Stanislav Petrov
A lieutenant colonel in the Soviet Air Defence Forces who, in 1983, prevented a potential nuclear war by declining to report a false nuclear early-warning alert to his superiors. The incident occurred when a Soviet satellite system erroneously indicated an incoming American missile strike. Petrov judged the alert to be a malfunction and did not escalate the alarm through the chain of command. He is widely referred to as "the man who saved the world."
Timeline (last 90 days)
In September 1983, the Soviet early warning satellite system Oko reported to duty officer Stanislav Petrov that the United States had launched 5 intercontinental ballistic missiles
Petrov relied on his instincts to judge the report as a false alarm and declined to escalate it; it was subsequently confirmed that the satellite had misidentified sunlight refraction as missile exhaust plumes
All Facts (2)
In September 1983, the Soviet early warning satellite system Oko reported to duty officer Stanislav Petrov that the United States had launched 5 intercontinental ballistic missiles
50%UnverifiedPetrov relied on his instincts to judge the report as a false alarm and declined to escalate it; it was subsequently confirmed that the satellite had misidentified sunlight refraction as missile exhaust plumes
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