Chernobyl: Fiction and Reality with Vadim Malinovsky

Thirty five years after the Chernobyl Disaster, what lessons have we learned? Join Russian historian Vadim Malinovsky for a look back to the events and aftermath of the events of 1986.

Thirty-five years ago, on the night of April 25, 1986, the worst disaster in the history of nuclear power generation took place in the Soviet Union. In the weeks and months that followed the Chernobyl disaster, hundreds of firefighters, engineers, military troops, police, miners, cleaners and medical personnel were sent into the area immediately around the destroyed power plant in an effort to control the fire and core meltdown, and prevent radioactive material from spreading further into the environment.

These people became known as “liquidators”. Political pressure is widely thought to have led to the true picture of the problem to be suppressed by the Soviet authorities, who were keen not to lose face on the international stage. The situation cleared up after the collapse of the USSR.

In this seminar, we will look at this event from a historical perspective and separate fact from fiction. We’ll also discuss how this disaster was treated in the recent HBO series, Chernobyl.

Led by a historian, Vadim Malinovsky, this seminar will be a deep dive into the events of 1986 at Chernobyl. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of decisions made by the authorities consequences are still being felt today.

Vadim is a historian (MA) who has graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University. His focus is contemporary Russian history. He is working on a PhD dissertation on Stalin’s national policy.

Not suitable for children under age 13 (sensitive content).

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.