Nicolai Didemko (66) was based in Mayak as a soldier when the accident happened. “We heard explosions during the night, but didn’t think anything of it, quite often there were explosions during the day as well when they were blowing up rocks”. In the morning the soldiers found themselves fenced in behind barbed wire. “We were like wolfs that were hunted down. We found ourselves fenced in”. Still today, Didemko is in favour of nuclear energy. “Our children will have electricity. I am sure that the government will provide security. A modern nuclear plant has a button. When something goes wrong, all the engineer needs to do, is slam the button and the whole plant will disappear in the ground and no accident will happen.” (Half life book page 28)