Stanislav Petrov
Sign in to saveofficer of the Soviet Air Defence Forces, noted for not executing a nuclear strike during a nuclear false alarm incident (1939-2017)
AI overview
Stanislav Petrov was a Soviet military officer who became historically significant for his decision not to launch a nuclear attack during a false alarm in 1983, when his early warning system incorrectly indicated that American missiles were heading toward the Soviet Union. His choice to verify the alert rather than automatically respond is widely credited with preventing a potential nuclear war that could have killed millions of people.
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Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1939-09-07
- Died
- 2017-05-19
- Works
- 2
Top works
- Taĭny tvorchestva
- Pravda zhizni i pravda iskusstva
via Open Library + Wikidata
Film & TV
Acting · Vladivostok, Russia
Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov (Russian: Станисла́в Евгра́фович Петро́в; born c. 1939) is a retired lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces. On September 26, 1983, he was the duty officer at the command center for the Oko nuclear early-warning system when the system reported that a missile was being launched from the United States. Petrov judged the report to be a false alarm, and his…
Known for
- The Man Who Saved the World — Self2014
- The Red Button — Self2011
via TMDB
Listeners · Last.fm
Article
Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov (Russian: Станислав Евграфович Петров; 7 September 1939 – 19 May 2017) was a Russian lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces who played a key role in the 1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident. On 26 September 1983, three weeks after the Soviet military had shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, Petrov was the duty officer at the command center for the Oko nuclear early-warning system when the system reported that a missile had been launched from the United States, followed by up to four more. Petrov correctly judged the reports to be a false alarm.
His subsequent decision to disobey orders, against Soviet military protocol, is credited with having prevented an erroneous retaliatory nuclear attack on the United States and its NATO allies that would have likely resulted in a large-scale nuclear war. An investigation later confirmed that the Soviet satellite warning system had indeed malfunctioned. Because his decision may have averted a retaliatory nuclear strike, Petrov is often credited as having "saved the world".