Boris Shcherbina (character)
The series' version of the Soviet official, as played by Stellan Skarsgård.
Last updated
Boris Shcherbina is a main character of the miniseries Chernobyl, played by Stellan Skarsgård. The series presents him as a deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers who is sent to the site with Legasov. The character is based on a real official, and like the rest of the series he is a dramatisation.
Last updated 2026-09-29 from the source article.
Lore & Background
In the story Shcherbina first repeats the false report that the damage is limited. He changes his mind at the plant, when a dosimeter reading proves that the core is exposed, and he has the plant managers arrested. He orders the evacuation of Pripyat after Legasov tells him how much radiation they have already absorbed.
He later warns Legasov that the KGB is watching them, helps to send the liquidators who clear the roof by hand, and cautions Legasov about the risks of exposing the design flaw in Vienna.
Reader's Guide
The portrayal of officials in the series has been debated. Some reviews criticised it for a stark moral contrast in which scientists are heroic and officials villainous, while the journalist Adam Higginbotham argued that the unconcerned attitude of the central government was accurately shown. One writer noted that the threats of execution voiced by officials in the series were anachronistic for Soviet life of that period.
Skarsgård won Best Supporting Actor at the 77th Golden Globe Awards for the role and received an acting nomination at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards.
A dramatisation, not the historical record. For the real event see Chernobyl Disaster: the real 1986 event
More in Characters
Elsewhere in Chernobyl: The HBO Miniseries
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Chernobyl (miniseries) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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