The Man Who Survived the Chernobyl Disaster Died From COVID-19

General Nikolay Antoshkin

General Nikolay Antoshkin in 1986 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The whole of Russia and the former Soviet Union saw him as a hero and still do to this day. General Nikolay Antoshkin was the man who coordinated the cleaning of the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster in the city of Pripyat. The 26th of April 1986 marks the day when the fourth nuclear reactor exploded, provoking a chain of terrible events within Ukraine and other neighboring parts of the former Soviet Union.

Whilst to many it may seem that Antoshkin didn’t too much to be called a hero, he actually put his life in danger for simply being near the nuclear plant to take care of things. The radiation coming from the plant was immense as it even affected people from 200 kilometers away, whilst Antoshkin and many other soldiers from the Soviet army had to stay there for days, meaning a certain death in only a couple of years.

Radiation, an assured death

Many of the soldiers and scientists that helped in cleaning up the mess died before the 90s due to health complications caused by prolonged exposure to high radiation. General Antoshkin was also meant to die in a couple of years, or at best, live for another ten years after the incident. Time has proven his doctors wrong as it wasn’t any health complication provoked by the prolonged exposure to radiation that killed him, but Covid-19.

General Antoshkin was responsible for extinguishing the fire provoked by the explosion. Many fire squadrons tried to put it out but died due to radiation as they got right next to the remains of the nuclear reactor, emitting rays that would kill people in hours.

Nuclear reactor four after being extinguished in 1986 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

As that plan failed, it was up to General Antoshkin’s plan to extinguish the fire from above, using helicopters. Although it was from a much further distance than the firemen, the radiations were still affecting everyone on board, and with the number of days that the general had spent putting out the fire it was clear that he only had a few years to go before he would die from developing serious health issues such as lung cancer.