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Unaware of this fact, the government commission directed that the bubbler pools be drained by opening its [[sluice gates]]. The valves controlling it, however, were located in a flooded corridor in a subterranean annex adjacent to the reactor building. Volunteers in [[diving suit]]s and [[respirator]]s (for protection against radioactive [[aerosol]]s), and equipped with [[dosimeter]]s, entered the knee-deep radioactive water and managed to open the valves.<ref name="kramer">{{cite web |last1=Kramer |date=26 April 2016 |first1=Sarah |title=The amazing true story behind the Chernobyl 'suicide squad' that helped save Europe |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/chernobyl-volunteers-divers-nuclear-mission-2016-4 |website=[[Business Insider]] |access-date=7 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009180156/http://www.businessinsider.com/chernobyl-volunteers-divers-nuclear-mission-2016-4 |archive-date=9 October 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="mkru">{{cite web |last1=Samodelova |first1=Svetlana |script-title=ru:Белые пятна Чернобыля |url=http://www.mk.ru/politics/sng/2011/04/25/584047-belyie-pyatna-chernobyilya.html |website=Московский комсомолец |access-date=7 October 2016 |date=25 April 2011 |language=ru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009160659/http://www.mk.ru/politics/sng/2011/04/25/584047-belyie-pyatna-chernobyilya.html |archive-date=9 October 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> These were the engineers [[Alexei Ananenko]] and [[Valeri Bezpalov]] (who knew where the valves were), accompanied by the shift supervisor [[Boris Baranov]].<ref name=divers2>{{cite news |date=15 May 1986 |title=Soviets Report Heroic Acts at Chernobyl Reactor With AM Chernobyl Nuclear Bjt |website=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://apnews.com/bfb4a0cf2479ee940116c74141e8a332 |access-date=26 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429204527/http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1986/Soviet-Press-Reports-Heroic-Acts-at-Chernobyl-Reactor-With-AM-Chernobyl-Nuclear-Bjt/id-bfb4a0cf2479ee940116c74141e8a332 |archive-date=29 April 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.myslenedrevo.com.ua/uk/Sci/HistSources/Chornobyl/1986/05/16/ChernobylAdresMuzhestva.html |script-title=ru:Чернобыль: адрес мужества |trans-title=Chernobyl: the address of courage |last1=Zhukovsky |first1=Vladimir |last2=Itkin |first2=Vladimir |last3=Chernenko |first3=Lev |date=16 May 1986 |website=[[Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union|TASS]] |language=ru |access-date=5 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108224502/https://www.myslenedrevo.com.ua/uk/Sci/HistSources/Chornobyl/1986/05/16/ChernobylAdresMuzhestva.html |archive-date=8 November 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Chernobyl 1986, p.178">{{cite book |title=Chernobyl: The End of the Nuclear Dream |date=1986 |page=178 |first=Nigel |last=Hawkes |display-authors=etal |location=London |publisher=Pan Books |isbn=978-0-330-29743-1}}</ref> All three men were awarded the [[Order For Courage]] by [[President of Ukraine|Ukrainian President]] [[Petro Poroshenko]] in May 2018.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ukrinform.ru/rubric-society/2449795-prezident-vrucil-nagrady-geroamlikvidatoram-i-rabotnikam-caes.html | script-title=ru:Президент Петр Порошенко вручил государственные награды работникам Чернобыльской атомной электростанции и ликвидаторам последствий аварии на ЧАЭС. | trans-title=President Petro Poroshenko presented state awards to employees of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the liquidators of the consequences of the Chernobyl NPP accident. | language=ru | access-date=28 May 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514115713/https://www.ukrinform.ru/rubric-society/2449795-prezident-vrucil-nagrady-geroamlikvidatoram-i-rabotnikam-caes.html | archive-date=14 May 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref>
Numerous media reports falsely suggested that all three men died just days after the incident. In fact all three survived and continued to work in the nuclear energy industry.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.souzchernobyl.org/?id=2440 |script-title=ru:Воспоминания старшего инженера-механика реакторного цеха №2 Алексея Ананенка |trans-title=Memoirs of the senior engineer-mechanic of reactor shop №2 Alexey Ananenko |website=Exposing the Chornobyl Myths |language=ru |access-date=8 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108224413/http://www.souzchernobyl.org/?id=2440 |archive-date=8 November 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Alexy Ananenko and Valeri Bezpalov
Once the bubbler pool gates were opened by the three volunteers, fire brigade pumps were then used to drain the basement. The operation was not completed until 8 May, after {{convert|20,000|t|LT ST}} of water were pumped out.<ref>{{cite techreport |first=A. R. |last=Sich |title=The Chernobyl Accident |number=1 |volume=35 |institution=Oak Ridge National Laboratory |access-date=25 February 2022 |url=https://www.osti.gov/biblio/10153756#page=6 |year=1994 |page=13 |archive-date=25 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225015921/https://www.osti.gov/biblio/10153756#page=6 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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