Viktor Kibenok

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Viktor Nikolaevich Kibenok
Native name	Виктор Николаевич Кибенок
Born	17 February 1963 Ivanivka
Died	11 May 1986 (aged 23) Moscow
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Service/branch	Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	Pripyat Fire Department
Battles/wars	Chernobyl Disaster
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union Order For Courage

Viktor Nikolaevich Kibenok (Ukrainian: Віктор Миколайович Кібенок, Russian: Виктор Николаевич Кибенок; 17 February 1963 – 11 May 1986) was a Chernobyl firefighter who was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union after he died of radiation sickness.^[1]

Life[]

Kibenok was born into a family of firefighters, his father and his grandfather were both firemen. He would sometimes go with his father to emergencies and watch. This is presumably when Kibenok found his love for firefighting. He graduated from Cherkasy Fire And Technical School in August 1984 and was sent to work in Pripyat. He was a Lieutenant and the Chief Guard at Pripyat Fire Station (SPVCH-6).

Kibenok is described as being strong-willed, kind by-nature, a caring man. He also had a love for Motorsports and owned a motorcycle. In his free time he would modify and work on his motorcycle and loved driving it.

Chernobyl Disaster[]

Kibenok's watch were resting in the firestation on the night of the accident. They were exhausted after having to tackle a bus-station fire a few hours prior. Approximately 5-10 minutes after the explosion, an alarm came through, requesting Kibenok and his men to go to the nuclear plant. Kibenok and his men were told that there had been an explosion and that the roof between reactors 3 and 4 had caught fire. It was imperative that they stopped the spread before it could cause further damage, as the fire also risked reactor 3 being temporarily shut-down. When Kibenok and his men arrived at the plant, they parked their trucks on the north side of units 3 and 4. Kibenok parked his truck parallel to Pravik's and discussed how to best combat the fire. Kibenok and his men then climbed to the roof of the turbine hall using a half-broken fire escape staircase on the south side of the plant. Lieutenant Pravik told Kibenok that he should take his men up to the roof of Unit 3, but being city firefighters, they didn't know how to get up there. Pravik volunteered to accompany and guide them. A decision which ultimately cost him his life.

The team that went to the reactor's roof was composed of six men: Vladimir Pravik, Viktor Kibenok, Vasily Ignatenko, Vladimir Tischura, Nikolai Titenok and Nikolai Vashchuck. Every single one of these men died.

Once up on the roof, they realised how serious the accident was, with small pieces of debris strewn across the roof. Firefighting up there was difficult, because the burning asphalt that covered the roof was extremely flammable and sticky. They found it hard to move around, since the melting asphalt stuck to their boots. They initially had trouble with their hoses, since the standpipes on the reactor roof had been rendered useless due to damage from the explosion, Nikolai Vashchuck had to climb back down to attach their hoses to an intact standpipe on the turbine hall roof. Once they had an established water supply, the team moved around Reactor 3's roof, extinguishing small dotted fires. The team then moved to the base of the infamous ventilation chimney, and this is where Pravik probably looked into the reactor core.

After around 30 minutes of firefighting, the initial symptoms of acute radiation syndrome (ARS) set in. The men struggled to stand properly and they were vomiting severely. They started to climb back down to the turbine hall. Men that had been firefighting on the turbine hall rushed to help. Their faces were starting to swell, and their skin had turned a blue/red colour. An ambulance was called and they were briefly examined by a doctor, before being transported to Pripyat Hospital.

Hospitalization and death[]

Kibenok stayed in Pripyat for one day before the true scale of the accident was realized. He was then transported by air to Moscow Hospital No.6, which specialised in radiology and radiation burns. He had received bitumen burns on the inside of his mouth and his lungs were damaged by inhaling burning bitumen. Due to these internal burns, Kibenok couldn't eat and it was extremely painful for him to speak. He had also received severe thermal burns on his legs. By May 9th, Kibenok could no longer stand. He died a few days later on May 11th a few hours after his friend Vladimir Pravik. Throughout his hospitalization, he remained positive - even after multiple failed skin grafts. His funeral was held on May 13th.

Kibenok died at age 23, his wife was expecting their first child when he died. The child would later die in childbirth. He is buried alongside his comrades in Mitinskoe Cemetery in Moscow.

Legacy[]

Kibenok posthumously received the Hero of The Soviet Union award and the Ukrainian Order For Courage. He has a street named after him in his home city of Ivanivka. Kibenok also has numerous monuments, all over the Kiev region, including one at the Cherkassy Fire and Technical School, where he trained to become an officer.

See also[]

• Deaths due to the Chernobyl disaster

References[]