Igor Yostin Profile

Igor Kostin was a significant member in the disaster of Chernobyl.  As one of the five known photographers in the world to capture pictures of the tragedy, Igor now stands out as a Ukrainian national hero and quite simply a legend throughout the world. Born a Bessarabian (Moldovan), Igor Kostin had quite an extraordinary life. In 1954 he began military service, then started his career in sport. He became a great sportsman, playing for the Moldavian national volleyball team.  However, his early life is far from as famous as his later life was. As a photographer, he started to report news in the Vietnam war and the wars in Afghanistan. Once he had arrived from the latter country, Kostin was alerted by his friend helicopter pilot that there had been a fire at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl. The fire had already been extinguished via helicopter by the time they had arrived.  He experienced an odd feeling combined with high temperature and toxic smog, that was unusual for an accident scene .The motor of his cameras began to exhibit symptoms of radioactive-caused degradation after around 20 shots. They returned to Kiev after that where Kostin stayed for the rest of his life. He unfortunately died four days ago in a car crash in Kiev on Tuesday 9th June 2015. His legacy will forever influence future photographers.

Stat Attack:

Name: Igor Kostin

Birth: 27th December 1936

Death: 9th June 2015

Home: Eastern Europe

Occupation: Sportsman and photographer

Age of death: 78

The First Explosion

It is 1986. 25th April to be exact. A fine day in Ukrainian spring, just an ordinary day for the 43,000 inhabitants of the well-cherished city of Pripyat. a day that will remain forever as a memory of calamity. A "Katastrofa" as known throughout the nation. A couple of kilometres away stands the Vladimir Lenin nuclear power plant, a mass-producing, hard-working nuclear power plant where several thousand dedicated Soviets went to work each day to generate 10% of Ukraine's energy-that's a lot! However, that night a decisive test had to be put into action. Members of Block 4, by far the most memorable and the newest of the four reactors, did so since it may have saved energy. At almost two in the morning, the electricity was deactivated in a 'temporary' power cut as the test begun-... A series of detonations went off and as the city of Pripyat slept in peace the reactor floor started to tremble. The dawn of Chernobyl disaster roses into the sky as it became clear that danger was coming. And it was coming fast.

The city of Pripyat with VL power plant in the distance

When the 1,200 tonne cover of the reactor blasts into the ink-black sky, stripes of red, yellow and orange were painted opon the midnight canvas. Yet this was no Van Gogh masterpiece. This was terror at its maximum. An ultra-powerful stream of radioactivity and dangerous vapour releases Uranium and Graphite up to an incalculable number of metres high into the sky and encompassed the area around the plant. From the gaping hole, a spray of fire, lethal gas particals and simple destruction shot up- displaying a marvellous array of colours. Colours of blood, sickness and devastation illuminated the sky. Havoc and carnage reigned over Ukraine that night. And that was just the beginning.

Reactor number 4