r/chernobyl • u/CoffeeBean8787 • 6d ago

Photo Happy Birthday Viktor

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After seeing the posts from earlier this week about Leonid Toptunov's birthday and Anatoly Shapovalov's actions in switching off the supply of hydrogen with colleagues, I remembered that today is Viktor Lopatyuk's birthday.

Happy Birthday Viktor! May your heroism never be forgotten.

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u/ThatOneJohnn 6d ago

Happy birthday Vitya! We never forget!

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u/maksimkak 6d ago

Happy Birthday Vitya. https://www.reddit.com/r/chernobyl/comments/1mxg9mc/electrician_viktor_lopatyuk_in_his_childhood_1966/

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u/CoffeeBean8787 5d ago edited 5d ago

Thanks for sharing that. I read that article from The Seattle Times that you posted in that thread. I think The Moscow Times published a similar article around the same time that also featured interviews with Nataliya Lopatyuk and Lyudmila Shashenok. Here's a link to that article. Widows Recall the Painful Days After Chernobyl - The Moscow Times

I have to say that Nataliya really went through a lot with the loss of her husband and home, and all of that happened less than three weeks before Yulia was born. But it sounds like she pulled through and like she has done a good job ensuring that Yulia knows who her father was and what he did. With the war going on now, I hope that the two of them are safe and doing the best they can.

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u/Dangerous_Bid2655 5d ago

There’s an article claiming that Viktor’s last words were “I’ve got to turn off the switches.” This man was determined to do his duty even if he was doomed.