Chinese (Simplified) 
Chinese (Traditional) 
English 
French 
Alemão 
Italian 
Japanese 
Norwegian 
Spanish 
4 min read
0 comments
Discover the story of Vasily Ignatenko, the young firefighter who sacrificed his life during the Chernobyl nuclear accident, and the impact his journey left on the world
On April 26, 1986, the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant changed the course of history in the former Soviet Union. During a safety test at Reactor 4, an error in the operation of the control rods caused a devastating explosion. The nuclear reaction spiraled out of control, releasing excess gas. radioactive material.
The disaster caused open-air fires and contaminated areas of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Western Europe. The radiation spread affected thousands of people, and the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone remains largely uninhabited to this day.
The beginning of the tragedy
The explosion in Reactor 4 occurred in the early hours of the morning, at 1:23 a.m. The control rods, instead of containing the reaction, intensified the nuclear fission. The result was a steam explosion that blew the top cover of the reactor into the air.
-
Compilation of near-fatal incidents for training
-
The mesmerizing and deadly blue glow that haunted the capital of Goiás: glowing stone caused one of the most devastating accidents in the world, affecting thousands of Brazilians with lethal radiation
-
Mexican ship collides with bridge in US, leaving two dead and at least 22 injured
-
The city that was buried and became another: does Brazil have its own 'Pompeii'? Few people know, but there is a Brazilian city that practically rose from the ashes
Buy
Immediately after the explosion, the plant management called emergency teams. Firefighters and plant workers, unaware of the severity of the radiation, rushed to fight the fires. Among them was Vasily Ignatenko, a firefighter from the 6th Paramilitary Brigade in Pripyat.
Vasily Ignatenko
Born on March 13, 1961, in Spiaryžža, Belarus, Vasily was a firefighter working in Pripyat. On the night of the accident, he was called minutes after the explosion and was part of the first team sent to contain the fires.
He was assigned to work on the roof of the ventilation building and in block 3, near the destroyed reactor. Together with colleagues such as Vladimir Tishura, Nikolai Titenok and Nikolai Vashchuck, he climbed to the top of the building via the external ladder. Without access to the internal plumbing, they improvised by taking the hoses to the top of the building.
There, they were directly exposed to radiation. They walked on radioactive debris and inhaled contaminated smoke. Soon after, Vasily and his colleagues began to experience the effects of acute radiation syndrome, with vomiting and extreme weakness.
Hospitalization and death
Vasily was taken to the Pripyat hospital at around 2:35 a.m. From there he was transferred to Moscow, where he was admitted to Hospital No. 6, which specializes in radiological treatments.
On May 2, Vasily underwent a bone marrow transplant donated by his older sister. His 13-year-old sister, Natasha, was considered an ideal donor, but she refused the procedure. The transplant failed. Vasily developed severe infections, skin necrosis, and organ failure.
His wife Lyudmilla witnessed his suffering in the hospital. In her accounts published in the book “Voices from Chernobyl” by Svetlana Alexievich, Lyudmilla described her husband’s terrible condition.
Vasily died on May 13, at 11:20 in the morning, at the age of 25. He was buried with military honors at the Mitinskoe Cemetery in Moscow, inside two coffins: an inner one made of zinc and an outer one made of wood, due to the radioactivity still present in the body.
Lyudmilla and the loss of her daughter
Lyudmilla was pregnant when she decided to stay by Vasily's side during his hospitalization. After her husband's death, she gave birth to a girl, Natasha, who was born with severe birth defects and died soon after.
According to Lyudmilla, doctors claimed that Chernobyl patients did not transmit radiation after bathing and changing clothes. However, she believed that her husband's radiation was transmitted to their daughter.
Tributes and legacy
Vasily Ignatenko was posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Banner of the USSR, and in 2006 - the title of Hero of Ukraine and the Order of Courage.
Streets in Minsk and Berezino are named after him. There are also monuments in his memory in Brahin and Berezino, where exhibitions about his history are held.
His life and sacrifice were portrayed in the 2019 HBO miniseries “Chernobyl.” In the series, Vasily is played by Adam Nagaitis, while Lyudmilla is played by Jessie Buckley. The series dramatized the events based on real-life accounts, although it took some creative liberties.
Controversy after the miniseries
In 2020, Lyudmilla told the BBC that she was not consulted about the production of the series and that she suffered harassment after it aired. Journalists reportedly went to her home without permission to obtain interviews. According to her, she was also blamed for her daughter's death in public comments.
Lyudmilla reported having received a payment proposal of US$3, with no clear explanation as to why. Suspicious, she refused the amount.
HBO and Sky have denied the allegations, saying they tried to contact Lyudmilla several times and sought to portray the story with respect and authenticity.
The Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl accident is considered the worst nuclear accident in history, both in terms of human and environmental impact. The explosion caused widespread contamination of the region, resulting in countless deaths, illnesses, mass evacuations and an exclusion zone that remains in place to this day.
Even after 39 years, Vasily Ignatenko's name remains a symbol of courage and sacrifice in the face of one of the greatest tragedies of the XNUMXth century.
With information from Adventures in History.
