Valery Legasov: A Pioneer Among the Greatest Scientists in History
Physicist Valery Legasov is one of the greatest scientists in mankind’s history. He contributed significantly to mitigating the worst-ever human tragedy at Chernobyl in 1986, despite facing numerous and serious objections. Yet, he stood firm in his ideals. I believe he truly deserves recognition from humanity.
The Chernobyl disaster was a man-made tragedy, caused by the operators of the RBMK reactor. They knew the situation was catastrophic, yet they proceeded regardless. The Soviet government, which I know was bureaucratic, made the terrible mistake of ignoring the warnings. Patrick Lavery, Combustion Industry News Editor, said, “Originally, it contained more than 250 pounds of enriched uranium — enough to pollute and devastate most of Europe. If the other three reactors at the Chernobyl power plant had been damaged by the first explosion, hardly any living, breathing organisms would have remained on the planet.”
However, after the heroic efforts of Physicist Valery Legasov, the situation was somewhat controlled. He convinced three individuals to go to the core of the reactor to release the water, preventing the vaporization that could have killed 60 million people. The miners, soldiers — everyone involved — did a heroic job to contain the disaster.
For all these reasons, yet unclear, they all deserve recognition. However, it also highlights the toxic bureaucracy of the Soviet Union, which I had admired for years. In 2006, after the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, Gorbachev wrote, “The nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl… was perhaps the true cause of the collapse of the Soviet Union.”
After his suicide, all the recordings and tapes of him were published by a journalist, Pravda’s science editor Vladimir Gubarev. Despite his contributions, many believe that he was part of the Soviet factory of lies. However, we may never truly know the real atmosphere from April 28, 1986, to April 27, 1988.
Tasin Mahdi, a devoted knowledge seeker based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, exhibits a profound commitment to the betterment of his home nation and a keen interest in international policy.
