26 April 1986
Pikalov Chemical Troops Deployment
Vladimir Pikalov
Organizes deployment of Soviet chemical-defense troops needed for radiation survey, decontamination and emergency operations.
Liquidators · Cleanup · Containment
Chernobyl Cleanup and Aftermath
After the first emergency response, large numbers of military and civilian personnel took part in containment, decontamination, construction, monitoring and documentation.
Liquidation and containment
Military, engineering and documentation work
Selected records from the replacement archive.
26 April 1986
Pikalov Chernobyl Arrival
Vladimir Pikalov
Arrives in the Chernobyl area within hours of the explosion to direct specialized military radiological-response units.
26 April 1986
Pikalov Radiation Reconnaissance Circuit
Vladimir Pikalov
Personally conducts radiation reconnaissance around the plant to identify dangerous areas and the direction of contamination.
2 May 1986
Pikalov Servicemen Dose Review
Vladimir Pikalov
Reports on radiation doses received by military personnel engaged in the first days of the Chernobyl response.
26 April 1986
Antoshkin Chernobyl Helicopter Reconnaissance
Nikolai Antoshkin
Carries out a helicopter reconnaissance flight over the damaged Chernobyl plant shortly after the accident.
27 April 1986
Antoshkin Helicopter Group Organization
Nikolai Antoshkin
Organizes the helicopter group assigned to support emergency operations over the destroyed Unit 4 reactor.
27 April 1986
Antoshkin Reactor Material Drops
Nikolai Antoshkin
Directs helicopter crews dropping sand, lead and neutron-absorbing material toward the open reactor.
April 1986
Antoshkin High-Radiation Flight Procedures
Nikolai Antoshkin
Adjusts helicopter procedures as crews face dangerous radiation exposure while crossing directly above Unit 4.
19 September 1986
Tarakanov Liquidator Roof Deployment
Nikolai Tarakanov
Directs the start of short-duration soldier deployments to remove radioactive graphite and fuel debris from reactor roofs.
September 1986
Tarakanov Roof Cleanup Planning
Nikolai Tarakanov
Plans a human roof-cleaning operation after remotely operated machines prove unreliable in the most radioactive areas.
September 1986
Tarakanov Roof Exposure Controls
Nikolai Tarakanov
Uses tightly limited work periods and protective equipment to reduce radiation exposure during roof-cleaning missions.
1 October 1986
Tarakanov Roof Cleanup Completion
Nikolai Tarakanov
Oversees completion of the main roof-debris removal operation so work on enclosing the destroyed reactor can continue.
May 1986
Samoilenko Roof Cleanup Planning Data
Yuri Samoilenko
Uses roof radiation measurements to identify dangerous zones and plan removal of radioactive debris and fuel fragments.
May 1986
Samoilenko Roof Radiation Survey
Yuri Samoilenko
Supervises measurements of radiation contamination on Unit 3 roofs to support later cleanup planning.
September 1986
Samoilenko Human Cleanup Transition
Yuri Samoilenko
Supports the transition to tightly timed human roof work after high radiation disables or limits robotic equipment.
September 1986
Samoilenko Robot Cleanup Attempts
Yuri Samoilenko
Participates in attempts to use remotely controlled machines for debris removal in areas with extreme radiation.
26 April 1986
Kostin Destroyed Reactor Image
Igor Kostin
Produces one of the earliest widely known photographic records showing the destruction of Unit 4.
26 April 1986
Kostin First Chernobyl Aerial Photography
Igor Kostin
Flies over the destroyed plant and photographs the exposed Unit 4 reactor during the first day of the disaster.
26 April 1986
Kostin Radiation-Damaged Film
Igor Kostin
Finds that intense radiation has damaged most of the photographic film exposed during his early Chernobyl flight.
May 1986
Kostin Liquidator Documentation
Igor Kostin
Continues photographing the cleanup operation and the workers later known collectively as Chernobyl liquidators.
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