Special operations and secret efforts of the Soviet Union after the Chernobyl disaster include the following key points:
1. **Operation Cyclone**
After the explosion at reactor 4, the Soviet Union launched a secret operation to reduce the spread of the radioactive cloud. The mission was led by Yuri Israel, head of the Soviet Meteorological Committee, when a secret map showed that the radioactive cloud was moving towards Moscow. To prevent this, Tu-6 bombers were equipped with cannon shells containing silver iodide to create rain, dragging radioactive particles to the ground.
This radioactive rain cloud caused a thick black rain, contaminating many areas of Belarus while Moscow was protected. As a result, many villages were severely contaminated with radiation, leading to serious health problems for the local population, especially cancer and birth defects.
### 2. **Operation Adversarial in Ukraine**
In Ukraine, another mission was carried out to keep rain away from the Pripyat River to avoid water pollution. Pilots from the Institute of Meteorology sprayed desiccant, creating a five-month drought to prevent rainwater from washing radioactive material into important rivers.
3. **The Nuclear Warhead Convoy**
In another secret mission, a convoy of 30 trucks, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Chev, transported three nuclear warheads along with conventional missiles from an air defense base near Chernobyl. The trucks and missiles were covered in radioactive dust, exposing the soldiers to high levels of radiation. After the mission was completed, the soldiers were forgotten, many of whom suffered radiation poisoning that led to illness and death in the following years.
4. **The Meat Train**
Faced with a large amount of radioactive livestock from the Chernobyl area, the Soviet Union chose to mix the contaminated meat with normal meat and distribute it throughout the regions except for Moscow and Leningrad.
The amount of radioactive meat quickly exceeded the capacity to handle it, leading to a train of radioactive meat wandering around the Soviet stations, rejected by the local authorities due to the high radiation levels. Eventually, the KGB was forced to bury the meat in an isolated area in Belarus.
### 5. **The First Photo of the Disaster**
Efforts to capture the first images of the Chernobyl reactor also brought high risks for photographers. Igor Cen and Anatol Ruskoff, two brave photographers, risked their health to take pictures of the radioactive wreckage. Many of the photographs were damaged by the high levels of radiation, but some of the surviving images became important documents for the Soviet Union in assessing the damage of the disaster.
### 6. **The Cover-Up and the Radiological Legacy**
These operations were kept secret for many years, and the effects of radiation on human health in Belarus, Ukraine, and the affected areas are still felt today. By concealing information and covering up failed efforts, the Soviet Union left behind a terrifying legacy of severely exposed populations, with high rates of illness and death.
