Lyudmilla Ignatenko: Ignatenko (Jessie Buckley, pictured) was Vasily's 23-year-old wife, who was pregnant at the time of the Chernobyl accident. When she was finally able to visit Vasily, she was not allowed to touch him, as administrators feared contamination. Two months after his death came the birth of their daughter Natashenka, who died hours after her delivery of cirrhosis and congenital heart disease. Lyudmilla survived the disaster and has recently opened up about its impact on her life.
Viktor Bryukhanov: Bryukhanov (Con O'Neill), Chernobyl's director at the time, received a 10-year sentence for negligence but only served five years due to illness. Judge Raimond Brize of the Chernobyl House of Culture criticized how he handled the evacuation of plant employees and said the plant had been poorly administered. Bryukhanov had reported to Moscow that the reactor was still intact, which resulted in a delay in the plant evacuation and surrounding vicinity. In a later interview with Russia Profil, he admitted that his staff had made mistakes but also said that there were design faults that scientists have kept quiet about. Some consider him a scapegoat of Soviet officials.
Nikolai Fomin: Fomin (Adrian Rawlins) was the chief engineer at Chernobyl and received a 10-year sentence for his involvements with the disaster. The court said he was one of the parties who had acted without proper authority to conduct an experiment on the fourth reactor. While in prison waiting for his trial, he attempted suicide.