What is the cost of lies?
It's not that we'll mistake them for the truth.
The real danger is that if we hear enough lies,
then we no longer recognize the truth at all.
What can we do then?
What else is left but to abandon even the hope of truth,
and content ourselves instead...
with stories.
In these stories, it doesn't matter who the heroes are.
All we want to know is: who is to blame?
MOSCOW APRIL 26, 1988
In this story, it was Anatoly Dyatlov.
He was the best choice.
An arrogant, unpleasant man, he ran the room that night,
he gave the orders and no friends.
Or at least not important ones.
And now Dyatlov will spend the next ten years
in a prison labour camp.
Of course, that sentence is doubly unfair.
There were far greater criminals than him at work.
And as for what Dyatlov did do,
the man doesn't deserve prison.
He deserves death.
But instead, ten years for "criminal mismanagement".
What does that mean?
No one knows. It doesn't matter.
What does matter is that to them,
justice was done.
Because you see
to them a just world is a sane world.
There was nothing sane about Chernobyl.
What happened there, what happened after,
even the good we did,
all of it,
all of it.
Madness.
Well... I've given you everything I know.
They'll deny it of course, they always do.
I know you'll try your best.
CHERNOBYL
Pripyat, Ukrainian SSR Two years and one minute earlier
Lyudmilla?!
Comrade Dyatlov?
Comrade Dyatlov?!
- What just happened? - I don't know.
There's a fire in the turbine hall.
The turbine hall.
The control system tank. Hydrogen.
You and Toptunov, you morons blew the tank.
- No, that's not- -This is an emergency.
Everyone stay calm. Our first priority is-
- It exploded. - We know.
Akimov, are we cooling the reactor core?
We shut it down. But the control rods are still working.
They're not all the way in. I disengaged the clutch-
Alright. I'll disconnect the servos from the standby console.
You two! Get the backup pumps running.
We need water moving through the core. That is all that matters.
There is no core. It exploded.
The core exploded.
He's in shock. Get him out of here.
The lid is off. The stack is burning. I saw it.
You're confused. RBMK reactor cores don't explode. Akimov.
Don't worry. We did everything right.
Something, something strange has happened.
- Do you taste metal? - Akimov!
Comrade Perevozschenko, what you're saying is physically impossible.
A core can't explode. It has to be the tank.
We're wasting time. Let's go.
Get the hydrogen out of the generators, and pump water into the core.
- What about the fire? - Call the fire brigade.
Hello, is this Military Fire Station 2?
Yes.
What's happening with the accident?
Explosion in the main building between third and fourth blocks.
- Are there people there? - Yes.
Wake up the bosses. Call them. I already called mine.
Wake them up, wake them all up. Wake up the entire officer's block.
- Fire Department. - Hello, Ivankov?
- Yes. Yes? - You've been called to Pripyat.
- Hello? - Yes. Yes I can hear you.
At the nuclear plant over there, in the third and fourth blocks.
The roof is on fire.
- You're not on call tonight. - They're bringing everybody in.
Military and civil. Pripyat, Polesskoe, Kiev.
This is a big one.
But it doesn't look right. The colour.
Pravik says he thinks they're shining floodlights or something.
But what if there are chemicals?
Chemicals?
The problem's the roof. Cause it's covered in tar.
So it's gonna burn all night and stink like hell.
But that's the worst of it.
Go back to bed.
Is it war?
- Where's the dosimeter? - Here...
Here.
Are they bombing?
What the fuck is this?
- 3.6 roentgen? - That's as high as it goes.
The good one's locked in a safe. I don't have a key.
Valera,
your face.
Come on!
I'm going to find Khodemchuk in the pump room.
You here! Get Shashenok. He's in 604. Go!
We need to get everyone out!
- Shit! -Hey!
We need to get into the reactor hall. The lift's destroyed.
Up two flights and across.
Why you going there?
- Have you seen Khodemchuk? - No. Where's Viktor?
Still in the pump room?
Stay here. I'll come back.
Viktor?
Viktor.
Viktor, I'm gonna get you out of here. Can you stand?
Khodemchuk.
Get Khodemchuk.
I dropped the control rods from the other panel.
- They're still up. - What?
They're still only a third of the way in, I don't know why.
I already sent the trainees down to the reactor hall to lower them by hand.
- What about the pumps? - I can't get through to Khodemchuk.
The lines are down.
Fuck the phones and fuck Khodemchuk.
- Are the pumps on or not? - Stolyarchuk?
My control panel's not working. I tried calling for the electricians but-
I don't give a shit about the panel! I need water in my reactor core.
Get down there and make sure those pumps are on. Now!
- What does the dosimeter say? - 3.6 roentgen.
- But that's as high as the meter- - 3.6, not great, not terrible.
We did everything right.
Get the pumps going!
Let's go!
Vasily!
Vasily! What's this?
I don't know Misha. Don't fuck around with it.
Hook these up. Come on.
- You taste metal? - Yeah. What is that?
I don't know.
The valves, Misha! The valves let's go!
The valves. Come on!
What do you need?
We need to get into the reactor hall to lower the control rods
but the door's jammed.
I don't think there are control rods. I don't think there's a core.
No, you're, you're mistaken.
Akimov said.
Let's go!
Ignatenko! Get on his hose!
Alright.
Alright. Easy.
Are you sure?
Akimov...
Okay move.
Go, go! Go!
Let's go!
Hey!
Lyudmilla!
- You wanna come with us? - Come where?
We're going to the railroad bridge to get a better look.
It's not like anyone can sleep with all the sirens.
I don't think you should go. It could be dangerous.
What do you mean dangerous?
It's a fire. It's over there, we're over here.
- Mikhail! - What?
Sorry.
- Is Vasily? - Yeah.
- Did he say it was bad? - No, no. He said it was just the roof.
Well he's never gotten hurt before. None of the boys have.
He'll be fine.
Get some rest.
The tank. It's big enough. This kind of explosion.
The control tank on 71, it's one hundred cubic meters.
One hundred and ten.
A hundred and ten. Could do this. Definitely.
It's gone.
I looked right into it.
I looked into the core.
Did you lower the control rods or not?
Take him to the infirmary.
Toptunov! Take him!
- Where's Kudryavtsev? - He fell.
I need a medic! Anyone?!
- He's delusional. - His face.
Ruptured condenser lines.
The feedwater is mildly contaminated.
He'll be fine. I've seen worse.
Do we still have a phone line to the outside?
Akimov?
Call in the day shift.
But if the...
We have to keep water flowing into the core.
We need electricians, mechanics, we need bodies.
How many times do I have to say it?
I'm going to the Administration Building now.
To call Bryukhanov. And Fomin.
They're going to wanna full report.
Look I don't know if I can make things better for you.
But I can certainly make them worse.
Call in the day shift, Comrade Akimov.
Yes. Comrade Dyatlov.
You're doing fine.
Raise her up.
That one, maybe an hour.
This one, not until morning.
How is it downstairs, Doctor?
- Quiet. - Always is.
Nothing at this hour but babies.
You know I once went two days without sleep?
Ten women went into labour at the same time.
- Did I ever tell you that story? - Yes.
Well, I won't need you in here for a while.
If you want, get some rest in the break room.
They haven't brought anyone in from the fire.
- What fire? - The power plant.
Then it must not be too bad.
Do we stock iodine?
Iodine.
- You mean disinfectant? - No. Pills.
Does the hospital stock iodine pills?
Iodine pills. Why would we have iodine pills?
Hello.
Hello?
Who else knows this?
Have you called Fomin?
Of course I want you to call him. If I'm up, he's up.
Whatever the cause, the important thing is that neither you nor I...
I take it the safety test was a failure?
We have the situation under control.
Under control? It doesn't look like it's control.
Shut up, Fomin.
I have to tell the Central Committee about this. Do you realize that?
I have to get on the phone and tell Maryin, or god forbid Frolyshev,
that my power plant is on fire?
No one can blame you for this, Director Bryukhanov.
Course no one can blame me for this.
How can I be responsible? I was sleeping!
Tell me what happened. Quickly.
We ran the test exactly as Chief Engineer Fomin approved.
Unit Shift Chief Akimov and Engineer Toptunov
encountered technical difficulties,
leading to an accumulation of hydrogen in the control system tank.
It regrettably ignited,
damaging the plant, setting the roof on fire.
Tank is quite large.
It's the only logical explanation.
Of course, Deputy Chief Engineer Dyatlov
was directly supervising the test so he would know best.
The hydrogen tank, fire.
Reactor?
We're taking measures to ensure a steady flow of water through the core.
- What about radiation? - Obviously down here it's nothing.
But in the reactor building I'm being told 3.6 roentgen per hour.
Well that's not great. But it's not horrifying.
Not at all. From the feedwater, I assume?
We'll have to limit shifts to six hours at a time. But otherwise...
The dosimetrists should be checking regularly.
Have them use a good meter. From the safe.
Right. I'll call Maryin.
Have them wake up the local Executive Committee.
There'll be orders coming down.
Here.
Sure?
What do you think makes the colours?
Oh, it's the fuel for sure.
"Oh it's the fuel for sure"?
What do you know about it? You clean floors at a train station.
My friend Yuri works at the power plant. Says it runs cold.
No gas, no fire. Just atoms.
Yuri says the only thing is you can't walk right up to the fuel.
If you do, a glass of vodka an hour for four hours.
- Isn't Yuri a plumber? - At the nuclear power plant, yes.
- Well it is beautiful. - Yeah.
Do you have a cigarette?
Do you need help?
It's over.
We've done all we can from the perimeter.
We need to start making our way to the roof.
Vasily.
You gotta put it out.
That's enough, comrades.
Come on, boys.
Vasily, is this path, straight up.
All the way up, all the way in.
Come on!
Yep, going in now.
What about the auxiliary?
The pumps are gone. The electricals gone.
The core?
I didn't go in there. And I won't.
- I think it's time we faced... - No.
We have to get water into the core otherwise will be a meltdown.
- We have to open the valves. - Sasha...
What do you want, Boris? If it's true, then we're dead.
A million people are dead. Is that what you need to hear?
We have to open the valves by hand.
By hand? And the number of valves,
the amount of time to turn them, you're talking about hours in there...!
- Then help us. - Help you do what?
Pump water into a ditch? There's nothing there.
Leonid, I'm begging you.
- Watch the panel while we're gone. - It's not working.
Just watch it!
Guess we know why they called us in early.
Is anyone saying what happened?
They were running the safety test on the turbines,
blew the control system tank.
It doesn't make sense to me either.
What about sabotage? A bomb?
Sitnikov! Bryukhanov wants us to use the good dosimeter,
but it's in a safe, and we can't find the key.
It's in Building two.
Follow me.
Gentlemen, welcome. Please, find a seat, plenty of room.
I apologize for the lateness of the hour.
Rest assured, we are all very safe down here.
We built this shelter to withstand the nuclear attack by the Americans,
so think we'll be fine.
As you can see, we have experienced an accident.
A large control tank malfunctioned,
damaging reactor building four and starting a fire.
Now I have spoken directly to Deputy Secretary Maryin.
Maryin spoke to Deputy Chief Frolyshev,
Frolyshev to Central Committee member Dolghikh,
and Dolghikh to General Secretary Gorbachev.
Now,
because the Central Committee has the greatest respect
for the work of the Pripyat Executive Committee,
they ve asked me to brief you on matters as they stand.
So first, the accident is well under control.
Second, because the efforts of the Soviet nuclear industry
are considered key state secrets,
it is important that we ensure
that this incident has no adverse consequences.
Now to prevent a panic, the Central Committee have ordered
a detachment of military police to Pripyat.
How large of a detachment?
Between two and four thousand men.
What's really going on here? How dangerous is this?
There's mild radiation, but it's limited to the plant itself.
- No, it isn't. - Excuse me?
You saw men outside vomiting. You saw men with burns.
There's more radiation than they're saying.
We have wives here. We have children.
I say we evacuate the town.
Gentlemen, please! Please!
My wife is here.
Do you think I would keep her in Pripyat if it wasn't safe?
Bryukhanov, the air is glowing!
The Cherenkov effect, completely normal phenomenon,
can happen with minimal radiation.
I wonder how many of you know the name of this place?
We all call it "Chernobyl" of course,
what is its real name?
The Vladimir I. Lenin Nuclear Power Station.
Exactly.
Vladimir I. Lenin.
And how proud he would be of you all tonight.
Especially you, young man, and the passion you have for the people.
For is that not the sole purpose of the apparatus of the State?
Sometimes, we forget.
Sometimes, we fall prey to fear.
But our faith in Soviet socialism will always be rewarded.
Now the State tells us the situation here is not dangerous.
Have faith, comrades.
The State tells us it wants to prevent a panic. Listen well.
It's true,
when the people see the police, they will be afraid.
But it is my experience that when the people ask questions
that are not in their own best interest,
they should simply be told to keep their minds on their labour
and leave matters of the State to the State.
We seal off the city.
No one leaves.
And cut the phone lines.
Contain the spread of misinformation.
That is how we keep the people from undermining
the fruits of their own labour.
Yes, comrades. We will all be rewarded for what we do here tonight.
This is our moment to shine.
Thank you.
Comrade Sitnikov Chief Engineer.
Well?
I sent my dosimetrists into the reactor building.
The large dosimeter from the safe,
the one with the thousand roentgen capacity-
What was the number?
There was none.
The meter burned out the second it was turned on.
- That's typical. - See? This is what Moscow does.
Sends us shit equipment, then wonders why things go wrong.
We found another dosimeter. From military fire department.
It only goes to two hundred roentgen, but it's better than the small ones.
And?
It maxed out. Two hundred roentgen.
- What game are you playing? - No I, I...
I asked him, he took multiple measurements,
he's my best man.
It's another faulty meter. You're wasting our time.
I checked the meter against the control.
What's wrong with you? How do you get that number
from feedwater leaking from a blown tank?
You don't.
Then what the fuck are you talking about?
I...
I walked around the exterior of building four.
I think there's graphite on the ground. In the rubble.
You didn't see graphite.
- I did. - You didn't.
You didn't! Because it's not there!
Wh... Are you suggesting the core...
What? Exploded?
Yes.
Sitnikov.
You're a nuclear engineer. So am I.
Now please tell me how an RBMK reactor core explodes.
Not a meltdown, an explosion. I'd love to know.
I can't.
Are you stupid?
No.
- Then why can't you? - I...
I don't see how it could explode.
- But it did. - Enough!
I'll go up to the vent block roof.
From there, you can look right down into Reactor Building four.
I'll see it with my own my own eyes.
I apologize.
Guards! Guards!
Get him to the medic. Or, or the hospital. Whatever he needs.
The feedwater. Been around it all night.
You go then.
What?
Go to the vent block roof and report back what you see.
No!
No, I won't do that.
Of course you will.
You'll be fine. You'll see.
Come on.
Okay.
Let's begin.
Leonid.
All the way, okay?
All the way open.
I'm sorry.
There's nothing to be sorry for.
I told you, we did nothing wrong.
But we did.
Hello?
- Valery Legasov? - Yes?
You are the Legasov who is the First Deputy Director
of the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy?
- I am. Who am I speaking? - This is Boris Shcherbina.
Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers
and head of the Bureau for Fuel and Energy.
There's been an accident at the Chernoby Nuclear Power Plant.
- How bad is it? - Ah no need to panic.
There was a fire. It's mostly put out.
The system control tank exploded.
Control system tank. And the core?
We've ordered them to continuously pump water.
- Yes, I see. Any contamination? - It's mild.
The plant manager, Bryukhanov, is reporting 3.6 roentgen per hour.
Well, that's actually significant. He should evacuate the surround...
You're an expert on RBMK reactors, correct?
Yes, I've studied...
General Secretary Gorbachev has appointed a committee
to manage the accident. You're on it.
We'll convene at two this afternoon.
That late? Forgive me, but think given the amount of radiation that it would-
Legasov. You're on this committee to answer direct questions
about the function of an RBMK reactor if they should happen to arise.
Nothing else. Certainly not policy.
- Do you understand? - Yes. Of course. I didn't mean to...
End of episode 1