Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet military officer who is widely known to have helped prevent a nuclear war with the United States, died at the age of 77, his son told AFP on Tuesday.
Petrov, whose extraordinary story was told in a documentary entitled "The Man Who Saved the World," has received several international awards, was honored at the United Nations and met with Hollywood superstars such as Robert De Niro and Matt Damon .
However, Petrov lived in a small town outside Moscow and died in relative obscurity on 19 May, his death becoming the headline in Russia and abroad months later, when a German friend wrote a blog entry on his death.
In September 1983, Petrov was a watch officer in a secret command center south of Moscow when an alarm …show more content…
In 1984, he left the army and moved to the city of Fryazino about 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Moscow.
The history of Petrov only appeared after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and over the years has been the subject of numerous press reports in Russia and abroad.
A modest and self-taught man, Petrov never considered himself a hero, his son said.
"My father could not care less, he was always surprised that people would make a hero out of it," he said.
"He just did his job well," said Petrov's son, adding that his father received a hundred letters from Europeans thanking him for avoiding the outbreak of a nuclear war.
"The Man Who Saved the World", a documentary film directed by Danish director Peter Anthony and narrated by American actor Kevin Costner, was released in 2014.
The images of the former Petrov are combined with reconstructions of what happened in this secret control center in 1983.
"I categorically refused to be guilty of starting World War III," Petrov said in the film. "I felt like I was being taken to an execution," he said about these dramatic
Petrov, whose extraordinary story was told in a documentary entitled "The Man Who Saved the World," has received several international awards, was honored at the United Nations and met with Hollywood superstars such as Robert De Niro and Matt Damon .
However, Petrov lived in a small town outside Moscow and died in relative obscurity on 19 May, his death becoming the headline in Russia and abroad months later, when a German friend wrote a blog entry on his death.
In September 1983, Petrov was a watch officer in a secret command center south of Moscow when an alarm …show more content…
In 1984, he left the army and moved to the city of Fryazino about 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Moscow.
The history of Petrov only appeared after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and over the years has been the subject of numerous press reports in Russia and abroad.
A modest and self-taught man, Petrov never considered himself a hero, his son said.
"My father could not care less, he was always surprised that people would make a hero out of it," he said.
"He just did his job well," said Petrov's son, adding that his father received a hundred letters from Europeans thanking him for avoiding the outbreak of a nuclear war.
"The Man Who Saved the World", a documentary film directed by Danish director Peter Anthony and narrated by American actor Kevin Costner, was released in 2014.
The images of the former Petrov are combined with reconstructions of what happened in this secret control center in 1983.
"I categorically refused to be guilty of starting World War III," Petrov said in the film. "I felt like I was being taken to an execution," he said about these dramatic