Major Moskalov

Context and Description of the Scene: An officer (a captain, commanding a liquidation squad) enters a half-empty building in Pripyat where conscripts are sheltering or staying. The atmosphere is oppressive: everyone already understands the scale of the disaster, the soldiers are exhausted and frightened by an invisible threat. The captain tries to raise the soldiers' morale in a firm, yet clear, military manner and explain the gravity of the situation, using simple, colloquial expressions. The officer's speech: He addresses the soldiers and utters those very words: "What do they say back home? It's over!" With these words, he directly and without embellishment describes the situation around Unit 4 and the city. Call to Action: The captain firmly explains that there is no room for panic or retreat. He says that now is not the time to give in—"the motherland needs help," and there's no one else to do this terrible work (clearing the area, going to the reactor, clearing the city). The soldiers' reaction: The captain's words leave the soldiers (including the main character, Pasha) with the painful realization that they've found themselves in the epicenter of a deadly trap, but duty and orders compel them to carry out their missions, risking their lives.