified. The School in Sperizh'e pictured in 2016. At first, the head of the tests, Dyatlov A. S., forced them, with his orders, to move away Can either be found at house parties telling everyone Charles Manson was only 52 or at home reading true crime magazines. Read about our approach to external linking. Oleksiy Breus says the accident helped reveal the substantial flaws of the Soviet system. He was portrayed by actor Aleksandr Khoroshko in the 2004 Zero Hour television series, by Alex Lowe in the 2006 BBC production Surviving Disaster: Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster[6] and by Sam Troughton in the 2019 HBO miniseries Chernobyl. The village of Kopachi lies 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) from the site of the Chernobyl disaster. .]
This later became known as the "Bridge of Death" after reports that those who stood there allegedly died from radiation sickness. I wasn't aware of this new documentary. 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, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Meduza shares its thoughts about the shows latest installment, Open Wide, O Earth, and looks at some of the showrunners editing decisions. Is it Kovalenko? Some Chernobyl leaders built their defense on their bones. The control rods had graphite moderators to speed up reaction and the other part of the rods were made of boron to decrease reaction. The authors would never pass up a chance to introduce a brand new scientific discovery to the world!
Akimov : r/chernobyl - reddit 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. He was 33 at that time. 0000001006 00000 n
After the humans evacuated, wildlife grew rapidly with limited predators to hunt them downwild boar multiplied eightfold in the two years following the disaster. Theres something wrong with you.. 21 23
His parents visited him in the hospital. 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. At 04:00, Moscow ordered feeding of water to the reactor. Russians and Ukrainians have watched it via the internet, and it has had a favourable rating on Russian film site Kinopoisk. 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. Police roamed the streets wearing gas masks, but the residents were kept in the dark and only heard rumors. 04:00 - Further fire fighting units arrive from Chernobyl, Polesskoe and Kiev. "For example, that useless secrecy, which became one of the reasons behind the Chernobyl disaster. "', 'In Moscow, doctors are trying to save Alexander Akimov's life. In fact, theyre completely true. In 2014, Michael Donnelly, chairman of Chernobyl Childrens Appeal, said, These children are forced to suffer through no fault of their own. Withdrawing a dangerous number of control rods, the operators could only reach 200 MW due to xenon poisoning. AKIMOV . "I was surprised they even brought us there," Mr Breus says of arriving at work the morning after the explosion. The events of Chernobyl made me focus on my own mortalityon all our mortality. More than 600,000 civil and military personnel have been given the honorary status of Chernobyl liquidators since the cleanup began in 1986. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. At 9:25 time mark, do you think it might be Khodemchuk? But no matter how strict he was, he was still a high-level professional.". 30 33 Related Topics Chernobyl Ukraine Europe Place 33 comments Best Add a Comment ApprehensiveFarmer17 2 yr. ago Akimov had 100% of his skin burnt by radiation.
8 Real-Life Heroes Who Literally Saved The World From Disaster When the situation got out of control, the AZ-5 button was pressed. Nearly 8.4 million residents of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia were exposed to the radioactive cloud that was released. When the operators pushed the red button, the reactor didn't stop but exploded.". 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. [3] However, the reactor stalled unexpectedly during test preparations, dropping to a low 30 MW. 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]. "It was clear they felt sick. The Accident at Chernobyl: What Caused the Explosion? Vasily Ignatenko was just 25 when he succumbed to slow death via radiation poisoning after fighting the fires of Chernobyl. Oleksiy Breus says the accident helped reveal the substantial flaws of the Soviet system. 03:30 - Telyatnikov contacted Akimov, asking what was happening to his firemen; Akimov sent him a dosimetrist. "When he was present at the block, it created tension for everyone. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? %PDF-1.6
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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], In 2008, Akimov was posthumously awarded with the 3rd degree Order For Courage by Viktor Yushchenko, then the President of Ukraine.[5]. Undeservedly condemned, professionally slandered. 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. "Another friend treated at the same time said he had a date with his girlfriend close to the bridge that night.
For Russian football coach and player, see, This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is. [5], In 2008, Toptunov was posthumously awarded with the 3rd degree Order For Courage by Viktor Yushchenko, then the President of Ukraine.[6]. I can guarantee that nothing other than necrosis of the skin took place. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. 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. ", he asks the one in the neighbouring bed, "We only pressed the shutdown button!" In March 1983, Toptunov began his career at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The city held its annual May Day parades as the government assured citizens everything was normal. Everyone stay calm. Without functioning bone marrow in the body, a patient will usually die within four weeks. 0000005085 00000 n
During his first years at Chernobyl, he held positions of senior turbine management engineer and shift supervisor of the turbine hall. His wife Lyuba is at his side.'. Aleksandr Akimov was born on 6 May 1953 in Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR (Republic of the Soviet Union). While viewers may have difficulty grasping the scale of the war being waged inside the Exclusion Zone, its impossible to miss the human sacrifices it required. During the test, Akimov called for the AZ-5 (scram) button to be pressed to shut down the reactor, and Toptunov operated the button. Vasily Ivanovich Ignatenko was born on 13 March 1961, in the Brahin District of the Gomel Region of the Byelorussian SSR. The The judges of the show trial claim one year later: The engineers are at fault who started operation of the reactor in 1983, despite not all safety tests having been passed. There are many charities that support facilities which help babies who were born with severe birth defects, including neurological difficulties and heart conditions. This is not a polemic about nuclear power. [] And the last thing that I want this show to do is to scare people about nuclear power. 4. A member of staff at the plant from 1982, he became a witness to the immediate aftermath on the morning of 26 April 1986. 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.