Anatoly Myshjakov, Russia
Ksenia Srednyak interviewed an acquaintance of her mother’s, Mr. Anatoly Myshjakov, an electric welder who was sent to Chernobyl in 1987 to repair special spherical cranes in the damaged third power unit. His recollection of this dangerous work was very vivid.
Family Background
Anatoly Myshjakov was born in 1949 in Ilovlya (the Volgograd region). Soon thereafter his family and he moved to Volgograd, where he finished school. After the army he started to work for the Volgograd metallurgical works “Barrikadi” as an electric welder. He worked there for 33 years. At the moment he is on a pension.
The interview took place in the office of my mother. I chose that place because Anatoly lives close to it. At first my interview partner seemed a bit constrained and watchful and his answers were curt. But when he started to remember his trip to Chernobyl, he felt more free and relaxed. Our conversation lasted about two hours. I had the impression that he was talking about his Chernobyl experience for the first time and he really needed that reflection. When we finished our interview, he asked me to wait and brought from home some pictures and things which could illustrate his story.
Attitude towards nuclear energy before the catastrophe
Before the accident he thought that the nuclear energy is the future of mankind. But he had no idea about the nuclear power plants – how it works and looks inside.
Read the full interview
