[0:04]Hello, is that the military fire station? Yes! What is on fire over there? Explosion... in the main building between blocks 3 and 4. Are there people there? Yes! Call the commanders.
[0:26]In the heart of the Soviet Union, amidst Cold War isolation and political tension, a routine test gone awry would have irreversible consequences. The explosion of reactor number four at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine would go down in history as the worst nuclear disaster ever. That would be the danger that anybody caught in the open would be subject to such radiation levels that there would be immediate health effects, radiation sickness and possibly death. But what led to this catastrophic event? And how was an attempted cover-up carried out? Soviet television has made little of the disaster, hardly reporting it at all.
[1:20]Somebody at the top has to decide what's going to happen.
[1:25]Find out, as we recount those moments, minute by minute.
[2:08]Friday, April 25th, 1986. 1:06 AM. Chernobyl Power Plant, Ukraine. In preparation for a safety test at Reactor Number 4, operators of the Chernobyl Power Plant begin to reduce power. They wanted to test whether the plant could produce enough energy, even if the power went out.
[2:41]They also planned to run tests on Reactor 4 to see whether it could still be cooled if power was lost. 3:07 AM.
[2:57]By the early morning, the lowering of the reactor power was halted at 1600 thermal megawatts.
[3:24]2 PM.
[3:31]As part of the test procedure, operators turn off the reactor's emergency core cooling system to prevent interference with the test. However, the test had to be postponed due to a request from the electricity grid controller in Kiev. The controller asked for the power level to remain at 1600 thermal megawatts to meet the electricity demand. Due to this, the test was delayed until the night shift.
[4:07]11:10 PM.
[4:13]Power reduction at the plant recommenced, as the initial stages of the test began to be carried out. Saturday, April 26th, 1986. 12 AM.
[4:38]By midnight, the more experienced day shift staff had swapped with the night shift workers. They received word that they would continue the plant safety test and shut down.
[5:13]The construction of the Chernobyl Power Plant began in 1972 and was poised to symbolize communist strength and autonomy.
[5:27]After World War II, the Soviet Union invested heavily in nuclear power.
[5:35]Throughout the 1970s, approximately 10% of electricity powering the Soviet Union came from nuclear energy.
[5:46]High hopes of the method estimated an increase of this figure to 500% by the year 2000. There was a certain kind of Soviet identity built on again the sort of myth of heroism and self-sacrifice. But also, you know, very much on the idea of people took a lot of pride in, in sort of progress, technology. Things like the space race, you know, and space exploration were extremely important for us of the Soviet sense of the self. Being some, you know, connected to that, connected to that society that's doing these things, and the nuclear program is another example of that. You know, we're talking about the Cold War, we're talking about nuclear weapons, but also nuclear in terms of production of energy. The Soviets embraced the RBMK reactor design, which prioritized ease of local construction and economic value. Safety concerns were sidelined in favor of production.
[6:53]To facilitate the construction and maintenance of the Chernobyl Power Plant, the Soviets founded the settlement of Pripyat.
[7:05]Named after the nearby river, Pripyat would become a city by 1979 with a population of 50,000. By 1983, four of the proposed six reactor units had been built. Each reactor was capable of producing 1,000 thermal megawatts of electrical power, with four being enough to produce 10% of Ukraine's energy. At one point, another six reactors were planned to be built on the other side of the river, which would make Chernobyl the most powerful nuclear plant in the world.
[7:56]USSR, the year 1981.
[8:02]Corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences, Oleg Fedorovich speaks. Sometimes people ask whether a nuclear power plant can explode. Well, I can say with full responsibility that this is absolutely impossible. Well, it is impossible to even imagine such a thing.
[8:29]Chernobyl was seen as a shining vital cog in the Soviet machinery.
[9:19]12:28 AM.
[9:25]As the clock passes midnight, power continues to drain from the reactor, dropping to about 500 thermal megawatts. Either the operators' failure or a malfunction in the regulating system caused the power level to drop unexpectedly.
[9:48]The power begins to drop rapidly, landing at just 30 thermal megawatts.
[10:05]1 o'clock AM.
[10:10]Half an hour later, the power level settled at 200 thermal megawatts, prompting supervisors to persevere with the test. In preparation, they begin to shut down safety features, leaving the reactor vulnerable.
[10:34]Nuclear reactors work like steam engines. In the reactor, nuclear uranium rods react through fission, creating high levels of heat.
[10:49]This heat is used to convert water into steam, which turns turbines to generate electricity.
[11:03]Control rods capable of absorbing neutrons are inserted between the uranium to slow down the reactions.
[11:18]Furthermore, cooling water is also pumped around the core to prevent overheating. As part of the test procedure, water flow to the core was increased. The additional pumps quickly removed heat from the core, so rods were removed to keep electricity levels up. Calculations performed after the accident found that eight control rods were used at this time, while operating policy required a minimum of 15 rods to be inserted in the reactor at all times.
[12:01]1:23 AM.
[12:06]As the reactor readings stabilized, the shift supervisors considered the test preparations complete and ordered the emergency stop valves closed.
[12:20]The test is then initiated.
[12:28]Unexpectedly, a sudden surge of power erupts, destroying the reactor building and ripping the 1,000 ton roof off.
[13:17]A fireball brightens the night sky as large amounts of radioactive material are suddenly expelled into the atmosphere. Following the explosion, a fire broke out in the reactor building and the graphite core. Valery Khodemchuk, who was an engineer working in Reactor 4, is assumed to be killed instantly. He would become the first of many deaths linked both directly and indirectly to the disaster.
[14:02]The plant enters a blackout as the air fills with toxic particles and graphite chunks.
[14:13]Despite all the evidence, the chief engineer insists that the reactor remains intact and sends operators to examine the core. These people were also quickly killed by the levels of radiation. The amount of radiation was 400 times higher than what was released by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs in 1945.
[14:40]Hello, is that the military fire station? Yes! What is on fire over there? Explosion... in the main building between blocks 3 and 4. Are there people there? Yes! Call the commanders.
[14:56]Hello, Pripyat, third and fourth reactor roofs are on fire. Because of an incident... an explosion! Go on... did they confirm that?
[15:05]Not yet, dispatcher at Pripyat said they had an accident. Fire department. Hello Ivankov, you are departing to Pripyat? Hello, yes... yes I hear you! Go to the nuclear station! Roof of the third and fourth block is on fire! Fire department. Hello Polesskoye?! Yes, yes. Move out to Pripyat, to the nuclear station. The roof of the third and fourth blocks are burning!
[15:41]1:28 AM.
[15:50]The first firefighters arrived at the scene unprotected, unaware of the radiation seeping into the atmosphere. They would begin pouring water on the fire, but nothing seems to be putting it out. Soon, many begin to vomit or lose consciousness.
[16:20]1:45 AM.
[16:25]New teams of firefighters arrive.
[16:30]One of the fire engine drivers, Grigory Khmel, later said, "We arrived at 10 minutes to 2 in the morning. We saw graphite lying everywhere. I kicked a bit of it. Another fireman picked up a piece and said, 'Hot!' Neither of us had any idea of radiation. My colleagues, Koila Previts and others, all went up the ladder to the roof of the reactor. I never saw them again."
[17:03]2:15 AM. After an emergency meeting, local Soviet officials ordered the blocking of roads in and out of Pripyat.
[17:22]Police officers lined the streets, and like the firefighters, they were unprotected and unaware of the radiation.
[17:40]Exposure to very high levels of radiation can result in both short and long-term health problems. Within a few miles of the reactor, there would be the danger that anybody caught in the open would be subject to such radiation levels that there would be immediate health effects, and radiation sickness and possibly death.
[18:00]Within a few days, those people would have to be hospitalized and given special treatment. When radiation interacts with our bodies, it damages the cells at the most fundamental level, damaging our DNA. Acute radiation sickness can occur shortly after exposure, with symptoms such as vomiting, weakness, and fever. You know, even robots couldn't work on top of those buildings because of the radiation. And so they sent people, it was so dangerous the men never stayed more than 20 to 40 seconds up there, otherwise they'd get completely irradiated.
[19:14]Today Anatoly suffers from a dozen illnesses, all as a result of the exposure to the radiation. And with a small pension to live on, he struggles to cope with the medication expenses. The Association, Soyuz Chernobyl, offers financial support to victims like Anatoly. Its president says that many of them have the impression they have been forgotten. Medical help to the people of Chernobyl has shrunk eightfold. Today, it's only 6 million hryvnas. That's equivalent to 20 euro cents per person per year. The Ukrainian government has no respect whatsoever for the people of Chernobyl. A common consequence of high radiation exposure is cancer. Radiation transforms healthy cells into cancerous ones. The effects of radiation can also damage reproductive cells, which can lead to genetic mutations in future generations. But growing numbers of children are suffering from leukemia or genetic deformities which doctors connect to the disaster. This month, eight-year-old Sergey went into intensive care, suffering from cancer and blood poisoning. 24 hours later, he was dead. Radiation doses on the first day of the disaster caused 28 deaths, six of which were firefighters who had put out the initial fire. Most died of acute radiation sickness in the weeks and months following the explosion.
[20:43]6:35 AM.
[20:49]The Soviet Power Plant at Chernobyl is collapsing.
[20:58]Attention, attention, attention, attention. Attention, attention, attention, attention. Respected comrades, the city council of people's deputies announces that in connection with the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the city of Pripyat, an unfavorable radiation situation is developing. Therefore, the party and Soviet authorities, military units are taking the necessary measures.
[21:42]However, in order to ensure the complete safety of people and, above all, children, it is necessary to carry out a temporary evacuation of the city's residents to the evacuation points of the Kiev region.
[22:07]For this, buses accompanied by police officers and representatives of the city executive committee will be provided for each residential building today, April 27, starting at 14:00. It is recommended to take documents with you, essential items, and, for the first time, food.
[22:42]The leaders of enterprises and institutions have determined a circle of employees who remain in place to ensure the normal functioning of the city. All residential buildings for the period of evacuation will be guarded by police officers. Comrades, temporarily leaving your home, do not forget to close the windows, turn off electrical and gas appliances, turn off water taps. We ask you to remain calm, organized and orderly during the temporary evacuation. Thank you for your attention.
