Valery Alekseyevich Legasov (russian: Валерий Алексеевич Легасов; 1 September 1936 – 27 April 1988) was a Soviet and Russian
inorganic chemist
Inorganic chemistry deals with synthesis and behavior of inorganic and organometallic compounds. This field covers chemical compounds that are not carbon-based, which are the subjects of organic chemistry. The distinction between the two discipl ...
and a member of the
Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union
The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991, uniting the country's leading scientists, subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (until 1946 ...
. He is now mainly remembered for his work in containment of the
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is one of only two n ...
and presenting the investigation findings to the
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 195 ...
(IAEA) in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
Early life
Valery Alekseyevich Legasov was born on September 1, 1936, in
Tula
Tula may refer to:
Geography
Antarctica
*Tula Mountains
* Tula Point
India
* Tulā, a solar month in the traditional Indian calendar
Iran
* Tula, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province
Italy
* Tula, Sardinia, municipality (''comune'') in the ...
,
Russian SFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
, into a family of civil workers.
He attended secondary school in
Kursk
Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...
.
In 1949–1954, he attended School No. 56 in Moscow and graduated with a gold medal.
While he was a shy student, he excelled in both academic work and social activities being elected secretary of his school's
Komsomol
The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...
committee.
During 1953, he proposed reforms to the Komsomol committee to address what he perceived as indifference and passivity of its members.
These ideas were quickly quashed by the authorities. His headmaster observed that Legasov "is a grown up man, a future statesman, a talented organizer. He can be a philosopher, а historian, an engineer..."
The school now bears his name, and his bronze bust stands at the entrance.
For two years he worked as a released secretary of the
VLKSM committee, he was elected to the bureau of the Soviet District Committee of the Komsomol and to the Moscow City Committee of the Komsomol. In 1961, he graduated from the Faculty of Physicochemical Engineering at the
,
where he learned how nuclear fuel is processed, handled and disposed.
Personal life
Legasov married Margarita Mikhailovna and had two children, Inga Legasova and Aleksey Valeryevich.
He also had two grandchildren, Misha and Valerik. In his personal life, he composed poetry and encouraged its publication.
He often visited the theater with his wife, having a love of reading Russian and foreign literature, particularly the works of
Yuri Bondarev
Yuri Vasilyevich Bondarev (russian: link=no, Юрий Васильевич Бондарев, 15 March 1924 — 29 March 2020) was a Soviet and Russian writer and screenwriter. He was best known for co-authoring the script for the serial film fran ...
.
He frequently made excursions with his wife and children by car and saw many parts of the country.
When on trips to other regions, sometimes as part of his scientific duties, he often visited the nearby cultural, artist and religious sites.
Legasov was not religious but very interested in religious history and heritage.
Since December 1978, the Legasov family kept a high-bred pet
chow-chow
The Chow Chow is a spitz-type of dog breed originally from northern China. The Chow Chow is a sturdily built dog, square in profile, with a broad skull and small, triangular, erect ears with rounded tips. The breed is known for a very dense ...
.
Career
For around two years, Legasov worked as an engineer at the
Siberian Chemical Combine
The Siberian Chemical Combine (russian: Сибирский химический комбинат) was established in 1953 in Tomsk-7 now known as Seversk, in the Tomsk Region as a single complex of the nuclear technological cycle for the creation ...
in the city of
Tomsk-7, as a shift supervisor. He took this role in order to gain practical experience that would be the basis for later research.
At
Tomsk Polytechnic University
National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) is a technical university in Russia. TPU was a member of 12 international associations, including the Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research (CESAER) un ...
, he started researching gaseous
uranium hexachloride
Uranium hexachloride (UCl6) is an inorganic chemical compound of uranium in the +6 oxidation state. UCl6 is a metal halide composed of uranium and chlorine. It is a multi-luminescent dark green crystalline solid with a vapor pressure between 1-3 m ...
in a
gaseous fission reactor
A gas nuclear reactor (or gas fueled reactor or vapor core reactor) is a proposed kind of nuclear reactor in which the nuclear fuel would be in a gaseous state rather than liquid or solid. In this type of reactor, the only temperature-limiting mate ...
.
However, news of progress made by
Neil Bartlett in Canada caused Legasov to switch his interest to
noble gas chemistry.
In 1962, he joined the graduate school in the Department of Molecular Physics of the
Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy,
first as a junior then senior researcher, and finally as head of the laboratory.
In 1967, he defended his thesis at the Kurchatov Institute, under the supervisor
Isaak Kikoin
Isaak Konstantinovich (Kushelevich) Kikoin (; 28 March 1908 – 28 December 28, 1984), , was a Soviet physicist of Lithuanian origin and an author of physics textbooks in Russian language who played an important role in the former Soviet program ...
, on the synthesis of compounds of
noble gas
The noble gases (historically also the inert gases; sometimes referred to as aerogens) make up a class of chemical elements with similar properties; under standard conditions, they are all odorless, colorless, monatomic gases with very low ch ...
es and the study of their properties.
He received the degree of
Candidate
A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example:
* to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs.
* ...
in 1967 and his
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
in
chemistry in 1972. At some stage, Legasov experienced face injuries and minor scarring as a result of chemical experimentation.
In 1976, Legasov was elected a corresponding member of the
Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union
The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991, uniting the country's leading scientists, subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (until 1946 ...
. From 1978 to 1983, he was a professor at the
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT; russian: Московский Физико-Технический институт, also known as PhysTech), is a public research university located in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It prepares speciali ...
.
In 1981, he became a full member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, in the Department of Physical Chemistry and Technology of Inorganic Materials. He was a member of the Science and Technology Council of the
Ministry of Medium Machine Building
The Ministry of Medium Machine-Building Industry of the USSR (russian: Министерство среднего машиностроения СССР - Минсредмаш СССР, МСМ СССР) was the government ministry of the Soviet Unio ...
.
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.
In 1983,
he became the first deputy director for scientific work of the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy. His colleague
Yu. A. Ustynyuk said of Legasov: "His main quality, which set him sharply apart from all the great organizing scientists I knew, was his exceptional dedication to the cause. Work was the man, almost the only meaning of his life."
Legasov researched hydrogen energy as a byproduct of nuclear energy, nuclear energy strategy, energy generation safety and synthesis of unusual compounds, which he regarded as a neglected niche within the institute's activities.
Under his leadership, a scientific school was created in the newest section of inorganic chemistry – chemistry of noble gases.
Working on reactor design was taboo for a chemist in the institute but he focused instead on related technologies, as well as assisted with the management of the institute.
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.
From 1984 to 1985, Legasov with other specialists had reviewed the state of chemistry research in the country and found it to be in a critical state.
Under his leadership, a series of drastic reforms of the organization and funding of scientific institutions were drafted.
The proposals triggered a significant backlash from the existing scientific leadership.
While Legasov attempted to include all the top scientists in the new organization, many objected to Legasov being given a top leadership position, considering him an upstart.
Malicious rumors began to be circulated such as the accusation of being an alcoholic, over-ambitious or to blame for the Chernobyl disaster.
In the public sphere, he still kept to the official position that nuclear power was safe. 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.
Even before the Chernobyl disaster, Legasov was known to stress the need for new security and safety methods to prevent large catastrophes. 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. Legasov was particularly concerned with complex systems reliant on a single operator without adequate safety systems.
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.
Chernobyl disaster
Reactor 4 of Chernobyl nuclear plant
exploded on 26 April 1986 at 1:23:45 a.m, releasing a massive amount of radiation and contaminating a large area. By that time, Legasov was the first deputy director of the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy. 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. Legasov was told he was assigned to a government commission that was looking into the accident.
At
Vnukovo airport
Vnukovo, formally Vnukovo Andrei Tupolev International Airport (named after Andrei Tupolev) ( rus, links=no, Внуково, p=ˈvnukəvə) , is a dual-runway international airport located in Vnukovo District, southwest of the centre of Moscow, ...
, Legasov met
Boris Shcherbina, the head of the government commission dealing with the accident response.
When the team reached Pripyat, Legasov was put in charge of containing the radiation.
Viktor Alekseyevich Sidorenko called for immediate evacuation of Pripyat, which Legasov supported, as the situation was expected to deteriorate in the town, and this decision was approved by Shcherbina. To make direct measurements of the reactor, Legasov was driven in an
armored personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world.
Ac ...
to the site which established the reactor had shut down.
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,
although the team was in continual discussions with other scientists by telephone.
One Kurchatov scientist warned him that the helicopter drops might not be effective but Legasov replied that they had to be seen to do something.
Legasov admired the leadership of Boris Shcherbina, particularly for his ability to grasp what the specialists were telling him and his decision making.
Nikolay Antoshkin, an air force general involved in the liquidation remembers: "I met Valery Alekseevich as soon as he arrived. From that moment on, a working friendship, which then grew into a deeper friendship, was formed with him and with other comrades. I liked him from the very beginning. I was filled with trust and respect for him... Valery Alekseevich himself flew over the reactor by helicopter 5-6 times a day. Scientists, smart, literate, and when it was necessary to go forward, they found themselves without means of protection... He was a man of courage, understanding everything, but at the same time defenseless."
At one point, Antoshkin scolded Legasov for taking too many personal risks when he was key to the operation.
On the second or third day, Legasov suggested organizing an information group to collect and disseminate accurate information to the press, but this did not occur, and he later observed that the press often interviewed the most famous person present rather than the most knowledgeable, introducing many inaccuracies and omissions in reporting.
Legasov received many telegrams from around the world containing advice ranging from benevolent to provocative.
On 2 May, he and other commission members reported to visiting high-ranking officials that this was no ordinary industrial accident but would require a significant containment effort, as well as a review of the future of the other reactors.
This resulted in huge resources being allocated to Chernobyl. Most of the first government commission were replaced by new staff due to radiation exposure.
When the first government commission group returned to Moscow, Legasov was asked to stay by Scherbina but was replaced by his scientific rival
Evgeny Velikhov in the formal hierarchy.
The team began to be concerned with small areas of reactor activity, as well as the integrity of the concrete pad. Velikhov in particular was concerned that the reactor remains could melt deep into the ground, as shown in the US film ''
The China Syndrome
''The China Syndrome'' is a 1979 American disaster thriller film directed by James Bridges and written by Bridges, Mike Gray, and T. S. Cook. The film stars Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas (who also produced), Scott Brady, James ...
''.
Water in the lower barboteur was drained but Legasov was convinced that an explosion was not possible,
in contrast to what some scientists and politicians feared.
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.
Legasov considered these containment steps to be excessive but understandable, while also provided the infrastructure for the eventual construction of a shelter sarcophagus over the reactor.
He opposed a plan to extend the underground cooling system outside the reactor 4 building, as well as other projects he considered to be redundant.
Legasov was impressed by the operation of the
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
in the area but considered the
Civil Defence group to be in shambles. He was also concerned at the lack of safety literature distributed to the population.
Legasov thought people worked together efficiently and this put them in good spirits.
On 5 May, Legasov was summoned to meet with the
Politburo in Moscow, including
Mikhail Gorbachev, to report on progress.
Legasov and
Anatoly Alexandrov described the meltdown scenarios, and Legasov agreed with the plan to tunnel under the reactor to provide cooling.
After the meeting, Scherbina told him that he could work from Moscow but was quickly ordered back to Chernobyl.
Legasov reassured Gorbachev by phone that scale of contamination was understood and the reactor was not a continuing threat to other countries.
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.
Around 9–10 May, Gorbachev requested a chronology of events and the cause of the accident in preparation for an interview, which Legasov provided in writing with a few edits from other investigators.
After 10 May, the situation had somewhat stabilized and Legasov was able to spend less time at the accident site but still frequently visited.
[G. Alimov interview with Legasov, Izvestia newspaper, 1987] Upon returning from Chernobyl for the second time on 12 May, he was a changed man, suffering from severe grief and radiation sickness.
Spending four months in and around Chernobyl,
he received a high dose of radiation. He was assigned to compile a report for the
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 195 ...
about the causes and aftermath of the accident. Some in the
Ministry of Medium Machine Building
The Ministry of Medium Machine-Building Industry of the USSR (russian: Министерство среднего машиностроения СССР - Минсредмаш СССР, МСМ СССР) was the government ministry of the Soviet Unio ...
(Sredmash) opposed his appointment, fearing Legasov would be difficult to control, since the nuclear establishment wanted to divert blame to others if possible.
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.
In attendance was the former plant director
Viktor Bryukhanov
Viktor Petrovich Bryukhanov ( uk, Віктор Петрович Брюханов, russian: Виктор Петрович Брюханов; 1 December 1935 – 12 October 2021) was the manager of construction of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant ...
, RBMK designer
Anatoly Alexandrov and
Efim Slavsky Efim is a given name, also spelled as Yefim. It is possibly derived from the Greek name Euthymios (Εὐθύμιος; ; latinized as Euthymius). Notable people with the name include:
*Efim Alexandrov (born 1960), Russian-Jewish comedian
*Efim Bogol ...
of Sredmash. Bryukhanov was accused of mismanagement and that operator error was the primary cause of the accident, while design flaws were also a factor.
Mikhail Gorbachev was furious and accused the nuclear designers of covering up dangerous problems with the Soviet nuclear industry for decades.
Legasov only spoke up to admit that scientists had failed in their duty
and that he had been warning about the safety problems of the RBMK reactor for years but nothing had been done.
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.
To find fault with the reactor design would directly implicate senior members of the Soviet government.
In August 1986, he presented the report of the Soviet delegation at the special meeting of
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 195 ...
(IAEA) in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. His report was noted for its great detail and relative openness in discussing the extent and consequences of the tragedy, disclosed to Western media some defects in the RBMK reactor design such as the positive
void coefficient
In nuclear engineering, the void coefficient (more properly called void coefficient of reactivity) is a number that can be used to estimate how much the reactivity of a nuclear reactor changes as voids (typically steam bubbles) form in the reactor ...
, as well as problems with operator training.
Some details were censored by the Central Committee, including the full extent of the design flaws,
the institutional and cultural problems that led to the accident,
the full extent of the fallout,
as well as the ineffective efforts in dropping liquid nitrogen into the reactor.
The report ran to 388 pages and was presented by Legasov to the conference in a 5-hour presentation, which many in the audience found disturbing.
Legasov noted that the operators were able to disable the reactor safety systems and stated that improvements to existing RBMK reactors were underway.
The conference was a public relations triumph for the Soviets as it reassured Western governments and scientists that the disaster was being contained
and that the Soviets could competently manage nuclear power in the future.
After Vienna
As a result of this work in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, "
ebecame very popular, in Europe he was named the person of the year, he entered the top ten scientists in the world. This caused serious jealousy among his colleagues."
In public, Legasov supported the official story that operator error caused the accident. In private he campaigned for reactor safety and institutional reorganization. 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.
Resistance came from the old guard who resisted change and among younger reformers who regarded Legasov as a relic of the previous
Era of Stagnation
The "Era of Stagnation" (russian: Пери́од засто́я, Períod zastóya, or ) is a term coined by Mikhail Gorbachev in order to describe the negative way in which he viewed the economic, political, and social policies of the Soviet Uni ...
.
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."
In spring 1987, a vote was held by the Kurchatov Institute to their Scientific-Technical Council with Legasov standing at the insistence of his mentor
Anatoly Alexandrov.
The institute members denied Legasov the position which was perhaps surprising given his seniority and public visibility.
He was very disappointed that he was the only member of his Chernobyl team that did not receive the award "hero of socialist labor".
His treatment may have been that his independence, his habit of violating the chain of command and his lack of deference to the scientific establishment had irked senior members of the scientific community.
Even after Chernobyl, he remained a proponent of nuclear power generation.
[Marples]
The Strange Case of Valerii Legasov
Radio Liberty, April 7, 1989
Legasov's health had worsened and he often made visits to Moscow Hospital 6 for long term effects of radiation exposure.
Around June 1987, he attempted suicide but was saved by his colleagues.
Legasov recorded his memoir ''The Legasov Testament'' using audio tapes
where he described his involvement with the Chernobyl liquidation.
He had a lengthy stay in hospital during the fall of 1987, including experiencing acute
appendicitis
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a ru ...
, during which he attempted suicide.
During his stay, journalist
Ales Adamovich interviewed Legasov and he expressed concerns that a similar nuclear accident could still occur.
Legasov had an article on industrial safety entitled "From Today to Tomorrow" published in
Pravda
''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, "Truth") is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most influential papers in the ...
on 5 October 1987 but it received little interest.
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.
After a colleague said his leadership was still needed, he said "No, you don’t understand. I know that it can be difficult; you need to endure, wait it out. And here is a completely different situation – everything inside me is burned..."
and on another occasion "I'm now, like the mythical Midas, only he turned everything he took into gold, and as for me – everything turns into air, even worse, into a vacuum. Whatever I touch - everything is ruined: no one needs anything! And there is still so much to do!"
Legasov continued his attempts to introduce reforms in academic chemistry by establishing an interdepartmental council to try to overcome stagnation in the field. This plan was rejected on 26 April 1988, the day before his death.
Ustynyuk was called to Legasov's office and found him to be "extremely agitated and low-spirited" following the decision. He felt that the leadership would be split between the council and the
USSR Academy of Sciences
The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991, uniting the country's leading scientists, subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (until 1946 ...
, saying "This will lead to disaster. I must resign."
That afternoon, he briefly visited his daughter.
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.
Death
On 27 April 1988, the day after the second anniversary of the
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident and one day before he was due to release the outcomes of the investigation into the causes of the disaster,
Legasov
hanged
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...
himself in the stairwell of his Moscow apartment (though some sources say inside his apartment,
others in his office
). He was buried at the
Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. Legasov was 51 years old. By the time of his death, Legasov had been exposed to 150
rem (1.5
Sv) of radiation, which was far above safe levels.
There are several theories concerning Legasov's motivations and state of mind.
David R. Marples
David Roger Marples (born October 17, 1952) is a British-born Canadian historian and Distinguished University Professor at the Department of History & Classics, University of Alberta. He specializes in history and contemporary politics of Belarus, ...
has suggested the adversity of the Chernobyl disaster on his psychological state was the factor leading to his decision to take his own life
[ and that Legasov had become bitterly disillusioned with the failure of the authorities to confront the design flaws.] Legasov's daughter commented "It was not an emotional breakdown, it was a deliberate, thoroughly considered act." Ustynyuk emphasized the role of the harassment of Legasov by other scientific leaders in their resistance to organizational reform. Boris Shcherbina said of him: "Valery was too great, I loved him more than all the people I knew, he gave all of himself to work, to Chernobyl. He burnt out." Journalists Vladimir Stepanovich Gubarev and Yuriy Shcherbak claim that his suicide was a conscious attempt to draw attention to the lack of nuclear safety in the Soviet Union.
Aftermath
As a national hero at the time of his death, Legasov's suicide caused shockwaves in the Soviet nuclear industry. Extracts from his tapes were published in Pravda
''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, "Truth") is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most influential papers in the ...
in May 1988.
Some in the scientific community were still displeased by Legasov and his legacy. A former colleague of Legasov said "There is no need to idealize Legasov ... He is no better or worse than any manager of this rank, and he followed the accepted rules of the game, moving up the career and scientific ladder... he took on too much, especially in recent years. A chemist, he dared to define the topics of physics laboratories and departments. At the same time, he was not always right, he ordered what to do and how to do it. Who would like that? So they voted him down at the elections to the Academic Council. Physicists make up the majority. And you, chemists, are now making him almost a great martyr... And in Chernobyl he screwed up enough - the shelter of the fourth unit turned out to be far from optimal." Legasov's defenders counter this saying "Courage was not forgiven him, since it clearly marked the cowardice and ordinariness of others."
While the initial Soviet investigation put almost all the blame on the operators, later findings by the IAEA
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 195 ...
found that the reactor design and how the operators were informed of safety information was more significant.[International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group]
INSAG-7 The Chernobyl Accident: Updating of INSAG-1
1992, pages 22-25 However, the operators were found to have deviated from operational procedures, changing test protocols on the fly, as well as having made "ill judged" actions, making human factors a major contributing factor.
On 20 September 1996, Russian president Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin ( rus, Борис Николаевич Ельцин, p=bɐˈrʲis nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn, a=Ru-Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.ogg; 1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician wh ...
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.
His wife Margarita wrote a considerable number of articles and books to preserve his legacy. In 2016, a bust and a commemorative plaque were installed on the wall of Valery Legasov's home in Tula
Tula may refer to:
Geography
Antarctica
*Tula Mountains
* Tula Point
India
* Tulā, a solar month in the traditional Indian calendar
Iran
* Tula, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province
Italy
* Tula, Sardinia, municipality (''comune'') in the ...
.
In media
Legasov is portrayed by Ade Edmondson
Adrian Charles Edmondson (born 24 January 1957) is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. He was part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s and had roles in the television series '' The Young Ones'' (1 ...
in the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
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'' (2019).