Nikolai Dmitrievich Tarakanov (born 19 May 1934, , Central Black Earth Oblast) is a former Soviet military leader, doctor of technical sciences, member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, founder and chairman of the Coordination Council of the Presidential Club Trust, Center for Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities, a member of the Union of Russian Writers, laureate of the M.A. Sholokhov International Literary Prize. Tarakanov led a three-month operation to remove radioactive debris from the dangerous zones of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, as well as the restoration work after the Spitak earthquake. In his later life, he has become disabled due to consequences of his exposure to radiation in Chernobyl, and currently takes eight different medications to treat his radiation-related symptoms. Early life and education Tarakanov was born on the Don in the village of Gremyach'e (now - Khokholsky District, Voronezh Oblast) to a large peasant family. His father was Dmitry Tikhonovich Tarakanov, a veteran of the Russian Civil War, Winter War and World War II, and his mother was Natalia Vasilievna. In 1953, he graduated from the Gremyachensk secondary school, then Kharkov Military Technical School. He served in the school, later in the Red Banner regiment of civil defense troops (the city of Meref) as commander of an electrical platoon. In 1963, he graduated from the Kharkiv Automobile and Highway Institute with a degree in mechanical engineering. He served in Saratov as a regimental engineer. In 1967, he became a teacher at the Moscow Military School of Civil Defense. In 1972, he graduated from the adjuncture of the Kuibyshev Military Engineering Academy in Moscow. Career Tarakanov served as a senior specialist in the Military Technical Committee of the USSR Civil Defense Forces, then in the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Civil Defense (including as First Deputy Chief of the Institute), Deputy Chief of the Civil Defense Staff of the RSFSR. In 1986, he led an operation to remove highly radioactive elements from highly dangerous zones of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. In 1988, he led the rescue work after the Spitak earthquake. In June 2019, in an interview with Dozhd TV channel, discussing the HBO serial Chernobyl, he said that he had lost the savings that he had saved for treatment. According to Tarakanov, for his leadership of the operation on the Chernobyl accident, he was presented to the title of Hero of