Interview with Alexander Korol [English] (WIP)

Coffee with taste of Chernobyl / Interview with Alexander Korol

00:00
Kupnyi - Alexander Korol studied in one group (in the institute) with Leonid Toptunov. They arrived (in Pripyat) together and worked together. We will talk about this today.

Alexander, why did you choose nuclear physics and where did you study?

I decided (to study) nuclear physics, I chose the central institute of MEPhI in Moscow. Local students from Moscow studied there.

Kupnyi: Why does this remind me of something? Others have told me the same story.

Yes. I didn't have good grades to be admitted there. In Obninsk there was the nuclear power plants faculty. There was a shortage of people who wanted to study this exactly. I "catastrophically" didn't want to go to the army because in those years they sent (soldiers) to Afghanistan 

I played sports.

After graduating from school I studied in KPI, I didn't pass because of the electronics. I also attended evening classes, physics, maths and the first year I passed all exams. I brought the attestation of graduating to my parents and they said "where did you take this from?". I told them "I'm leaving".

I was in the army reserve, I was going to turn 18 in summer and was about to be sent to the army but I decided to go to MEPhI, I'd be safe there, and I knew physics pretty well. My mom was a physics teacher in school. Physics is in my blood. Long story short, I wanted to get admitted but I didn't pass the experimental physics (exam) and I started studying in the Obninsk branch of MEPhI. The curriculum was the same, the tutors were qualified like in the central institute. The Obninsk branch was at a good level then. Then the Obninsk branch became Nuclear physics institute. The first few years, four years before my admission, everyone lived in the same dormitory - students and tutors, they attended seminars and lectures. It was like that. Later it got bigger, a new dormitory was built. We studied in the old building. That's how I started studying nuclear physics. I was interested in science as well.

Kupnyi: Were you sent to Chernobyl?

We were sent to Chernobyl, yes. There, I and Lenya were on pre-graduation internship. We did scientific research. It was called NIYO ("Nuclear security"). That's how we spent almost a whole year or 10 months there. We were living in Pripyat, we were going to the power plant and were writing our thesis.

Kupnyi: Did you get to know each other during the (admission) exam immediately?

Yes, immediately. We studied in the same group

Kupnyi: Where did he come from?
Lenya Toptunov had an interesting story. His father worked with rockets,and they lived in Baikonur; he was born there, even Gagarin held Leonid Toptunov in his arms.

Kupnyi: I've heard that there was a photo, Lyosha Breus said so. Did he (Lenya) show you this photo?

I don't know, I haven't seen this photo.