Summary
Highlights
On April 25, 1986, engineer Alexander Yuvchenko clocks in for his night shift at the Chernobyl power plant. A test is planned to assess the backup diesel generators' ability to power coolant pumps in case of a power loss, a test that has previously failed multiple times. The reactor's emergency core cooling system is disabled for the test, and night shift workers are not fully briefed, leading to dangerous operating conditions. Power generation relies on a chain reaction of splitting uranium atoms to produce heat, which creates steam to power turbines for electricity. Control rods are used to moderate these reactions.
Around 12:28 AM on April 26, the reactor's power significantly drops due to an unexpected build-up of Xenon, causing 'Xenon poisoning.' Operators remove 200 out of 206 control rods to increase power, a highly dangerous action. Despite the reactor running below safe levels for the test, supervisor Anatoly Dyatlov insists on proceeding. At 1:24 AM, the test begins, simulating a power outage. A sudden and massive increase in power occurs, prompting someone to hit the SCRAM (AZ-5) button, an emergency off-switch.
The SCRAM button, due to a design flaw, causes the graphite tips of the control rods to temporarily increase the reaction rate rather than stop it. This leads to a huge surge in reactivity, resulting in two massive explosions. The reactor's 10,000-ton steel lid is blown off, and radioactive materials are spewed everywhere, causing fires and exposing the core. Alexander Yuvchenko, initially believing a war had broken out, discovers the extent of the damage, seeing his colleague dead and a mesmerizing, yet deadly, beam of light from the exposed core.
Dyatlov, still unaware the reactor has exploded, orders men, including Alexander, to enter the reactor hall to manually lower control rods. Alexander tries to tell them there is no reactor hall, but they insist on assessing the damage from above. Three of the four men sent to the reactor hall die shortly after due to extreme radiation exposure. Firefighters, initially unaware of the true gravity, battle blazes without protective gear, suffering severe radiation poisoning. In Pripyat, residents are unaware of the danger, some observing the glowing core as a 'cool' phenomenon, leading to later misinformation about the 'Bridge of Death.'
Radiation poisoning destroys chemical bonds in the body, causing tissue damage, diarrhea, vomiting, and a compromised immune system. Vasily Ignatenko, a firefighter, suffers severe radiation burns, his skin peeling off, and eventually dies. His wife, Lyudmila, pregnant at the time, is critically warned not to touch him. She later loses their child, born with severe birth defects, and faces criticism based on misinformation about radiation transmission. Misinformation about radiation exposure becomes a significant issue, with many believing radiation is contagious or that simple contact can cause severe burns.
Local officials are initially misinformed about the extent of the accident. Dyatlov continues to believe a water tank exploded. As more firefighters arrive, Reactor 3 is safely shut down, but Reactors 1 and 2 continue operations until the next day. Valery Legasov, deputy director of the Kurchatov Institute, is appointed to lead the commission. Around midday, with evidence of severe radiation burns, the decision is made to evacuate Pripyat. All phone lines are blocked to prevent 'rumors' as police secure roads and soldiers arrive for cleanup. Radiation levels in Pripyat rise alarmingly, increasing cancer risk for residents.
Helicopters begin dropping sand and boron on the burning reactor, a perilous task that leads to one helicopter crash. The evacuation of Pripyat begins, with residents told to take essentials for a 'temporary' absence, but they never return. Some young and old residents defy the evacuation. Sweden detects radiation from Chernobyl, forcing the Soviet Union to publicly acknowledge the accident. Concerns arise about the molten core burning through concrete and contaminating groundwater. Three men, Alexei Ananenko, Valeri Bezpalov, and Boris Baranov, dubbed the 'Chernobyl Suicide Squad,' volunteer to drain 20,000 tons of water from beneath the reactor, a mission they survive, contrary to later widespread misinformation.
A mining team digs a tunnel below the reactor for a cooling system, a dangerous job performed by 400 miners. Robots initially deployed for debris removal fail due to extreme radiation, so 'liquidators' are tasked with clearing radioactive material from the roof. These 600,000 volunteers, many risking their lives, face long-term health consequences despite protective clothing. Alexander Yuvchenko, a survivor, endures severe radiation sickness, hair loss, and necrotic skin but eventually recovers through skin grafts, blood transfusions, and bone marrow transplants. His experience, like many others, leads to social stigmatization due to public misunderstanding of radiation.
The disaster is initially blamed on human error, with some individuals like Dyatlov incarcerated. However, Legasov records tapes revealing systemic mismanagement and design flaws within the Soviet nuclear program. He emphasizes that the blame extends to the highest levels of the Communist government and warns about unsafe nuclear power plants due to mistakes and cut corners. Legasov dies by suicide two years later. Of 237 acute radiation sickness cases, 31 die within months, and an estimated 4,000 deaths are attributed to cancer from radiation poisoning. Reactor 4 is enclosed in a sarcophagus. An Exclusion Zone is established, becoming a haven for wildlife. Misinformation and fear surrounding radiation persist, contributing to a global overestimation of nuclear power dangers for decades.