1 00:00:36,530 --> 00:00:40,070 What is the cost of lies? 2 00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:43,030 It's not that we'll mistake them for the truth. 3 00:00:43,110 --> 00:00:46,990 The real danger is that if we hear enough lies, 4 00:00:47,070 --> 00:00:50,110 then we no longer recognize the truth at all. 5 00:00:51,620 --> 00:00:53,280 What can we do then? 6 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:56,030 What else is left but to abandon even the hope of truth 7 00:00:56,110 --> 00:01:00,700 and content ourselves instead with stories? 8 00:01:00,780 --> 00:01:04,910 In these stories, it doesn't matter who the heroes are. 9 00:01:04,990 --> 00:01:08,530 Who is to blame? 10 00:01:08,620 --> 00:01:11,200 In this story, it was Anatoly Dyatlov. 11 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:12,990 He was the best choice. 12 00:01:13,070 --> 00:01:15,070 An arrogant, unpleasant man, 13 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,360 he ran the room that night, he gave the orders... 14 00:01:18,450 --> 00:01:20,360 and no friends. 15 00:01:20,450 --> 00:01:24,110 Or, at least, not important ones. 16 00:01:25,570 --> 00:01:29,450 And now Dyatlov will spend the next ten years 17 00:01:29,530 --> 00:01:31,570 in a prison labor camp. 18 00:01:31,660 --> 00:01:35,030 Of course, that sentence is doubly unfair. 19 00:01:36,490 --> 00:01:40,200 There were far greater criminals than him at work. 20 00:01:41,990 --> 00:01:44,910 And as for what Dyatlov did do, 21 00:01:44,990 --> 00:01:47,360 the man doesn't deserve prison. 22 00:01:48,530 --> 00:01:51,360 He deserves death. 23 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:09,110 But instead, ten years for "criminal mismanagement." 24 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,200 What does that mean? 25 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:15,030 No one knows. It doesn't matter. 26 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:20,700 What does matter is that, to them, 27 00:02:20,780 --> 00:02:22,990 justice was done. 28 00:02:23,070 --> 00:02:26,660 Because, you see, to them 29 00:02:26,740 --> 00:02:30,450 a just world is a sane world. 30 00:02:32,910 --> 00:02:35,910 There was nothing sane about Chernobyl. 31 00:02:37,620 --> 00:02:39,780 What happened there, what happened after, 32 00:02:39,870 --> 00:02:43,200 even the good we did, all of it... 33 00:02:44,660 --> 00:02:49,200 all of it... madness. 34 00:02:53,660 --> 00:02:57,740 Well, I've given you everything I know. 35 00:02:59,740 --> 00:03:02,280 They'll deny it, of course. 36 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:04,110 They always do. 37 00:03:09,530 --> 00:03:11,950 I know you'll try your best. 38 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:36,660 Lyudmilla? 39 00:08:01,570 --> 00:08:03,870 Comrade Dyatlov! 40 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:11,410 Comrade Dyatlov! Comrade Dyatlov! 41 00:08:15,780 --> 00:08:18,660 Comrade Dyatlov! Comrade Dyatlov! 42 00:08:18,740 --> 00:08:21,450 What just happened? 43 00:08:21,530 --> 00:08:24,620 I don't know. 44 00:08:24,700 --> 00:08:26,910 There's a fire in the turbine hall. 45 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:29,780 The turbine hall. 46 00:08:30,870 --> 00:08:33,910 The control system tank. Hydrogen. 47 00:08:33,990 --> 00:08:35,950 You and Toptunov, you morons blew the tank! 48 00:08:36,030 --> 00:08:38,280 - No, that's not... - This is an emergency. 49 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:40,320 Everyone stay calm. Our first priority is... 50 00:08:40,410 --> 00:08:41,870 - It's exploded! - We know. 51 00:08:41,950 --> 00:08:43,410 Akimov, are we cooling the reactor core? 52 00:08:43,490 --> 00:08:45,320 We shut it down, but the control rods are still active. 53 00:08:45,410 --> 00:08:47,200 They're not all the way in, I disengaged the clutch. 54 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:49,870 Try and disconnect the servos from the standby console. 55 00:08:49,950 --> 00:08:51,360 You two, get the backup pumps running. 56 00:08:51,450 --> 00:08:53,160 We need water moving through the core. 57 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:56,200 - That is all that matters. - There is no core. 58 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:58,620 It exploded, the core exploded. 59 00:09:02,110 --> 00:09:04,280 He's in shock. Get him out of here. 60 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:05,620 The lid is off! 61 00:09:05,700 --> 00:09:07,490 The stack is burning. I saw it. 62 00:09:07,570 --> 00:09:10,450 You're confused. RBMK reactor cores don't explode. 63 00:09:10,530 --> 00:09:11,870 - Akimov... - Sasha. 64 00:09:11,950 --> 00:09:13,160 Don't worry, we did everything right. 65 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:15,200 Something... something strange has happened. 66 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:17,410 - Do you taste metal? - Akimov! 67 00:09:17,490 --> 00:09:20,410 Comrade Perevozschenko, what you're saying is physically impossible. 68 00:09:20,490 --> 00:09:23,820 The core can't explode. It has to be the tank. 69 00:09:24,490 --> 00:09:26,200 We're wasting time. Let's go. 70 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:29,070 Get the hydrogen out of the generators and pump water into the core. 71 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:33,320 - What about the fire? - Call the fire brigade. 72 00:11:09,570 --> 00:11:11,360 You're not on call tonight. 73 00:11:11,450 --> 00:11:13,530 They're bringing everybody in, military and civil. 74 00:11:13,620 --> 00:11:17,660 Pripyat, Polesskoe, Kiev. 75 00:11:17,740 --> 00:11:19,620 This is a big one. 76 00:11:20,570 --> 00:11:23,240 But it doesn't look right, the color. 77 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:26,870 Pravik says he thinks they're shining floodlights or something. 78 00:11:26,950 --> 00:11:28,320 And what if there are chemicals? 79 00:11:28,410 --> 00:11:30,740 Chemicals? 80 00:11:31,780 --> 00:11:33,320 The problem's the roof. 81 00:11:33,410 --> 00:11:36,200 It's covered in tar, so it's gonna burn all night, 82 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:38,870 and it'll stink like hell. That's it. 83 00:11:38,950 --> 00:11:40,780 That's the worst of it. 84 00:11:42,740 --> 00:11:44,030 Go back to bed. 85 00:12:19,950 --> 00:12:22,870 - Is it war? - Where's the dosimeter? 86 00:12:22,950 --> 00:12:26,030 Here... Here. 87 00:12:31,820 --> 00:12:33,490 Are they bombing? 88 00:12:36,110 --> 00:12:39,070 What the fuck is this? It's 3.6 roentgen. 89 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:41,700 That's as high as it goes. The good one's locked in a safe. 90 00:12:41,780 --> 00:12:43,200 I don't have a key. 91 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:47,530 Valera... your face. 92 00:12:49,030 --> 00:12:50,410 Come on. 93 00:12:50,490 --> 00:12:53,360 I'm going to find Khodemchuk in the pump room. 94 00:12:53,450 --> 00:12:55,410 You... here. 95 00:12:55,490 --> 00:12:59,110 Get Shashenok. He's in 604. Go. 96 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:00,870 We need to get everyone out! 97 00:13:12,660 --> 00:13:15,410 Shit. 98 00:13:15,490 --> 00:13:17,870 Hey! We need to get to the reactor hall. 99 00:13:17,950 --> 00:13:20,950 - The lift's destroyed. - Up two flights and across. 100 00:13:21,030 --> 00:13:24,450 - Right. - Why are you going there? 101 00:13:43,700 --> 00:13:45,740 Have you seen Khodemchuk? 102 00:13:45,820 --> 00:13:48,280 - No. Where's Viktor? - Still in the pump room. 103 00:13:49,870 --> 00:13:52,700 Stay here. I'll come back. 104 00:13:55,570 --> 00:13:57,280 Viktor! 105 00:14:15,570 --> 00:14:16,620 Viktor. 106 00:14:16,700 --> 00:14:19,820 Viktor. 107 00:14:21,070 --> 00:14:23,740 Viktor. I'm gonna get you out of here. 108 00:14:23,820 --> 00:14:25,700 Can you stand? 109 00:14:25,780 --> 00:14:27,990 Khodemchuk... 110 00:14:28,070 --> 00:14:29,740 Where? 111 00:14:32,110 --> 00:14:34,320 Get Khodemchuk. 112 00:15:17,410 --> 00:15:19,450 I dropped the control rods from the other panel. 113 00:15:19,530 --> 00:15:21,240 - They're still up. - What? 114 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:23,740 They're still only a third of the way in, I don't know why. 115 00:15:23,820 --> 00:15:26,280 I already sent the trainees down to the reactor hall to lower them by hand. 116 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:28,320 - What about the pumps? - I can't get through to Khodemchuk. 117 00:15:28,410 --> 00:15:31,030 - The lines are down. - Fuck the phones and fuck Khodemchuk. 118 00:15:31,110 --> 00:15:32,530 - Are the pumps on or not? - Stolyarchuk? 119 00:15:32,620 --> 00:15:34,110 My control panel's not working. 120 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:35,620 I tried calling for the electricians. 121 00:15:35,700 --> 00:15:37,320 I don't give a shit about the panel! 122 00:15:37,410 --> 00:15:39,950 I need water in my reactor core! 123 00:15:40,030 --> 00:15:42,570 Get down there and make sure those pumps are on. 124 00:15:43,740 --> 00:15:45,320 Now! 125 00:15:52,740 --> 00:15:56,410 - What does the dosimeter say? - 3.6 roentgen, but that's as high as the meter... 126 00:15:56,490 --> 00:15:59,240 3.6... not great, not terrible. 127 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:09,360 We did everything right. 128 00:16:53,740 --> 00:16:56,030 You, connect those hooks! 129 00:17:01,110 --> 00:17:02,490 Get the pumps going! 130 00:17:02,570 --> 00:17:04,820 Yeah, over here! 131 00:17:08,490 --> 00:17:11,570 We're working bottom to top. Go in fast. 132 00:17:32,490 --> 00:17:34,070 Vasily... 133 00:17:35,450 --> 00:17:38,110 - Hey, Vasily, what's this? - I don't know, Misha. 134 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:40,700 Don't fuck around with it. Hook these up, come on. 135 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:47,740 Do you taste metal? 136 00:17:47,820 --> 00:17:51,030 - Yeah, what is that? - I don't know. 137 00:17:52,780 --> 00:17:54,320 The valves, Misha! The valves, let's go! 138 00:17:54,410 --> 00:17:56,030 The valves! Come on! 139 00:18:28,490 --> 00:18:29,570 What do you need? 140 00:18:29,660 --> 00:18:31,910 We need to get into the reactor hall 141 00:18:31,990 --> 00:18:34,410 to lower the control rods, but the door is jammed. 142 00:18:35,660 --> 00:18:37,620 I don't think there are control rods. 143 00:18:37,700 --> 00:18:39,360 I don't think there's a core. 144 00:18:41,530 --> 00:18:43,410 No, you're... you're mistaken. 145 00:18:44,360 --> 00:18:45,660 Akimov said. 146 00:19:03,070 --> 00:19:04,410 Let's go. 147 00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:18,990 No! 148 00:19:19,070 --> 00:19:22,820 Ignatenko, get on his hose! 149 00:19:22,910 --> 00:19:24,740 It's all right. Breathe. 150 00:19:24,820 --> 00:19:26,490 Misha. 151 00:19:26,570 --> 00:19:28,570 All right, all right. Easy, Misha. 152 00:20:05,450 --> 00:20:07,280 Are you sure? 153 00:20:08,740 --> 00:20:10,070 Akimov... 154 00:20:23,450 --> 00:20:24,990 Move. 155 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:36,990 Come on, go! 156 00:21:16,030 --> 00:21:17,620 Let's go! 157 00:21:17,700 --> 00:21:19,030 Let's go! 158 00:21:20,530 --> 00:21:21,910 Hey! 159 00:21:28,660 --> 00:21:29,820 Hey! 160 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:52,660 Lyudmilla! Do you want to come with us? 161 00:21:52,740 --> 00:21:54,030 Come where? 162 00:21:54,110 --> 00:21:56,200 We're going to the railroad bridge to get a better look. 163 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,660 It's not like anyone can sleep with all the sirens. 164 00:21:58,740 --> 00:22:00,910 I don't think you should go. It could be dangerous. 165 00:22:00,990 --> 00:22:04,160 What do you mean dangerous? It's a fire. It's over there, we're over here. 166 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:05,870 - Mikhail. - What? 167 00:22:07,410 --> 00:22:09,360 Oh, sorry. 168 00:22:09,450 --> 00:22:11,030 Oh. 169 00:22:13,740 --> 00:22:16,320 - Is Vasily...? - Yeah. 170 00:22:16,410 --> 00:22:17,990 Did he say it was bad? 171 00:22:18,070 --> 00:22:19,990 No. No, he said it was just the roof. 172 00:22:20,070 --> 00:22:21,410 Well, he's never gotten hurt before. 173 00:22:21,490 --> 00:22:23,110 None of the boys have. 174 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:25,870 He'll be fine. 175 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:28,570 Get some rest. 176 00:22:40,070 --> 00:22:42,030 The tank, it's big enough. 177 00:22:42,110 --> 00:22:46,360 This kind of explosion, the control tank on 71, it's 100 cubic meters. 178 00:22:46,450 --> 00:22:47,780 One hundred and ten. 179 00:22:47,870 --> 00:22:50,620 Hundred and ten. It could do this, definitely. 180 00:22:50,700 --> 00:22:54,030 It's gone. 181 00:22:54,110 --> 00:22:56,200 I looked right into it. 182 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:57,990 I looked into the core. 183 00:22:59,110 --> 00:23:01,870 Did you lower the control rods or not? 184 00:23:04,410 --> 00:23:06,780 Take him to the infirmary. 185 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:09,990 Toptunov, take him! 186 00:23:13,410 --> 00:23:17,110 - Where's Kudryavstev? - He fell. 187 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:20,240 - I need a medic! - Anyone! -He's delusional. 188 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:22,740 - His face... - Ruptured condenser lines. 189 00:23:22,820 --> 00:23:24,740 The feedwater is mildly contaminated. 190 00:23:24,820 --> 00:23:26,490 He'll be fine. I've seen worse. 191 00:23:26,570 --> 00:23:28,990 Do we still have a phone line to the outside? 192 00:23:30,820 --> 00:23:33,530 Akimov? 193 00:23:33,620 --> 00:23:35,660 Call in the day shift. 194 00:23:36,870 --> 00:23:39,240 - But if the... - We have to keep water flowing into the core. 195 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:42,660 We need electricians, mechanics, we need bodies. 196 00:23:43,450 --> 00:23:46,030 How many times do I have to say it? 197 00:23:53,950 --> 00:23:56,110 I'm going to the Administration Building now 198 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:58,740 to call Bryukhanov and Fomin. 199 00:23:58,820 --> 00:24:01,240 They're gonna want a full report. 200 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:06,110 Now, I don't know if I can make things better for you, 201 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:09,030 but I can certainly make them worse. 202 00:24:11,030 --> 00:24:13,660 Call in the day shift, Comrade Akimov. 203 00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:18,870 Yes, Comrade Dyatlov. 204 00:24:51,570 --> 00:24:54,570 You're doing fine. 205 00:24:54,660 --> 00:24:56,570 Raise her up. 206 00:24:59,660 --> 00:25:01,320 That one, maybe an hour. 207 00:25:01,410 --> 00:25:03,570 This one, not until morning. 208 00:25:05,660 --> 00:25:09,620 - How's it downstairs, doctor? - Quiet. 209 00:25:09,700 --> 00:25:11,410 Always is. 210 00:25:11,490 --> 00:25:14,240 Nothing at this hour but babies. 211 00:25:15,110 --> 00:25:17,990 You know, I once went two days without sleep? 212 00:25:18,070 --> 00:25:20,700 Ten women went into labor at the same time. 213 00:25:20,780 --> 00:25:23,160 - Did I ever tell you that story? - Yes. 214 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:27,030 Well, I won't need you in here for a while. 215 00:25:27,110 --> 00:25:29,910 If you want, get some rest in the break room. 216 00:25:30,780 --> 00:25:32,950 They haven't brought anyone in from the fire. 217 00:25:33,030 --> 00:25:36,110 - What fire? - The power plant. 218 00:25:36,780 --> 00:25:39,780 Oh. Then it mustn't be too bad. 219 00:25:41,030 --> 00:25:42,780 Do we stock iodine? 220 00:25:42,870 --> 00:25:44,780 - Hmm? - Iodine. 221 00:25:45,950 --> 00:25:50,070 - You mean disinfectant? - No, pills. Does the hospital stock iodine pills? 222 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:53,110 Iodine pills? Why would we have iodine pills? 223 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:07,620 Hello? 224 00:26:08,700 --> 00:26:10,110 Hello? 225 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:19,160 Who else knows this? 226 00:26:21,030 --> 00:26:22,700 Have you called Fomin? 227 00:26:23,990 --> 00:26:25,910 Of course I want you to call him. 228 00:26:25,990 --> 00:26:28,200 If I'm up, he's up. 229 00:27:06,530 --> 00:27:08,450 Whatever the cause, the important thing is 230 00:27:08,530 --> 00:27:10,240 that neither you nor I... 231 00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:53,360 I take it the safety test was a failure? 232 00:27:53,450 --> 00:27:56,700 - We have the situation under control. - Under control? 233 00:27:56,780 --> 00:27:59,570 - It doesn't look like it's under control. - Shut up, Fomin. 234 00:28:00,910 --> 00:28:03,530 I have to tell the Central Committee about this. Do you realize that? 235 00:28:03,620 --> 00:28:05,910 I have to get on the phone and tell Maryin, 236 00:28:05,990 --> 00:28:07,450 or God forbid Frolyshev, 237 00:28:07,530 --> 00:28:09,240 that my power plant is on fire. 238 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:11,740 No one can blame you for this, Director Bryukhanov. 239 00:28:11,820 --> 00:28:13,530 Of course no one can blame me for this. 240 00:28:13,620 --> 00:28:16,780 How can I be responsible? I was sleeping. 241 00:28:17,620 --> 00:28:19,950 Tell me what happened, quickly. 242 00:28:21,410 --> 00:28:25,110 We ran the test exactly as Chief Engineer Fomin approved. 243 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:27,820 Unit Shift Chief Akimov and Engineer Toptunov 244 00:28:27,910 --> 00:28:30,360 encountered technical difficulties leading 245 00:28:30,450 --> 00:28:33,780 to an accumulation of hydrogen in the control system tank. 246 00:28:33,870 --> 00:28:35,410 It regrettably ignited, 247 00:28:35,490 --> 00:28:38,110 damaging the plant, setting the roof on fire. 248 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:42,240 The tank is quite large. 249 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:44,360 It's the only logical explanation. 250 00:28:44,450 --> 00:28:47,910 Of course, Deputy Chief Engineer Dyatlov 251 00:28:47,990 --> 00:28:50,620 was directly supervising the test, 252 00:28:50,700 --> 00:28:52,110 so he would know best. 253 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:54,490 A hydrogen tank, fire... 254 00:28:56,530 --> 00:28:58,570 - Reactor? - We're taking measures to ensure 255 00:28:58,660 --> 00:29:01,070 a steady flow of water through the core. 256 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:04,110 - What about radiation? - Obviously, down here it's nothing. 257 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:06,910 But in the reactor building, I'm being told 258 00:29:06,990 --> 00:29:09,030 3.6 roentgen per hour. 259 00:29:09,110 --> 00:29:11,280 Well, that's not great, but it's not horrifying. 260 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:12,950 Not at all. 261 00:29:13,030 --> 00:29:16,070 - From the feedwater, I assume? - Mm-hmm. 262 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:18,450 We'll have to limit shifts 263 00:29:18,530 --> 00:29:20,620 to six hours at a time, but otherwise... 264 00:29:20,700 --> 00:29:23,280 The dosimetrists should be checking regularly. 265 00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:28,070 Have them use the good meter from the safe. 266 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:32,320 Right. I'll call Maryin. 267 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:35,530 Have them wake up the local executive committee. 268 00:29:35,620 --> 00:29:37,780 There'll be orders coming down. 269 00:29:43,530 --> 00:29:44,990 - Here. - No. 270 00:29:45,070 --> 00:29:47,700 You sure? Okay. 271 00:29:50,700 --> 00:29:53,360 - What do you think makes the colors? - Oh... 272 00:29:54,030 --> 00:29:57,410 - It's the fuel for sure. - "Oh. It's the fuel for sure"? 273 00:29:57,490 --> 00:30:00,910 What do you know about it? You clean floors at a train station. 274 00:30:00,990 --> 00:30:02,700 My friend, Yuri, works at the power plant. 275 00:30:02,780 --> 00:30:04,360 He says it runs cold. 276 00:30:04,450 --> 00:30:06,240 No gas, no fire. Just atoms. 277 00:30:07,030 --> 00:30:09,490 Yuri says the only thing is, you can't walk right up to the fuel. 278 00:30:09,570 --> 00:30:12,450 If you do, a glass of vodka an hour for four hours. 279 00:30:12,530 --> 00:30:15,450 Isn't Yuri a plumber? 280 00:30:15,530 --> 00:30:17,950 At the nuclear power plant, yeah. 281 00:30:24,490 --> 00:30:26,070 It is beautiful. 282 00:30:27,110 --> 00:30:28,740 Yeah. 283 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:22,360 Do you have a cigarette? 284 00:32:47,660 --> 00:32:49,660 Do you need help? 285 00:32:55,660 --> 00:32:57,740 It's over. 286 00:34:01,820 --> 00:34:03,530 We've done all we can from the perimeter. 287 00:34:03,620 --> 00:34:06,450 We need to start making our way to the roof. 288 00:34:12,450 --> 00:34:15,780 Vasily! You've gotta put it out. 289 00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:22,200 That's enough, comrades. We're pushing ahead. 290 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:29,950 Come on, boys. 291 00:34:35,620 --> 00:34:37,490 Vasily, it's just past, straight up. 292 00:34:37,570 --> 00:34:39,490 All the way up, all the way in. 293 00:34:41,530 --> 00:34:43,030 Come on! 294 00:34:55,160 --> 00:34:57,320 Yeah. Going in now. 295 00:35:44,490 --> 00:35:46,740 What about the auxiliary? 296 00:35:46,820 --> 00:35:50,240 The pumps are gone, electrical's gone. 297 00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:54,240 - The core? - I didn't go in there, and I won't. 298 00:35:56,240 --> 00:35:58,490 - I think it's time we faced... - No, we have to get water into the core. 299 00:35:58,570 --> 00:36:00,320 Otherwise, there'll be a meltdown. 300 00:36:00,410 --> 00:36:02,320 We have to open the valves. 301 00:36:02,410 --> 00:36:04,620 - Sasha... - What do you want, Boris? 302 00:36:04,700 --> 00:36:06,490 If it's true, then we're dead, a million people are dead. 303 00:36:06,570 --> 00:36:08,740 Is that what you need to hear? 304 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:12,160 We have to open the valves. 305 00:36:12,240 --> 00:36:14,360 - By hand. - By hand? 306 00:36:14,450 --> 00:36:16,990 You know, the number of valves, the amount of time to turn them, 307 00:36:17,070 --> 00:36:18,700 you're talking about hours in there! 308 00:36:18,780 --> 00:36:20,320 - Then help us. - Help you do what? 309 00:36:20,410 --> 00:36:23,740 Pump water into a ditch? There's nothing there! 310 00:36:32,950 --> 00:36:34,910 Leonid, I'm begging you. 311 00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:49,950 Watch the panel while we're gone. 312 00:36:50,030 --> 00:36:51,490 It's not working. 313 00:36:52,570 --> 00:36:54,410 Just watch it. 314 00:37:16,070 --> 00:37:17,820 I guess we know why they called us in early. 315 00:37:17,910 --> 00:37:20,570 Is anyone saying what happened? 316 00:37:20,660 --> 00:37:22,910 They were running the safety test on the turbines, 317 00:37:22,990 --> 00:37:25,110 blew the control system tank. 318 00:37:26,240 --> 00:37:27,660 It doesn't make sense to me either. 319 00:37:29,410 --> 00:37:31,530 What about sabotage? 320 00:37:31,620 --> 00:37:33,160 A bomb? 321 00:37:34,030 --> 00:37:37,490 Sitnikov! Bryukhanov wants us to use the good dosimeter, 322 00:37:37,570 --> 00:37:40,360 but it's in the safe, and we can't find the key. 323 00:37:40,450 --> 00:37:43,780 It's in Building 2. Hasn't...? 324 00:37:43,870 --> 00:37:45,530 Follow me. 325 00:37:56,950 --> 00:37:58,450 Gentlemen, welcome. 326 00:37:58,530 --> 00:38:01,700 Please, uh, find a seat. Plenty of room. 327 00:38:01,780 --> 00:38:05,280 I apologize for the lateness of the hour. 328 00:38:05,360 --> 00:38:09,450 Rest assured, we are all very safe down here. 329 00:38:09,530 --> 00:38:12,200 We built this shelter to withstand a nuclear attack 330 00:38:12,280 --> 00:38:15,570 by the Americans, so I think we'll be fine. 331 00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:19,620 As you can see, we have experienced an accident. 332 00:38:19,700 --> 00:38:22,280 A large control tank malfunctioned, 333 00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:26,240 damaging reactor Building 4 and starting a fire. 334 00:38:26,320 --> 00:38:29,990 Now, I have spoken directly to Deputy Secretary Maryin. 335 00:38:30,070 --> 00:38:32,320 Maryin spoke to Deputy Chief Frolyshev, 336 00:38:32,410 --> 00:38:35,620 Frolyshev to Central Committee member Dolgikh, 337 00:38:35,700 --> 00:38:38,990 and Dolgikh to General Secretary Gorbachev. 338 00:38:39,070 --> 00:38:40,910 Now... 339 00:38:40,990 --> 00:38:46,240 Because the Central Committee has the greatest respect 340 00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:50,280 for the work of the Pripyat Executive Committee, 341 00:38:50,360 --> 00:38:54,360 they have asked me to brief you on matters as they stand, so... 342 00:38:55,910 --> 00:38:59,660 - First, the accident... - is well under control. 343 00:38:59,740 --> 00:39:04,990 And second, because the efforts of the Soviet nuclear industry 344 00:39:05,070 --> 00:39:08,780 are considered key state secrets, it is important 345 00:39:08,870 --> 00:39:12,200 that we ensure that this incident 346 00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:14,360 has no adverse consequences. 347 00:39:14,450 --> 00:39:18,570 Now, to prevent a panic, the Central Committee have ordered 348 00:39:18,660 --> 00:39:21,530 a detachment of military police to Pripyat. 349 00:39:21,620 --> 00:39:23,450 How large of a detachment? 350 00:39:24,870 --> 00:39:26,910 Between two and four thousand men. 351 00:39:29,110 --> 00:39:32,950 What's really going on here? How dangerous is this? 352 00:39:33,030 --> 00:39:37,030 There's mild radiation, but it's limited to the plant itself. 353 00:39:37,110 --> 00:39:40,200 - No, it isn't. - Excuse me? 354 00:39:40,280 --> 00:39:44,200 You saw men outside vomiting. 355 00:39:44,280 --> 00:39:46,110 You saw men with burns. 356 00:39:47,200 --> 00:39:49,570 There's more radiation than they're saying. 357 00:39:49,660 --> 00:39:51,950 We have wives here, we have children. 358 00:39:52,030 --> 00:39:54,740 I say we evacuate the town. 359 00:39:54,820 --> 00:39:56,570 Gentlemen... 360 00:39:56,660 --> 00:40:00,870 Please, please. My wife is here. 361 00:40:00,950 --> 00:40:02,990 Do you think I would keep her in Pripyat 362 00:40:03,070 --> 00:40:04,410 if it wasn't safe? 363 00:40:04,490 --> 00:40:08,110 Bryukhanov, the air is glowing. 364 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:11,240 The Cherenkov effect. Completely normal phenomenon. 365 00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:13,200 It can happen with minimal radiation. 366 00:40:23,620 --> 00:40:27,660 I wonder how many of you know the name of this place. 367 00:40:29,820 --> 00:40:33,410 We all call it "Chernobyl," of course. 368 00:40:33,490 --> 00:40:35,820 What is its real name? 369 00:40:37,280 --> 00:40:40,740 The Vladimir I. Lenin Nuclear Power Station. 370 00:40:40,820 --> 00:40:42,870 Exactly. 371 00:40:44,990 --> 00:40:48,870 Vladimir I. Lenin. 372 00:40:55,990 --> 00:40:59,700 And how proud he would be of you all tonight. 373 00:41:00,740 --> 00:41:03,030 Especially you, young man, 374 00:41:04,030 --> 00:41:06,910 and the passion you have for the people. 375 00:41:07,700 --> 00:41:11,910 For is that not the sole purpose of the apparatus of the State? 376 00:41:13,570 --> 00:41:15,660 Sometimes, we forget. 377 00:41:16,870 --> 00:41:19,530 Sometimes, we fall prey to fear. 378 00:41:21,410 --> 00:41:25,200 But our faith in Soviet socialism 379 00:41:25,280 --> 00:41:28,200 will always be rewarded. 380 00:41:30,360 --> 00:41:34,620 Now, the State tells us the situation here is not dangerous. 381 00:41:34,700 --> 00:41:37,240 Have faith, comrades. 382 00:41:38,870 --> 00:41:42,320 The State tells us it wants to prevent a panic. 383 00:41:42,410 --> 00:41:44,620 Listen well. 384 00:41:47,070 --> 00:41:51,280 It's true, when the people see the police, they will be afraid. 385 00:41:52,620 --> 00:41:54,740 But it is my experience 386 00:41:55,910 --> 00:41:57,990 that when the people ask questions 387 00:41:58,070 --> 00:42:01,360 that are not in their own best interest, 388 00:42:01,450 --> 00:42:03,360 they should simply be told 389 00:42:03,450 --> 00:42:05,620 to keep their minds on their labor 390 00:42:06,620 --> 00:42:11,490 and leave matters of the State to the State. 391 00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:15,240 We seal off the city. 392 00:42:16,410 --> 00:42:18,070 No one leaves. 393 00:42:18,780 --> 00:42:20,910 And cut the phone lines. 394 00:42:20,990 --> 00:42:23,780 Contain the spread of misinformation. 395 00:42:26,450 --> 00:42:29,240 That is how we keep the people 396 00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:32,490 from undermining the fruits of their own labor. 397 00:42:35,530 --> 00:42:37,320 Yes, comrades... 398 00:42:38,620 --> 00:42:42,660 we will all be rewarded for what we do here tonight. 399 00:42:44,990 --> 00:42:49,490 This is our moment to shine. 400 00:43:01,660 --> 00:43:02,870 Thank you. 401 00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:18,320 Comrade Sitnikov to see the Chief Engineer. 402 00:43:31,200 --> 00:43:32,360 Well? 403 00:43:38,990 --> 00:43:42,200 I sent my dosimetrists into the reactor building. 404 00:43:43,530 --> 00:43:44,990 The large dosimeter from the safe, 405 00:43:45,070 --> 00:43:46,910 the one with the 1,000-roentgen capacity... 406 00:43:46,990 --> 00:43:48,320 What was the number? 407 00:43:51,570 --> 00:43:52,780 There was none. 408 00:43:52,870 --> 00:43:55,740 The meter burned out the second it was turned on. 409 00:43:56,570 --> 00:43:58,450 - It's typical. - See? This is what Moscow does. 410 00:43:58,530 --> 00:44:01,660 Sends us shit equipment, then wonders why things go wrong. 411 00:44:01,740 --> 00:44:03,950 We found another dosimeter 412 00:44:04,030 --> 00:44:05,990 from the military fire department. 413 00:44:06,070 --> 00:44:09,030 It only goes to 200 roentgen, but it's better than the small ones. 414 00:44:09,110 --> 00:44:10,240 And? 415 00:44:11,490 --> 00:44:13,360 It maxed out. 416 00:44:13,450 --> 00:44:15,030 Two hundred roentgen. 417 00:44:17,530 --> 00:44:19,620 What game are you playing? 418 00:44:19,700 --> 00:44:21,110 No, I... I... 419 00:44:21,200 --> 00:44:24,820 I asked him, he took multiple measurements, he's my best man. 420 00:44:24,910 --> 00:44:27,570 It's another faulty meter. You're wasting our time. 421 00:44:27,660 --> 00:44:29,410 I checked the meter against the control. 422 00:44:29,490 --> 00:44:31,740 What's wrong with you? How'd you get that number 423 00:44:31,820 --> 00:44:34,070 from feedwater leaking from a blown tank? 424 00:44:37,570 --> 00:44:41,110 - You don't. - Then what the fuck are you talking about? 425 00:44:45,240 --> 00:44:47,110 I, um... 426 00:44:48,950 --> 00:44:52,450 I walked around the exterior of Building 4. 427 00:44:53,490 --> 00:44:56,950 I think there's graphite on the ground in the rubble. 428 00:44:57,950 --> 00:44:59,740 You didn't see graphite. 429 00:45:00,660 --> 00:45:02,570 - I did. - You didn't. 430 00:45:03,490 --> 00:45:07,280 You didn't! Because it's not there! 431 00:45:08,160 --> 00:45:09,780 What? 432 00:45:09,870 --> 00:45:13,360 Are you suggesting the core... what? 433 00:45:13,450 --> 00:45:15,620 Exploded? 434 00:45:17,280 --> 00:45:18,620 Yes. 435 00:45:27,030 --> 00:45:28,320 Sitnikov. 436 00:45:29,570 --> 00:45:32,110 You're a nuclear engineer, so am I. 437 00:45:32,200 --> 00:45:38,410 Please tell me how an RBMK reactor core explodes. 438 00:45:38,490 --> 00:45:42,160 Not a meltdown, an explosion. 439 00:45:42,240 --> 00:45:43,990 I'd love to know. 440 00:45:45,160 --> 00:45:46,490 I can't. 441 00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:48,870 Are you stupid? 442 00:45:49,990 --> 00:45:52,780 - No. - Then why can't you? 443 00:45:54,110 --> 00:45:55,700 I... 444 00:45:57,660 --> 00:46:00,280 I don't see how it could explode. 445 00:46:02,660 --> 00:46:04,410 - But it did. - Enough! 446 00:46:04,490 --> 00:46:06,280 I'll go up to the vent block roof. 447 00:46:06,360 --> 00:46:09,740 From there you can look right down into reactor Building 4. 448 00:46:09,820 --> 00:46:13,490 I'll see it with my own... my own eyes. 449 00:46:19,740 --> 00:46:21,320 I apologize. 450 00:46:22,820 --> 00:46:24,570 Guards! Guards! 451 00:46:25,530 --> 00:46:28,870 Get him to the medic or the hospital! Whatever he needs! 452 00:46:44,950 --> 00:46:48,200 It's the feedwater. Been around it all night. 453 00:46:50,570 --> 00:46:51,910 You go then. 454 00:46:54,910 --> 00:46:56,410 What? 455 00:46:56,490 --> 00:47:00,870 - Go to the vent block roof and report back what you see. -No. 456 00:47:04,450 --> 00:47:08,280 - No, I won't do that. - Of course you will. 457 00:47:13,410 --> 00:47:16,740 You'll be fine. You'll see. 458 00:47:18,070 --> 00:47:19,570 Come on. 459 00:48:00,910 --> 00:48:02,280 Okay. 460 00:48:03,950 --> 00:48:05,450 Let's begin. 461 00:48:13,490 --> 00:48:15,030 Leonid. 462 00:48:18,660 --> 00:48:20,030 Leonid. 463 00:48:21,160 --> 00:48:22,490 Oh... 464 00:48:28,450 --> 00:48:30,570 It's all the way, okay? 465 00:48:30,660 --> 00:48:32,780 All the way open. 466 00:48:41,490 --> 00:48:42,820 I'm sorry. 467 00:48:46,820 --> 00:48:48,740 There's nothing to be sorry for. 468 00:48:48,820 --> 00:48:52,160 I told you, we did nothing wrong. 469 00:48:54,700 --> 00:48:56,200 But we did. 470 00:52:44,280 --> 00:52:45,410 Hello? 471 00:52:45,490 --> 00:52:47,200 - Valery Legasov? - Yes. 472 00:52:47,280 --> 00:52:49,820 You are the Legasov who is the First Deputy Director 473 00:52:49,910 --> 00:52:52,410 of the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy? 474 00:52:52,490 --> 00:52:54,990 - I am. Who am I...? - This is Boris Shcherbina, 475 00:52:55,070 --> 00:52:57,070 Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers 476 00:52:57,160 --> 00:52:59,780 and head of the Bureau for Fuel and Energy. 477 00:52:59,870 --> 00:53:04,620 There's been an accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. 478 00:53:04,700 --> 00:53:05,870 How bad is it? 479 00:53:05,950 --> 00:53:08,110 No. No need to panic. There was a fire. 480 00:53:08,200 --> 00:53:11,160 It's mostly put out. The system control tank exploded. 481 00:53:11,240 --> 00:53:14,780 Control system tank. And the core? 482 00:53:14,870 --> 00:53:18,030 We've ordered them to continuously pump water. 483 00:53:18,110 --> 00:53:20,780 Yes, I see. Any contamination? 484 00:53:20,870 --> 00:53:23,700 It's mild. The plant manager, Bryukhanov, is reporting 485 00:53:23,780 --> 00:53:25,280 3.6 roentgen per hour. 486 00:53:25,360 --> 00:53:27,530 That's actually significant. You should evacuate the sur... 487 00:53:27,620 --> 00:53:32,030 You're an expert on RBMK reactors, correct? 488 00:53:32,110 --> 00:53:36,320 - Yes, I've studied... - General Secretary Gorbachev has appointed a committee 489 00:53:36,410 --> 00:53:40,030 to manage the accident. You're on it. 490 00:53:40,110 --> 00:53:42,280 We'll convene at two this afternoon. 491 00:53:42,360 --> 00:53:45,450 That late? Forgive me, but don't you think 492 00:53:45,530 --> 00:53:47,280 given the amount of radiation that it would be... 493 00:53:47,360 --> 00:53:50,160 Legasov, you're on this committee to answer direct questions 494 00:53:50,240 --> 00:53:53,070 about the function of an RBMK reactor 495 00:53:53,160 --> 00:53:56,110 if they should happen to arise. Nothing else. 496 00:53:56,200 --> 00:53:58,910 Certainly not policy. Do you understand? 497 00:53:58,990 --> 00:54:01,910 Yes, of course. I didn't mean to... 498 00:58:52,360 --> 00:58:53,870 I'm pleased to report that 499 00:58:53,950 --> 00:58:55,950 the situation in Chernobyl is stable. 500 00:58:58,280 --> 00:58:59,490 In terms of radiation, 501 00:58:59,570 --> 00:59:02,160 I'm told it's the equivalent of a chest X-ray. 502 00:59:05,450 --> 00:59:06,320 No! 503 00:59:06,780 --> 00:59:09,110 The fire is giving off nearly twice the radiation 504 00:59:09,200 --> 00:59:10,990 released by the bomb in Hiroshima. 505 00:59:12,070 --> 00:59:13,570 It will burn and spread its poison 506 00:59:13,660 --> 00:59:15,870 until the entire continent is dead. 507 00:59:20,280 --> 00:59:21,530 Tell our soldiers, 508 00:59:22,820 --> 00:59:23,910 "You will need to move quickly, 509 00:59:23,990 --> 00:59:26,030 and you will need to move carefully. 510 00:59:27,620 --> 00:59:30,700 These are the most important 90 seconds of your lives. 511 00:59:32,490 --> 00:59:34,700 I wish you good health and long life." 512 00:59:35,910 --> 00:59:37,490 I serve the Soviet Union. 513 00:59:38,070 --> 00:59:39,740 I serve the Soviet Union. 514 00:59:40,450 --> 00:59:42,110 I serve the Soviet Union. 515 00:59:50,870 --> 00:59:52,950 The official position of the state 516 00:59:53,570 --> 00:59:55,700 is that a global nuclear catastrophe 517 00:59:55,780 --> 00:59:57,780 is not possible in the Soviet Union. 518 01:00:09,870 --> 01:00:11,740 What is the cost of lies? 519 01:00:16,360 --> 01:00:18,320 One of the big choices we had to make was 520 01:00:18,410 --> 01:00:20,450 how to deal with the fact that our hero 521 01:00:20,530 --> 01:00:22,320 ultimately ends up taking his own life. 522 01:00:23,820 --> 01:00:26,200 We felt from the very start that we should begin with it. 523 01:00:26,530 --> 01:00:29,490 Right away, you know what the cost of it was. 524 01:00:29,570 --> 01:00:31,450 That also signals to you 525 01:00:31,530 --> 01:00:33,910 as to that isn't what the story is about. 526 01:00:34,320 --> 01:00:36,950 The story of Chernobyl is shocking enough. 527 01:00:37,030 --> 01:00:39,490 We didn't feel like we should be building up to that moment 528 01:00:39,570 --> 01:00:42,030 and then shocking people in the final episode. 529 01:00:42,110 --> 01:00:44,490 We wanted them to know right up front. 530 01:00:44,570 --> 01:00:45,740 This is what happens. 531 01:00:45,910 --> 01:00:47,280 This man is going to die, 532 01:00:47,780 --> 01:00:50,950 and this nuclear reactor is exploding. 533 01:00:51,910 --> 01:00:53,870 That, in a sense, isn't the interesting part. 534 01:00:53,950 --> 01:00:56,620 The interesting part is why, and what now? 535 01:00:59,110 --> 01:01:02,490 That whole episode takes place over five, six hours 536 01:01:02,570 --> 01:01:03,820 immediately after the accident. 537 01:01:03,910 --> 01:01:06,280 You're spending one night with the firefighters 538 01:01:06,360 --> 01:01:09,360 and this massive, massive beast that they're wrestling with, 539 01:01:09,450 --> 01:01:11,240 getting pummeled by radiation and fire 540 01:01:11,320 --> 01:01:13,240 and dying in front of the power plant. 541 01:01:15,570 --> 01:01:19,030 How insidious the idea of radioactive contamination was 542 01:01:19,110 --> 01:01:21,660 because you can't see it, and you can't feel it. 543 01:01:21,990 --> 01:01:23,820 There's an existential threat to them. 544 01:01:24,070 --> 01:01:26,910 The research I did for this production was horrible. 545 01:01:27,110 --> 01:01:29,450 Possibly the most gruesome way to die 546 01:01:29,530 --> 01:01:31,700 is by severe radiation poisoning. 547 01:01:32,280 --> 01:01:34,280 The body melts from the inside out 548 01:01:34,620 --> 01:01:35,910 and the outside in. 549 01:01:36,870 --> 01:01:38,700 On the other side of that fire, 550 01:01:38,780 --> 01:01:42,070 you have the state refusing to accept what happened 551 01:01:42,160 --> 01:01:44,450 and suppressing the truth completely. 552 01:01:44,780 --> 01:01:47,950 Their first instinct was the most Soviet instinct. 553 01:01:48,360 --> 01:01:49,410 Tell no one. 554 01:01:50,280 --> 01:01:51,740 Cut the phone lines. 555 01:01:52,700 --> 01:01:54,780 Contain the spread of misinformation. 556 01:01:55,110 --> 01:01:58,570 That character represent a certain philosophy 557 01:01:58,660 --> 01:02:00,410 that was being brought to bear that night, 558 01:02:00,490 --> 01:02:02,110 a philosophy that goes all the way back 559 01:02:02,200 --> 01:02:04,030 to the Russian Revolution. I wanted somebody 560 01:02:04,110 --> 01:02:06,320 who represented that true belief 561 01:02:06,410 --> 01:02:08,490 in a dream of a utopia that 562 01:02:08,570 --> 01:02:10,320 never was going to be and never was, 563 01:02:10,410 --> 01:02:11,660 but who was still clinging to it. 564 01:02:12,280 --> 01:02:15,490 In moments of terror, people turn to their delusions, 565 01:02:15,570 --> 01:02:18,660 and in that moment, you see the triumph of delusion. 566 01:02:20,660 --> 01:02:22,620 You can contain information. 567 01:02:22,700 --> 01:02:25,320 You can't contain nuclear isotopes. 568 01:02:25,410 --> 01:02:26,990 The truth was no longer... 569 01:02:27,070 --> 01:02:28,990 something that could be hidden away. 570 01:02:39,200 --> 01:02:42,740 What's fascinating to me is not that Chernobyl exploded. 571 01:02:42,820 --> 01:02:44,160 It's the cost of lies. 572 01:02:44,620 --> 01:02:48,410 When people choose to lie, and when everyone engages 573 01:02:48,490 --> 01:02:52,280 in a very passive conspiracy to promote the lie, 574 01:02:52,360 --> 01:02:55,070 we can get away with it for a very long time. 575 01:02:55,450 --> 01:02:57,200 But the truth just doesn't care. 576 01:02:58,030 --> 01:02:59,160 And it will get you. 577 01:02:59,820 --> 01:03:01,110 Hi, it's Peter Sagal. 578 01:03:01,200 --> 01:03:02,700 I'm hosting a very different podcast. 579 01:03:02,780 --> 01:03:05,870 It is about the extraordinary series Chernobyl. 580 01:03:06,410 --> 01:03:08,780 You can subscribe now so you don't miss an episode. 581 01:03:08,870 --> 01:03:12,740 Believe me, you will want to talk about this TV show.