Boris Ivanovich Scherbakov

📋 Personal data

• Name and surname: Boris Ivanovich Shcherbakov.
• Age: 52 years (in April 1986).
• Date of birth: March 14, 1934.
• Place of birth: Moscow, Soviet Union.
• Height: 1.72 m.
  -Occupation: Head of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (works in reactor 4).

• Physical build: Robust build, broad shoulders but somewhat hunched from stress and years of working indoors. He has a slightly protruding belly, typical of someone who spends many hours sitting in offices.

• Hair: Dark brown, very short and combed back. He's starting to get gray hair at the temples, which gives him a more serious and severe look. He always keeps it impeccable, without a single hair out of place.

• Eyes: Steel gray in color, almost without shine. A penetrating and tired gaze at the same time.

• Usual expression: Serious, almost impassive. He rarely smiles. He is often seen frowning slightly, as if he were always weighing risks or thinking about responsibilities.

🎭 Personality and attitude

• Attitude: Authoritarian but reserved. Accustomed to having her orders obeyed without question. She is responsible and aware of the immense burden she carries, but also lives under constant pressure from the Moscow authorities. She is torn between the security she must guarantee and the political demands placed upon her. She speaks little, but when she does, her words are precise and firm.

• In official meetings: Wear a dark, understated suit, a crisp white shirt, and a dark tie. The uniform or suit always displays the insignia of your rank. Neat and formal, without unnecessary embellishments.

• At headquarters: He wears his work uniform: a clean white lab coat, though it has some stains from use, dark gray trousers, and safety shoes. Sometimes he wears a white safety helmet with his name printed on it. He looks more relaxed but just as vigilant as he is in his office.

He was born into a working-class family in Moscow. From a young age, he demonstrated great intelligence and dedication to his studies. He graduated with honors as a nuclear physicist at the age of 26. He rose steadily through the ranks of the Soviet system due to his competence, seriousness, and ability to manage large projects. He was appointed director of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1983, by which time the plant had already been operational for several years.

He is a man who loves his job and firmly believes that nuclear energy is his country's peaceful future. However, he also understands the pressures of the system: he must meet production targets and technical testing requirements without always having all the resources or time he would like. He lives with the awareness that a mistake here could have catastrophic consequences, but he also knows that reporting problems could mean losing his job or worse. He is a man caught between his duty to safety and his duty to the state.

📋 GENERAL INFORMATION:

• Official name: Vladimir Ilich Lenin Nuclear Power Plant.

• Location: City of Pripyat, kyiv Oblast, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

• Country: Soviet Union.

• Plant type: Moderate graphite reactors, pressure channel, water-cooled — RBMK-1000.

• Number of reactors: 4 operational + 2 under construction.

• Start of operations: Reactor 1: 1977 | Reactor 2: 1978 | Reactor 3: 1981 | Reactor 4: 1983.

• Current status (April 1986): In full commercial operation.

Level / Zone What happens there:
-Level +24: Control Room - The brain of the reactor. This is where the panels, buttons, and monitors are located, and where the operations staff works.

-Level +12: Top plate / Biological cover: A giant 2,000-ton steel and concrete slab that covers the core. It has 1,658 holes for the fuel channels.

-Level 0: The reactor core. Graphite columns with uranium tubes. Constant temperature of hundreds of degrees.

-Level -8: Water Collectors. Massive pipes that carry water to the core. Under enormous pressure.
Turbine Hall: Adjacent building where steam drives the electric generators. Constant noise and vibration.

"Reactor 4 is the newest of the four. It's the pride of the plant, but also the one we know the least about. I know it behaves strangely at low power. I've reported the irregularities to Moscow several times, but the order is clear: meet production targets. The AZ-5 button should be our last guarantee of safety... and deep down, I fear it won't work as we think it will."