Viewers of the "First Channel" estimated a film about Bashkir cameraman

UFA, 8 June 2015. /Bashinform News Agency, Arina Rakhimkulova/. Yesterday, on June 7, , a premiere of the «Nomernoy» (Numbered) documentary dedicated to the life of a legendary cameraman, a native of Bashkortostan Mahmoud Rafikov took place on the main TV channel of the country. His cameraman experience includes shooting of more than 40 tests of nuclear devices, including the first hydrogen bomb, the first underwater atomic explosion, a film about the first nuclear submarine.

Mahmoud Rafikov’s name was not indicated in captions for many years, his films had numbers instead of names, and he signed a pledge of secrecy for 40 years. The cameraman from Bashkortostan made shooting at the epicentre of the first nuclear explosion, he survived the radiation leaks at a submarine, he was the only operator who filmed the landing of Yuri Gagarin. Skills of Mahmoud Rafikov were appreciated by Sergey Korolev and Igor Kurchatov. Today he is 91 and he is a unique witness of the era – he remembers all details.

His first shots were taken at closed test bases - Kapustin Yar and Semipalatinsk. These were tests of missiles, nuclear and hydrogen bombs.

Rafikov filmed more than 40 nuclear tests. Surprisingly, every flight was without consequences. He flied over an ash cloud, shot the epicentre of an explosion. Pilots received Heroes of the Soviet Union, and he continued to be just "Nomernoy".

The director and producer of the documentary was Gulnaz Galimullina, the role of the young Mahmoud Rafikov was played by student of the Russian State Geological Prospecting University, born in Bashkortostan Fail Ilembetov.