Fomin Birth
Is born in Novoekonomichne in the Donetsk region of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on 21 May 1937.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Nikolai Fomin Biography and Timeline
Follow Nikolai Fomin through 38 dated historical records for Russia.
Nikolai Fomin, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
38Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1937–1990Years on this page
1937
1972
Fomin Joins Chernobyl Plant
Begins working at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and enters the management structure that later operates the RBMK units.
Fomin Pre-Chernobyl Poltava Experience
Has worked in the Poltava electrical power network before transferring to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1972.
Fomin Pre-Chernobyl Zaporizhzhia Experience
Has gained generating-station experience at the Zaporizhzhia thermal power station before beginning work at Chernobyl in 1972.
Fomin Technical Education Background
Has completed higher technical education before joining the Chernobyl plant, providing the engineering background for his later management career.
1986
Fomin Continued Unit Operation Permission
Permits Unit 4 to continue operating at reduced power while preparations for the planned test and maintenance shutdown continue.
Fomin Accident Cleanup Participation
Participates in the early management of cleanup and stabilization work after the destruction of Unit 4.
Fomin Continuous Water Order
Orders personnel to continue feeding water toward the damaged reactor while management still believes cooling may be possible.
Fomin Emergency Arrival
Arrives during the early morning emergency and joins senior plant management handling the Unit 4 accident.
Fomin Emergency Staffing Coordination
Coordinates replacement personnel and technical staff as the plant attempts to maintain essential systems during the expanding emergency.
Fomin Learns of Unit Four Accident
Learns of the Unit 4 accident at about four in the morning and travels to the plant to join the emergency response.
Fomin Reactor Destruction Report Received
Receives Sitnikov's report that the Unit 4 reactor has been destroyed after the inspection.
Fomin Reassigns Personnel to Unit Four
Transfers additional staff to Unit 4 as radiation exposure and injuries remove members of the original operating team from duty.
Fomin Receives Initial Reactor Status Report
Receives early reports indicating that the reactor may still be intact despite growing evidence of catastrophic structural damage.
Fomin Sitnikov Inspection Order
Directs Anatoly Sitnikov to inspect the damaged reactor area and determine the condition of Unit 4.
Fomin Communist Party Expulsion
Is expelled from the Communist Party after the Chernobyl disaster as authorities assign political and managerial responsibility.
Fomin Post-Accident Investigation
Becomes a central subject of the Soviet investigation into plant management and the failed safety test.
Fomin Removed as Chief Engineer
Loses his senior plant position as authorities pursue accountability for the accident.
Fomin Arrest
Is arrested with plant director Viktor Bryukhanov while prosecutors investigate criminal responsibility for the Chernobyl disaster.
Fomin Safety Regulation Charges
Faces criminal charges alleging serious violations of nuclear safety rules in connection with management of the Unit 4 test.
Fomin Pretrial Detention
Remains in custody while investigators prepare the criminal case against senior Chernobyl managers and operating personnel.
Fomin CPSU Membership Before Disaster
Is a Communist Party member while serving in senior technical management at Chernobyl before the April 1986 disaster.
Fomin Chief Engineer Responsibility
Serves as chief engineer of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and holds senior technical responsibility when the Unit 4 accident occurs.
Fomin Pre-Accident Car Crash
Suffers a serious road accident shortly before the Chernobyl disaster and sustains a spinal injury during the crash.
Fomin Turbine Rundown Test Approval
Approves the Unit 4 turbine rundown test programme that is scheduled to be performed during the planned reactor shutdown.
1987
Fomin Trial Scheduled
Is scheduled to stand trial on 24 March 1987 with other Chernobyl officials accused of responsibility for the accident.
Fomin Suicide Attempt Before Trial
Attempts suicide before the trial by cutting his wrists with broken glass from his spectacles.
Fomin Trial Postponement
Has the start of his trial postponed after the suicide attempt raises concerns about his mental and physical condition.
Fomin Pretrial Psychiatric Assessment
Undergoes psychiatric assessment and treatment before proceedings resume against him and the other Chernobyl defendants.
Fomin Ten-Year Sentence
Receives a ten-year labour-camp sentence after conviction for violations of nuclear safety regulations.
Fomin Chernobyl Trial
Appears before the Soviet court with Viktor Bryukhanov and Anatoly Dyatlov over the disaster.
Fomin Operator Deviation Defence
Argues during the trial that Unit 4 operators departed from the approved test programme and contributed to the accident.
Fomin Partial Blame Statement
Acknowledges some personal responsibility during the proceedings while rejecting the claim that management alone caused the disaster.
1988
Fomin Prison Psychiatric Treatment
Receives psychiatric treatment while serving his prison sentence because of continuing mental-health problems after the trial.
Fomin Transfer to Neuropsychiatric Hospital
Is transferred from prison to a neuropsychiatric hospital as doctors continue treating his mental condition.
1990
Fomin Kalinin Nuclear Plant Employment
Returns to the nuclear-power industry and begins work at the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant after his release and psychiatric treatment.
Fomin Declared Fit for Release
Is judged sufficiently recovered for release after psychiatric treatment following his imprisonment for the Chernobyl disaster.
Fomin Early Release
Is released before completing his ten-year sentence after appeals and continuing concerns about his health.
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.