Photos Chernobyl

[Иван Феоктистов]

The Chernobyl disaster has become one of the most terrible in the history of mankind. It did not have thousands of dead, but the elimination of its consequences has become one of the most difficult operations in the history of the world. There are no exact figures how many people were there - scientists, soldiers, "partisans", policemen, volunteers from various industries.
Most researchers agree on a figure between 600 thousand and one million people.

And at the same time it is even more disgusting that they are trying in every possible way to forget about them, and their feat to be rewritten, to belittle the volume of what has been done, to distort the moral character of Soviet people. The American TV series "Chernobyl" was also involved in this. I, our liquidators (with whom I spoke) have my own opinion on this matter. But I don't want to post it here.

Here I just want to show the feat. Page by page. If you like, you can consider this one of the episodes in my story about the combat path of the Soviet army. If a similar branch already exists (I could not find it) - tell me, I will transfer all the information there.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

The first thing to focus on. On radiation. The man is an extremely tenacious bastard. What natural background is around us? 10, 15, 20 micro-roentgens per hour (in the USSR and Russia, the value "roentgen per hour" was used and continues to be used, not a sievert). What happens if we multiply one micro-roentgen / hour by a million times? It will turn out to be one roentgen / hour. Modern medicine can save a person who has received a thousand roentgens, can you imagine?

According to the regulations of the Civil Defense of the USSR, simultaneous irradiation of up to 50 roentgens per day is allowed, no more than 100 roentgens in three days. The liquidators were given a threshold of 25 roentgens. Someone deliberately violated it (most often specialists, officers or scientists), someone did not (because of their negligence).

Did the Soviet people know about radiation?
Yes. Since the 1940s, the threat of a new, nuclear war has hung over the world. From year to year, training in the disciplines of Civil Defense became better and better, with the arrival of Alexander Altunin as the head of the Civil Defense of the USSR, MANDATORY training was introduced from the second grade of the school. Everyone knew about nuclear war, about X-rays (from physics and chemistry lessons as well), everyone knew about the rules of behavior after a nuclear war. I think this is a very important fact for the perception of the picture.

In the photo: a souvenir from Chernobyl, a shoulder strap from a combined-arms complex protective suit OKZK with the stars of the captain. The inscription "Chernobyl - Pripyat, 8.02 - 26.03, 1987". The received dose is 17, 24 Roentgens.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

In the first few days of the accident, the police did not have respirators. Photo: traffic police officer at the entrance to the "Zone"

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

A military traffic inspector regulates traffic at the entrance to the Chernobyl zone. May 1986

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

Within a few days after the accident, several units of the Civil Defense Forces were deployed to Pripyat. They were commanded by the head of the USSR Civil Defense Alexander Terentyevich Altunin himself. He conducted radiation reconnaissance and estimated the scale of the disaster. Unfortunately, this great man did not spare himself. He already had one heart attack, great stress and confusion of the first days of the disaster undermined his health - he received a second heart attack, was hospitalized, and in the summer of 1986 asked to resign of his own free will.

Many prominent figures of the Civil Defense of the USSR went to Chernobyl with him - chiefs of republican headquarters, specialists from the Institute of Civil Defense.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

Just a small note about clothing. The USSR, as I already wrote, was preparing for a possible nuclear war. And for a nuclear war, the Soviet army had a special uniform - "Combined Arms Complex Protective Suit". He's OKZK. The cotton fabric was impregnated with a special solution and did not allow radioactive dust, bacteriological agents and even toxic substances to pass through. In general, a useful thing, large stocks of which were sent to Chernobyl. Together with them, a huge number of anti-dust respirators, gas masks, protective kits (OZK, made of rubber) and other necessary things were sent from the warehouses.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

Combat mission statement

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

The "workhorse" of the disaster was the Soviet DP-5 dosimeter. It allowed measuring radiation levels up to 200 Roentgens / hour and was widely used throughout the Chernobyl Zone. For dangerous places on the roof of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, other devices were used - for example, shipborne KRBG instruments, which could measure up to a thousand roentgens / hour.

A photo from DP-5 has become a must-have souvenir for everyone who has been to Chernobyl.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

Where were the liquidators located? The Soviet leadership believed to the last that it would be possible to save Pripyat, Chernobyl, and many villages. Therefore, the liquidators were accommodated in public places - hotels, schools, kindergartens, pioneer camps. In the summer of 1986, several tent camps were set up; by the fall, military builders built brick barracks in their place.

But to return to the base after a hard day, you need transport. Right? And armored vehicles became the main transport of the Zone. These were armored personnel carriers, as well as BRDM reconnaissance vehicles. Moreover, there were a lot of special vehicles BRDM-2RX, which were specially prepared for conducting radiation reconnaissance in the event of a nuclear war. Most of the Soviet equipment had anti-radiation lining, which reduced radiation levels by 15-20 times. Some drivers covered their cars with lead sheets, which they brought to Chernobyl.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

BRDM-2RKh in lead armor. Pay attention to the back of the car - BRDM-2RKh there they carried a set of fence signs, yellow flags with the inscription "Infected". If necessary, the flags could be fired remotely.

My Civil Defense teacher joked that a car surrounded by enemies could fire flags at the enemy.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

About the Infected signs. In the Soviet Army and Civil Defense, "Sets of fence signs" - KZO were used. The plaque had two fasteners for pieces of paper, one indicated the type of contamination (radiation, poisonous substance, bacteriological contamination), the second - the time of sampling, as well as the radiation background. The flag had a special pocket, where a note with the same information was inserted.

The specifics of work in a radioactive zone forced the widespread use of these plates.

 

[uktabber]

WOW, once again GREAT PHOTOS of a unique period in history and from a closed place......very interesting stuff and no doubt the human toll there with the response was great!! Thanks for posting these!!

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

WOW, once again GREAT PHOTOS of a unique period in history and from a closed place......very interesting stuff and no doubt the human toll there with the response was great!! Thanks for posting these!!

I was talking about the efforts that people have made, not about the loss of life. With the exception of some of the station personnel and firefighters, there were few casualties. Yes, there were safety violations, there were car accidents, some people developed chronic diseases even from small doses of radiation (gastritis, for example). However, these are isolated cases, and I consider it incorrect to apply them to hundreds of thousands (thousands!) оf people.

Time has dealt a much bigger blow. Many reservists who had children were called up to Chernobyl (since young soldiers and officers could have problems with their offspring) - they were 30, 40, 50 years old. 35 years later, many became old and died of natural causes.

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

In the first few days of the accident, the police did not have respirators. Photo: traffic police officer at the entrance to the "Zone"

View attachment 314396

Deputy head of the Pripyat city department of the police Stelmakh Anatoly Petrovich, the first days after the evacuation of the city

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

Soviet policemen in Pripyat, 1988

 

[BeNder]

I remember seeing this on TV at the time (American Media). I saw Russian helicopters flying in Russian Troops to pick up debris from the site. It was said that they received a lifetime of radiation in the 60 seconds that they were allowed to pick up contaminates.

 

[uktabber]

Wow, once again mate, great photos to share, thanks!!

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

I remember seeing this on TV at the time (American Media). I saw Russian helicopters flying in Russian Troops to pick up debris from the site. It was said that they received a lifetime of radiation in the 60 seconds that they were allowed to pick up contaminates.

Again, the roofs of the Chernobyl NPP are only a small episode of the entire liquidation. But even here you can see a good example. To build the sarcophagus, the roofs of the station had to be cleared. For these tasks, a special headquarters of dosimetrists was formed. It was commanded by Yuri Samoylenko. They assumed a variety of options for carrying out the work - up to the shooting of graphite blocks from the DShK machine gun. However, they settled on people. Incidentally, I have never heard anyone use the term "biorobots".

Well, that's what I'm getting at. Workers of the special headquarters repeatedly went to the rooftops. For example, Valery Starodumov. He was one of the first dosimetrists, he led the first group of soldiers, he is one of the three who planted the flag on the chimney after cleaning the roofs. He knew very well about radiation, he deliberately left his personal dosimeter at the base. He received more than 400 roentgens, was treated for radiation sickness, and after that he worked for a very long time in the atomic field. Samoylenko is also alive. And, for example, the scientist Viktor Golubev, who worked in the danger zone more than them, died very quickly after the accident.

Before the soldiers left, their protection had to be tested. General Tarakanov examined the place of work, he was the first to go out to where his soldiers were sent. After that, military doctor Saleev, wearing various dosimeters, went upstairs in protective clothing and worked for a minute in the danger zone. Instrument data said it was possible.

The soldiers went to the roof once. Initially, the most radioactive things were removed so that the background gradually decreased. The soldiers were specially trained at the training ground in order to minimize the time of their stay at the top (this is often forgotten). And as a result, in those seconds they received 20-25 roentgens, and it is somehow difficult to call it the "dose of a lifetime".

On the picture:

Military doctor Saleev

 

[Иван Феоктистов]

Yuri Samoilenko, Victor Golubev

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