Anatoly Dyatlov (character)

Lore & Background

In the first episode Dyatlov denies the first reports that the core is exposed, believing it impossible. He orders Akimov and Toptunov to feed water to the core by hand and sends for the emergency services. He reports to the plant director and the chief engineer, and he sees first responders already suffering from radiation sickness.

The final episode returns to the hours before the explosion, showing him and the two managers deciding to go ahead with the delayed safety test in the hope of promotion. He stands trial with them at the end of the series.

Reader's Guide

A former engineer of the plant, Oleksiy Breus, has argued that the characters of Bryukhanov, Fomin and Dyatlov were distorted and misrepresented, as if they were villains. Other reviewers made a similar point about the moral contrast the series draws between scientists and officials.

The final episode itself has Legasov say that Dyatlov and the operators rightly believed the shutdown button to be infallible, because the design flaw had been kept secret.

Did You Know?

• Paul Ritter joined the cast in May 2018.
• Dyatlov appears in the control room scenes of the first episode.