According to Toptunov, Dyatlov not only witnessed the power fall but also—enraged—told him to withdraw more control rods from the reactor to increase power. Toptunov knew that to do so could certainly increase reactivity but would also leave the core in a dangerously unmanageable state. So Toptunov refused to obey Dyatlov’s command. “I’m not going to raise the power!” he said. But now Dyatlov threatened the young operator: if he didn’t follow orders, the deputy chief engineer would simply find another operator who would. The head of the previous shift, Yuri Tregub—who had stayed behind to
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