Real Woman from Chernobyl Breaks Down as She Opens Up About Firefighter Husband’s Death
One of the real-life people who inspired HBO’s Chernobyl is speaking out about the tragic events depicted in the limited series.
Lyudmila Ignatenko was pregnant in 1986 when her firefighter husband was among the first-responders to the infamous Ukraine nuclear disaster. Her spouse, Vasily, soon was in the hospital, suffering from radiation poisoning that ultimately led to his death. She spent his last days on Earth by his bedside.
“He stood up and gave me three carnations from underneath his pillow. They were the last flowers he brought me,” Ignatenko told the BBC in a new interview, holding back tears. “I shall remember until the end of my life how we stood by the window together.”
She added: “We didn’t know this was the last time we would share a romantic moment.”
In HBO’s dramatization of the tragedy, which earned three Emmy wins earlier this year, actress Jessie Buckley portrays Ignatenko. Ignatenko said it was “very hard to watch” the portions of the series she did see.
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Ignatenko’s story became even more heartbreaking after the loss of her child. Her baby died just hours after being born, according to the BBC, suffering radiation from proximity to Vasily while still in the womb.
Ignatenko said that with Chernobyl, which aired in the U.S. back in May, came criticism of her actions, with people blaming her for the death of her child.
“They were asking why I had been at my husband’s bedside knowing that I was pregnant at the time. But tell me, how could I leave him?” she said. “I thought my baby was safe inside me. We didn’t know anything about radiation then.”
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Ignatenko, who never remarried but did later have a child, claimed she never gave HBO permission to tell her story, and that the show’s existence made her feel “hurt and uneasy.”
In a statement to the PEOPLE, a rep for HBO said: “Throughout the entire process of making Chernobyl, the producers were fully committed to depicting all events, including Lyudmilla and Vasily Ignatenko’s story, with the utmost sensitivity. The production team, via local representatives, had multiple exchanges with Lyudmilla Ignatenko – before, during, and after filming – with the express purpose of making her aware of the project and its depiction of her experiences as previously documented in several first-person accounts. Lyudmilla was also given the opportunity to participate in the storytelling process and to provide feedback. At no point during these exchanges did she express that she did not wish her story or that of her husband, Vasily, to be included. The filmmakers made every effort to depict their story, and that of everyone affected by this tragedy, with authenticity and respect.”
