Summary
Highlights
On April 26, 1986, at 1:23 AM, Chernobyl Reactor Number Four exploded, marking the world's worst nuclear accident. The disaster led to widespread death and disease, questioning the viability of nuclear power and contributing to the breakup of the Soviet Union. This film tells the story through the eyes of key individuals in the control room and innocent bystanders.
In the control room of Chernobyl Reactor Number Four, senior control engineer Leonid Toptunov, shift foreman Alexander Akimov, and deputy chief engineer Anatoly Dyatlov are preparing for a safety test. Dyatlov, an experienced but harsh nuclear engineer, is in charge. A critical argument arises between Dyatlov and the other engineers about the safe power level for the test.
Chernobyl harbored two deadly secrets: a fatal design flaw making the reactor unstable at low power, unknown to the engineers, and Anatoly Dyatlov's personal history. Dyatlov's past included a nuclear accident in Siberia where he was exposed to massive radiation, and his son died of leukemia, possibly linked to this exposure. His past hardened him, making him more willful and driven.
The safety test, demanded by Soviet atomic energy authorities due to Cold War fears, aimed to assess the reactor's behavior during a power outage. Dyatlov insisted on conducting the test at a dangerously low power level of 200 megawatts, against guidelines recommending 700-1000 megawatts, to preserve cooling water. His subordinates questioned this decision but ultimately succumbed to his authority.
As the reactor's power decreased, alarms sounded, signaling problems with water levels. Dyatlov made the fateful decision to raise power after the reactor almost completely shut down, ordering the removal of control rods. This action, likened to cocking a gun, further destabilized the reactor. The engineers complied out of fear of losing their prestigious jobs and homes in Pripyat.
The control room staff, including safety-conscious Alexander Akimov, believed the chance of an accident was extremely low. However, they were victims of years of cover-ups and negligence. KGB documents revealed that authorities ignored warnings about Chernobyl's design flaws. The director, Viktor Bryukhanov, rushed the reactor's opening, prioritizing bonuses over safety. Unaware to the operators, a hotspot formed at the bottom of the reactor core, escalating the unseen danger.
With less than six minutes until the safety test, Dyatlov remained determined, perhaps driven by career ambitions and his personal history. The hotspot in the reactor core continued to build, unseen. The test involved cutting power to the turbine, relying on the slowing turbine to power water pumps until backup generators started, a 40-second gap that posed a critical risk without adequate cooling. Dyatlov, unaware of the actual conditions, dismissed theoretical risks.
As power to the turbine was cut, a terrifying chain of events unfolded. Pumps pushed less water, generating more steam. Steam pressure lifted the 350kg caps of the fuel rods. Akimov pressed the emergency 'AZ-5' button to lower control rods, but the graphite tips on the rods, an inherent design flaw, caused a power surge instead of a reduction. Power increased hundreds of times, leading to the reactor's destruction. Two massive explosions rocked the plant.
The explosions blew off the 500-ton safety cap, turning the reactor into a blowtorch that ejected 50 tons of nuclear fuel and 700 tons of radioactive graphite into the atmosphere. Clouds of radioactive dust filled the control room, accompanied by a metallic smell – the stench of death. Though the operators survived the immediate blast, many would suffer agonizing deaths from radiation poisoning. Workers on site, like Sasha Yuvchenko, witnessed concrete walls bending and experienced terrifying physical symptoms.
Sasha Yuvchenko started vomiting, an early sign of radiation sickness. The radioactivity poured from the reactor, spreading across Belarus and into Europe. KGB footage captured the devastating scene. The next day, Pripyat residents were told to evacuate. Over 135,000 people were evacuated over a week. A 30-kilometer exclusion zone was established, freezing the area in time. Over 600,000 Soviet citizens, known as 'liquidators,' worked courageously to contain the radioactivity, often without protective gear, to safeguard the world.
Chernobyl caused an estimated 10,000 cancers in Russia and 25,000 worldwide over 70 years, with a proven rise in childhood thyroid cancers. The political effect on the Soviet Union was profound, seen by many as a catalyst for its collapse. Thirty workers, including firemen, died from acute radiation poisoning. Valeri Perevozchenko died of radiation burns trying to find a friend. Akimov and Toptunov died, maintaining their innocence. Chief engineer Nikolai Fomin was jailed but later released due to mental breakdown.
Sasha Yuvchenko miraculously survived, enduring 15 skin graft operations. His body became sensitive to chemicals and injuries, a permanent reminder of that night. Anatoly Dyatlov, despite receiving 390 REMs of radiation (five lifetimes' worth), lived until 1995, dying of a heart attack. He argued that the reactor's design flaws and inadequate documentation from the Atomic Energy Authorities were to blame, not his actions, claiming the reactor should not have been in operation.