Boris Shcherbina

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Shcherbina was born in Debaltsevo, Ukrainian SSR on October 5, 1919 to the family of a Ukrainian railroad worker. He completed his secondary education in 1937, then volunteered to fight in the Winter War against Finland as part of the 316th ski squadron. After graduating from the Kharkov Institute of Rail Transport Engineers in 1942, he worked as an engineer on the Severo-Donetsk Railway during World War II. He had been a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union since 1939. In Tyumen Oblast, where he became first secretary of the regional committee in April 1961, he was responsible for rapid growth in the oil and gas industry. He increased geological explorations in 1962, and by 1965 Tyumen produced 953,000 tons of oil and gas, rising to 31.4 million tons around 1970. In March 1970, he revealed the Samotlor field—one of the largest oil fields in the world—through Sovetskaya Rossiya. He also oversaw housing projects in Surgut to accommodate workers and their families. On 11 December 1973, he was appointed Minister of Construction of Oil and Gas Industries, directing construction of the Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod pipeline. For hastening construction, he was decorated with the title Hero of Socialist Labour and an Order of Lenin on 6 October 1983.

In Their Own Story

At 1:23 am on 26 April 1986, the No. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded. A few hours later, the Politburo formed a commission headed by Shcherbina, who was then Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers. As he was in Siberia, he only arrived late on the night of 26 April, almost a full day after the explosions. At a joint meeting at 10:00 a.m. on 27 April, Shcherbina and the commission announced they would evacuate nearby residents the same day. According to The Washington Post, Shcherbina had initially rejected appeals for an immediate evacuation from civil defence workers, citing 'panic is even worse than radiation.' He and other officials were described as 'absolutely incompetent' by Grigori Medvedev, former chief engineer at the No. 1 reactor. On 6 May, Shcherbina gave the first Soviet news conference on the disaster, admitting people had been exposed for 36 hours before evacuation, though he didn't state the levels. He said local officials had underestimated the size of the accident. In a Politburo session on 3 July 1986, Shcherbina presented the commission's findings, blaming both the staff of Chernobyl and the design of RBMK reactors, which he described as 'incompatible with modern safety requirements.' On 5 July, TASS reported that Shcherbina had been replaced as head of the Chernobyl commission by Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Gusev amid rumours of declining health and hospitalisation from radiation exposure. In September 1986, Shcherbina was present at the Soviet signing of two IAEA treaties, declaring the USSR 'will comply with both conventions.'

Reader's Guide

The character of Shcherbina is based on the historical record of his role during the Chernobyl crisis. He was indeed dispatched to manage the situation and played a pivotal role in coordinating the initial response, including the evacuation of Pripyat. Real-world accounts confirm he gave the first Soviet news conference on the disaster on 6 May 1986, and later presented the commission's report to the Politburo on 3 July 1986, where he blamed both plant staff and RBMK reactor design. Major anniversaries include April 26th, marking the day of the explosion. The legacy of Shcherbina's decisions echoes in the long-term environmental consequences, such as the creation of the Exclusion Zone. The human cost was immense, with thousands of liquidators suffering from acute radiation sickness and long-term health issues, a reality Shcherbina had to confront daily.

Did You Know?

• Shcherbina volunteered to fight in the Winter War against Finland as part of the 316th ski squadron in 1939.
• He revealed one of the largest oil fields in the world, the Samotlor field in Tyumen Oblast, through Sovetskaya Rossiya in March 1970.
• Shcherbina was decorated with the title Hero of Socialist Labour and an Order of Lenin on 6 October 1983 for hastening construction of the Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod pipeline.
• At the first Soviet news conference on the Chernobyl disaster on 6 May 1986, Shcherbina admitted people had been exposed to radiation for 36 hours before evacuation.
• Shcherbina never smoked or drank alcohol due to asthma he developed after pneumonia while in Northern Russia.