Valery Legasov

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Lore & Background

Legasov was born on 1 September 1936 in Tula into a family of civil workers. He attended secondary school in Kursk, then School No. 56 in Moscow, graduating with a gold medal in 1954. While shy, he excelled in academics and social activities, becoming secretary of his school's Komsomol committee. In 1953, he proposed reforms to address member indifference, but these were quickly quashed. His headmaster called him 'a grown up man, a future statesman, a talented organizer.' He worked two years as a released secretary of the Central Committee of the Komsomol, and was elected to the bureau of the Soviet District Committee and the Moscow City Committee. In 1961, he graduated from the Mendeleev Moscow Institute of Chemistry and Technology, learning how nuclear fuel is processed, handled, and disposed of. He married Margarita Mikhailovna and had two children. He composed poetry, visited the theater, and loved Russian and foreign literature, especially Yuri Bondarev. He was not religious but interested in religious history.

In Their Own Story

After the Chernobyl explosion on 26 April 1986, Legasov became a key member of the government commission investigating the disaster. Though not a reactor specialist, he was first deputy director of the Kurchatov Institute. He had long been concerned about poor equipment quality, lack of operator training, and insufficient safety systems. He noted that the RBMK reactor was considered 'bad' in reactor circles, but for economic reasons, not safety—though he was confused by its 'insufficient construction of safety systems.' He had proposed safer next-generation reactors like liquid salt reactors, but this caused 'a storm of indignation' in the Ministry. From 1984 to 1985, he reviewed chemistry research and found it in critical state, drafting reforms that triggered backlash. Malicious rumors circulated, including accusations of being an alcoholic or to blame for Chernobyl. In January 1986, he co-authored a propaganda piece claiming no nuclear accidents had seriously threatened personnel, ignoring multiple serious incidents. He had visited Western plants like Loviisa in Finland and was shocked by higher safety standards. After the disaster, he presented findings to the IAEA in Vienna in August 1986, omitting some RBMK design flaws. Suffering from radiation exposure and frustrated by rejected reforms, he committed suicide on 27 April 1988.

Reader's Guide

Valery Legasov's career began with two years as an engineer at the Siberian Chemical Combine in Tomsk-7, working as a shift supervisor to gain practical experience. At Tomsk Polytechnic University, he researched gaseous uranium hexachloride in a gaseous fission reactor, but switched to noble gas chemistry after learning of Neil Bartlett's progress in Canada. In 1962, he joined the Kurchatov Institute's Department of Molecular Physics, rising from junior to senior researcher to head of laboratory. He defended his thesis in 1967 under Isaak Kikoin on synthesis of noble gas compounds, receiving his Candidate degree, and his doctorate in chemistry in 1972. He suffered facial injuries and minor scarring from chemical experimentation. In 1976, he was elected corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences; in 1981, full member in the Department of Physical Chemistry and Technology of Inorganic Materials. From 1978 to 1983, he was a professor at Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. From 1983 until his death, he chaired the Department of Radiochemistry and Chemical Technology at Moscow State University, and became first deputy director for scientific work at the Kurchatov Institute. Colleague Yu. A. Ustynyuk said: 'His main quality... was his exceptional dedication to the cause. Work was the main, almost the only meaning of his life.' Legasov researched hydrogen energy, nuclear energy strategy, energy generation safety, and synthesis of unusual compounds. He created a scientific school for chemistry of noble gases. He was concerned about complex systems reliant on a single operator without adequate safety systems. He said: 'I was interested in comparing the real dangers... that nuclear energy carries to the threats of other energy systems.' He noted that Soviet nuclear systems were 'painfully lacking in good control systems and extremely poor in diagnostic systems.'

Did You Know?

• Legasov graduated from School No. 56 in Moscow with a gold medal in 1954, and the school now bears his name with a bronze bust at the entrance.
• He switched his research focus to noble gas chemistry after learning of Neil Bartlett's progress in Canada.
• He suffered facial injuries and minor scarring from chemical experimentation during his career.
• In January 1986, just months before Chernobyl, he co-authored a propaganda piece claiming no nuclear accidents had seriously threatened personnel, ignoring multiple serious Soviet incidents.
• He committed suicide on 27 April 1988, exactly two years after the Chernobyl explosion.

Early Life and Formative Years

Valery Alekseyevich Legasov was born on 1 September 1936 in Tula, Russian SFSR, into a family of civil workers. He attended secondary school in Kursk. From 1949 to 1954, he attended School No. 56 in Moscow and graduated with a gold medal. While a shy student, he excelled in both academic work and social activities, being elected secretary of his school's Komsomol committee. In 1953, he proposed several reforms to address what he perceived as indifference and passivity of its members, but these ideas were quickly quashed by authorities. His headmaster observed that Legasov 'is a grown up man, a future statesman, a talented organizer. He can be a philosopher, a historian, an engineer...' The school now bears his name, and his bronze bust stands at the entrance. For two years he worked as a released secretary of the Central Committee of the Komsomol, and was elected to the bureau of the Soviet District Committee of the Komsomol and to the Moscow City Committee of the Komsomol. In 1961, he graduated from the Faculty of Physicochemical Engineering at the Mendeleev Moscow Institute of Chemistry and Technology, where he learned how nuclear fuel is processed, handled, and disposed of.

Scientific Career and Academic Leadership

For around two years, Legasov worked as an engineer at the Siberian Chemical Combine in Tomsk-7 as a shift supervisor, gaining practical experience. At Tomsk Polytechnic University, he started researching gaseous uranium hexachloride in a gaseous fission reactor, but switched to noble gas chemistry after Neil Bartlett's progress in Canada. In 1962, he joined the graduate school in the Department of Molecular Physics of the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, first as a junior then senior researcher, and finally as head of laboratory. In 1967, he defended his thesis under Isaak Kikoin on the synthesis of compounds of noble gases, receiving his Candidate degree, and his doctorate in chemistry in 1972. He experienced facial injuries and minor scarring from chemical experimentation. In 1976, he was elected corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences. From 1978 to 1983, he was a professor at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. In 1981, he became a full member of the Academy of Sciences in the Department of Physical Chemistry and Technology of Inorganic Materials. He was a member of the Science and Technology Council of the Ministry of Medium Machine Building. From 1983 until his death, he chaired the Department of Radiochemistry and Chemical Technology at Moscow State University. In 1983, he became first deputy director for scientific work of the Kurchatov Institute. Colleague Yu. A. Ustynyuk said: 'His main quality... was his exceptional dedication to the cause. Work was the main, almost the only meaning of his life.' He researched hydrogen energy, nuclear energy strategy, energy generation safety, and synthesis of unusual compounds. Under his leadership, a scientific school was created for chemistry of noble gases. He focused on related technologies and assisted with institute management. He said: 'I was interested in comparing the real dangers... that nuclear energy carries to the threats of other energy systems.' Along with Viktor Alekseyevich Sidorenko, he became concerned about poor equipment quality, poor construction, lack of operator training, and lack of training simulators. He noted: '[Our nuclear systems] were painfully lacking in good control systems and extremely poor in diagnostic systems... I have not seen a single group in the Soviet Union that raised and considered [the analysis of nuclear safety] with any degree of competence... As for the RBMK reactor... it was considered a bad reactor... because of economic reasons... When I looked at this device, I was confused by... an unusual and, in my opinion, insufficient construction of safety systems... [I began] to speak about the necessity of the next generation of reactors to be safer... But this caused a storm in the Ministry. A storm of indignation.' From 1984 to 1985, he reviewed chemistry research and found it in critical state, drafting reforms that triggered backlash. Malicious rumors circulated, such as accusations of being an alcoholic, over-ambitious, or to blame for Chernobyl. He said: '...the information I had convinced me that not everything was well in the development of nuclear energy... Science organizations began to weaken... The staff began to age. Fewer young people joined. New approaches were not welcomed... Excessive hierarchy has always been contraindicated for science, it stifles it.' In January 1986, he co-authored a propaganda piece in Soviet Life claiming no nuclear accidents had seriously threatened personnel or risked contamination, ignoring multiple serious incidents. He had visited Western plants like Loviisa in Finland and was shocked at higher safety standards, better equipment, a containment structure, and superior construction.

The Chernobyl Investigation and Global Advocacy

Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear plant exploded on 26 April 1986 at 1:23:45 a.m. By that time, Legasov was first deputy director of the Kurchatov Institute. Although not a reactor specialist, he became a key member of the government commission formed to investigate the causes and plan mitigation. In August 1986, he presented the findings of an investigation to the International Atomic Energy Agency at the United Nations Office in Vienna, detailing the actions and circumstances that led to the explosion but neglecting to mention some of the RBMK reactor's design flaws.

Personal Life and Tragic Conclusion

Legasov married Margarita Mikhailovna and had two children. In his personal life, he composed poetry and encouraged its publication. He often visited the theater with his wife and loved reading Russian and foreign literature, particularly the works of Yuri Bondarev. He was not religious but very interested in religious history and heritage. Suffering from poor health because of radiation exposure, and frustrated that his attempts at reforming Soviet academic chemistry were rebuffed, he committed suicide in 1988.