Chernobyl disaster survivor reveals haunting vision after explosion – and shock at people today who don’t know about the horrors

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For many years, Sergei Belyakov had the same disturbing dream. He found himself inside the Chernobyl Power Plant in Ukraine, shortly after the devastating explosion on April 26, 1986 – the worst nuclear accident ever recorded. He recalls walking down a yellow hallway, realizing the color wasn’t paint, but thousands of dead butterflies covering the floor, walls, and windowsills.

I still remember hearing about the unbelievable scenes after the Chernobyl disaster. It wasn’t some made-up story, though – it was what people actually witnessed. Just over three months after Reactor Four exploded, I heard about a man named Belyakov, a chemistry lecturer like myself, who was called up to help with the cleanup. He was from Dnipropetrovsk, about 390 miles away, and like thousands of others, he was drafted in to deal with the dangerous radioactive waste. It was a crucial step, because they needed to clear everything before they could safely cover the reactor with concrete and stop the radiation from spreading further.

He recalls seeing around 2,000 butterflies early in his time there, a sight he never quite understood. He describes it as completely surreal.

This is just one of the many individual accounts featured in Chernobyl: Inside the Meltdown, a four-part series commemorating the 40th anniversary of the disaster. The series also includes the story of Igor Kirschenbaum, a rare survivor who was working in Reactor Four’s control room when the accident occurred during a safety check.

Kirschenbaum, who was 28 at the time, explained that when he received the order to start the generator, he actually pressed the shutdown button, disconnecting it from the power grid. Immediately, a loud crash filled the room, dust rained down from the ceiling, and everything began to shake. An operator nearby reported that the ceiling had partially collapsed, but Kirschenbaum initially thought he was disoriented. The operator insisted, saying you could see the stars, and when Kirschenbaum looked up, he confirmed it was true – the ceiling had indeed collapsed, revealing the sky.

Initially, no one understood the reactor had been destroyed, but people were starting to evacuate. Kirschenbaum was in an ambulance with injured coworkers when they began to feel sick and had to be let out – right in front of the ruined reactor. He remembers a strange blue light coming from it, and they all stopped to stare in disbelief. It wasn’t until days later that he realized the disaster would cause fatalities, which came as a huge shock to him.

Unlike many others, Belyakov’s background in chemistry and radiation allowed him to fully grasp the danger of the Chernobyl disaster. Remarkably, despite this understanding, he willingly volunteered to join the thousands of conscripted workers clearing the 30-kilometer exclusion zone around the plant.

My wife was really worried about me, and honestly, so was I a little. I had an eight-year-old son, but I felt this strong pull to do something for my country. I pictured myself gathering information around the affected area, but instead, I ended up having to physically clean up the radioactive mess inside the plant. There was no way I could say no, not even a thought of it.

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He became one of the “liquidators” – the workers tasked with cleaning up the disaster. For 40 days, Belyakov moved radioactive materials with a forklift to a designated burial site. However, for six of those days, he performed the most hazardous job: as a “bio-robot”, he cleared radioactive debris from the reactor roof using only a shovel. The work was incredibly dangerous; even with heavy lead protective suits, workers were limited to just two minutes on the roof at a time.

Belyakov describes waiting for hours in a long, stuffy staircase – twenty-five flights with no windows. Reaching the reactor core felt like entering a terrifying place, but he was too focused to be scared. They wore thick respirators and goggles that fogged up, and the environment felt like something out of a horror movie. Despite the awful conditions, they had a task: quickly run inside, climb ladders, and use shovels to remove the molten graphite.

Following the experience, I had a strange metallic taste in my mouth and became sensitive to sunlight. My nose was constantly blocked. Although I was very fit beforehand – I even lost 20 kilograms during the 40 days – I returned home unable to walk a short distance without needing to stop and rest. I also developed kidney problems and a weakened immune system. Doctors advised us against having more children, concerned that the experience might have damaged our genes.

It really surprises me when I meet people who don’t even know about Chernobyl. It just feels…unbelievable. But honestly, I don’t see what I did as being brave. It just felt like the right thing to do, like it was my responsibility. Someone had to step up, and if not us, then who would have?

Authors

Kate Battersby

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2026-04-13 20:13