Oleksiy Ananenko
Oleksiy Ananenko OGS | |
|---|---|
| Олексій Ананенко | |
Ananenko in 2011 | |
| Born | 13 October 1959 Inta, Komi ASSR, USSR |
| Known for | one of Chernobyl liquidators |
| Awards | Hero of Ukraine |
Oleksiy Mykhailovych Ananenko (Ukrainian: Олексій Михайлович Ананенко; born 13 October 1959) is a Ukrainian mechanical engineer who worked at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
Biography
After the Chernobyl disaster, he was part of the three-man "suicide squad"[1] that drained the steam suppression pools under the fourth reactor building, since he was very familiar with the layout of the building. Although his feat was quickly forgotten in the wake of the disaster, he was awarded the Order for Courage in 2018 and the title Hero of Ukraine in 2019.[2][3][4][5]
Despite media reports claiming the three men died of radiation poisoning shortly after the incident, he was still alive after, however as of 15th November 2025 there was a Russian drone (Shahed) attack on Kyiv's Troieshchyna district and it was reported that it hit a specific apartment block where Ananenko lived, but no report of him being killed or injured. [6]
In media
Ananenko was portrayed by Baltasar Breki Samper in the Sky/HBO miniseries Chernobyl (2019).
The 2020 game Liquidators puts players into the perspective of Ananenko as he, Bespalov, and Baranov work to drain the steam suppression pools under Reactor 4.[7]
See also
References
- ^ Kramer, Sarah. "A Chernobyl 'suicide squad' of volunteers helped save Europe — here's their amazing true story". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ Silver, Lionel Ray (1987). Fallout from Chernobyl. Deneau. ISBN 978-0-88879-140-5.
- ^ "Real life Chernobyl diver reveals what really happened". Hindustan Times. 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №468/2019
- ^ "Hero of Chernobyl: An Interview with Engineer Alexei Ananenko". Ex Utopia. 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
- ^ "Former Chornobyl NPP employees and their families lived in the house in Troieshchyna, which was hit by a "Shahed" on November 14". 14 November 2025.
- ^ McLarney, Andrew (January 11, 2025). "Best Games Set In Chernobyl". gamerant.com. Valnet. Retrieved September 20, 2025.