1 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:07,410 What is the cost of lies? 2 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:11,200 Who is to blame? 3 00:00:15,790 --> 00:00:16,870 It doesn't matter. 4 00:00:17,450 --> 00:00:18,910 It doesn't look right. 5 00:00:21,830 --> 00:00:22,950 We taste metal. 6 00:00:23,580 --> 00:00:25,740 I think there's graphite on the ground. 7 00:00:26,370 --> 00:00:27,410 You didn't see graphite. 8 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:31,620 You didn't because it's not there! 9 00:00:33,740 --> 00:00:37,620 We seal off the city. Contain the spread of misinformation. 10 00:00:49,330 --> 00:00:51,700 Secretary Gorbachev has appointed a committee 11 00:00:51,790 --> 00:00:53,990 to manage the accident. You're on it. 12 00:02:39,370 --> 00:02:41,410 You work too hard. 13 00:02:42,700 --> 00:02:47,330 - Where is everyone? - Oh, they refused to come in. 14 00:02:47,410 --> 00:02:49,910 - Why? - It's Saturday. 15 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:55,370 - Why did you come in? - I work too hard. 16 00:02:55,450 --> 00:02:57,240 It's boiling in here. 17 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:14,620 Eight milliroentgen. A leak? 18 00:03:14,700 --> 00:03:15,950 No. 19 00:03:16,870 --> 00:03:19,370 It would've gone off before. It's coming from outside. 20 00:03:19,450 --> 00:03:21,080 The Americans? 21 00:04:01,830 --> 00:04:04,330 Iodine 131. 22 00:04:04,410 --> 00:04:08,240 It's not military. It's uranium decay, U-235. 23 00:04:08,330 --> 00:04:09,830 Reactor fuel? 24 00:04:12,370 --> 00:04:15,990 Ignalina. Maybe, uh, 240 kilometers away. 25 00:04:24,790 --> 00:04:26,580 Yes, this is Ulana Khomyuk 26 00:04:26,660 --> 00:04:29,160 with the Institute of Nuclear En... 27 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:30,910 Looking for...? 28 00:04:35,490 --> 00:04:38,120 - All right, stay calm. - Don't tell me to stay calm. 29 00:04:41,990 --> 00:04:44,790 They're at four. It's not them. 30 00:04:44,870 --> 00:04:47,580 - Who's the next closest? - It's Chernobyl, but that's not possible. 31 00:04:47,660 --> 00:04:49,240 They're 400 kilometers away. 32 00:04:49,330 --> 00:04:51,450 That's too far for eight milliroentgen. 33 00:04:51,540 --> 00:04:53,160 They'd have to be split open. 34 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:55,370 Maybe they know something. 35 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:05,660 - Iodine. - Could it be a waste dump? 36 00:05:05,740 --> 00:05:07,120 No. 37 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,580 We'd be seeing other isotopes. 38 00:05:09,660 --> 00:05:12,740 Nuclear test? Uh, new kind of bomb? 39 00:05:12,830 --> 00:05:16,160 We'd have heard. That's what half our people work on here. 40 00:05:17,620 --> 00:05:22,370 Something with the space program like a satellite or...? 41 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:26,370 No one's answering the phone. 42 00:05:46,490 --> 00:05:49,200 - Get everyone started on an IV. - We don't have enough. 43 00:05:49,290 --> 00:05:51,330 - All the children then. - But we don't have enough! 44 00:05:51,370 --> 00:05:52,790 As many as you can. 45 00:05:52,870 --> 00:05:56,580 - Where's the old man? - He's set up a burn ward in 16. 46 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:11,830 What are you doing? What is that? 47 00:06:11,910 --> 00:06:14,040 Milk. It's milk. Much better than water. 48 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:15,620 No, no, no. Stop. Stop! 49 00:06:15,700 --> 00:06:18,200 - What are you doing? - These are radiation burns! 50 00:06:18,290 --> 00:06:20,490 Their clothes are contaminated! 51 00:06:20,580 --> 00:06:22,080 Help me! 52 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:24,660 Get it all off. 53 00:06:25,910 --> 00:06:27,950 We're taking it down to the basement. 54 00:06:30,870 --> 00:06:32,490 He was a firefighter from Chernobyl. 55 00:06:32,580 --> 00:06:34,120 Can you stop pushing, please? 56 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:39,580 We have our orders! 57 00:06:39,660 --> 00:06:42,200 - Disperse! - Hey, there! Get him! 58 00:06:44,290 --> 00:06:46,700 Why you keeping us out here? 59 00:07:42,700 --> 00:07:44,450 Professor Legasov? 60 00:07:44,540 --> 00:07:46,160 Oh, no, not yet. 61 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:48,636 They're finishing up some other business. It'll be a few more minutes. 62 00:07:48,660 --> 00:07:51,410 - Can I get you some tea? - No, I'm fine. Thank you. 63 00:07:51,490 --> 00:07:54,346 Would you care to read Deputy Chairman Shcherbina's report while you wait? 64 00:07:54,370 --> 00:07:56,160 Certainly. Thank you. 65 00:08:55,660 --> 00:08:57,740 - All right, Professor. - They're ready. 66 00:08:58,990 --> 00:09:00,790 Professor Legasov? 67 00:09:25,910 --> 00:09:28,120 You have my support. 68 00:09:34,450 --> 00:09:36,370 Thank you all for your duty to this commission. 69 00:09:36,450 --> 00:09:39,540 We will begin with Deputy Chairman Shcherbina's briefing, 70 00:09:39,620 --> 00:09:43,240 and then we will discuss next steps if necessary. 71 00:09:43,330 --> 00:09:45,200 Thank you, comrade General Secretary. 72 00:09:45,290 --> 00:09:49,410 I'm pleased to report that the situation in Chernobyl is stable. 73 00:09:49,490 --> 00:09:52,870 Military and civilian patrols have secured the region, 74 00:09:52,950 --> 00:09:55,120 and Colonel General Pikalov, 75 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:58,040 who commands troops specializing in chemical hazards, 76 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:00,160 has been dispatched to the plant. 77 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:02,790 In terms of radiation, plant director Bryukhanov 78 00:10:02,870 --> 00:10:06,200 reports no more than 3.6 roentgen. 79 00:10:06,290 --> 00:10:08,580 I'm told it's the equivalent of a chest X-ray. 80 00:10:08,660 --> 00:10:11,740 So if you're overdue for a check-up... 81 00:10:11,830 --> 00:10:14,540 - And foreign press? - Totally unaware. 82 00:10:14,620 --> 00:10:17,240 KGB First Deputy Chairman Charkov assures me 83 00:10:17,330 --> 00:10:20,410 that we have successfully protected our security interests. 84 00:10:20,490 --> 00:10:22,870 Good. Very good. 85 00:10:22,950 --> 00:10:25,540 Well, it seems like it's well in hand, so... 86 00:10:26,700 --> 00:10:29,580 if there's nothing else, meeting adjourned. 87 00:10:30,540 --> 00:10:32,370 No! 88 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:36,160 Pardon me? 89 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:38,580 Uh, we can't adjourn. 90 00:10:38,660 --> 00:10:41,040 This is Professor Legasov of the Kurchatov Institute. 91 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:42,990 Professor, if you have any concerns, 92 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:45,080 feel free to address them with me later. 93 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:48,990 I can't. I am sorry. I'm so sorry. 94 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:52,120 Page three, the section on casualties. 95 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:53,330 Uh... 96 00:10:53,410 --> 00:10:56,240 "A fireman was severely burned on his hand 97 00:10:56,330 --> 00:10:58,700 "by a chunk of smooth, black mineral 98 00:10:58,790 --> 00:11:01,120 on the ground, outside the reactor building." 99 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:03,290 Smooth, black mineral... Graphite. 100 00:11:03,370 --> 00:11:06,080 There's-There's graphite on the ground. 101 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:11,330 Well, there was a... a tank explosion. There's debris. 102 00:11:11,410 --> 00:11:14,290 - Of what importance...? - There's only one place in the entire facility 103 00:11:14,370 --> 00:11:17,580 inside the core. 104 00:11:17,660 --> 00:11:19,330 If there's graphite on the ground outside, 105 00:11:19,410 --> 00:11:21,620 it means it wasn't a control system tank that exploded. 106 00:11:21,700 --> 00:11:24,200 - It was the reactor core. - It's open! 107 00:11:27,410 --> 00:11:29,990 Um, Comrade Shcherbina? 108 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:32,240 Comrade General Secretary, I can assure you 109 00:11:32,330 --> 00:11:34,040 that Professor Legasov is mistaken. 110 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:36,490 Bryukhanov reports that the reactor core is intact. 111 00:11:36,580 --> 00:11:38,990 - And as for the radiation... - Yes, 3.6 roentgen, 112 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:41,740 which, by the way, is not the equivalent of one chest X-ray, 113 00:11:41,830 --> 00:11:44,080 but rather 400 chest X-rays. 114 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:46,466 That number's been bothering me for a different reason, though. 115 00:11:46,490 --> 00:11:50,450 It's also the maximum reading on low-limit dosimeters. 116 00:11:50,540 --> 00:11:53,290 They gave us the number they had. 117 00:11:53,370 --> 00:11:56,120 I think the true number is much, much higher. 118 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,910 If I'm right, this fireman was holding the equivalent 119 00:11:58,990 --> 00:12:01,040 of four million chest X-rays in his hand. 120 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:03,490 Professor Legasov, there's no place for alarmist hysteria... 121 00:12:03,580 --> 00:12:05,540 It's not alarmist if it's a fact! 122 00:12:05,620 --> 00:12:08,910 Well, I don't hear any facts at all. 123 00:12:08,990 --> 00:12:11,540 All I hear is a man I don't know 124 00:12:11,620 --> 00:12:14,700 engaging in conjecture in direct contradiction 125 00:12:14,790 --> 00:12:16,910 to what has been reported by party officials. 126 00:12:16,990 --> 00:12:20,370 I'm, uh... I apologize. 127 00:12:20,450 --> 00:12:22,870 I didn't mean, uh... 128 00:12:22,950 --> 00:12:26,580 Please, may I express my concern 129 00:12:26,660 --> 00:12:29,660 as calmly and as respectfully as I... 130 00:12:29,740 --> 00:12:32,830 - Professor Legasov... - Boris. 131 00:12:33,870 --> 00:12:35,700 I will allow it. 132 00:12:44,740 --> 00:12:46,660 Um... 133 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:50,950 An RBMK reactor 134 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:55,240 uses uranium 235 as fuel. 135 00:12:55,330 --> 00:13:00,120 Every atom of U-235 is like a bullet 136 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:02,330 traveling at nearly the speed of light, 137 00:13:02,410 --> 00:13:04,910 penetrating everything in its path: 138 00:13:04,990 --> 00:13:08,120 woods, metal, concrete, flesh. 139 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:11,290 Every gram of U-235 holds 140 00:13:11,370 --> 00:13:14,240 over a billion trillion of these bullets. 141 00:13:14,330 --> 00:13:15,790 That's in one gram. 142 00:13:15,870 --> 00:13:19,160 Now, Chernobyl holds over three million grams, 143 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:21,870 and right now, it is on fire. 144 00:13:21,950 --> 00:13:26,290 Winds will carry radioactive particles across the entire continent, 145 00:13:26,370 --> 00:13:28,290 rain will bring them down on us. 146 00:13:28,370 --> 00:13:31,450 That's three million billion trillion bullets 147 00:13:31,540 --> 00:13:35,490 in the... in the air we breathe, 148 00:13:35,580 --> 00:13:38,830 the water we drink, the food we eat. 149 00:13:40,490 --> 00:13:44,830 Most of these bullets will not stop firing for 100 years. 150 00:13:44,910 --> 00:13:48,200 Some of them, not for 50,000 years. 151 00:13:48,290 --> 00:13:51,990 Yes, and, uh, this concern 152 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:56,240 stems entirely from the description of a rock? 153 00:14:00,540 --> 00:14:01,910 Yes. 154 00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:05,540 Hmm. 155 00:14:08,620 --> 00:14:10,410 Comrade Shcherbina... 156 00:14:11,450 --> 00:14:13,790 I want you to go to Chernobyl. 157 00:14:13,870 --> 00:14:15,990 You take a look at the reactor, you personally, 158 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:17,910 and you report directly back to me. 159 00:14:17,990 --> 00:14:20,200 A wise decision, comrade General Secretary... 160 00:14:20,290 --> 00:14:22,870 And take Professor Legasov with you. 161 00:14:23,740 --> 00:14:25,080 Uh... 162 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:28,290 Forgive me, comrade General Secretary, but I... 163 00:14:28,370 --> 00:14:30,740 Do you know how a nuclear reactor works? 164 00:14:32,790 --> 00:14:34,160 - No. - No. 165 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,370 Well, then how will you know what you're looking at? 166 00:14:37,450 --> 00:14:39,490 Meeting adjourned. 167 00:15:38,540 --> 00:15:40,120 How does a nuclear reactor work? 168 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,160 - What? - It's a simple question. 169 00:15:44,490 --> 00:15:46,330 It's hardly a simple answer. 170 00:15:46,410 --> 00:15:50,330 Of course, you presume I'm too stupid to understand. 171 00:15:50,410 --> 00:15:53,700 Tell me how a nuclear reactor works, 172 00:15:53,790 --> 00:15:56,660 or I'll have one of these soldiers throw you out of the helicopter. 173 00:16:06,790 --> 00:16:10,620 A nuclear reactor makes electricity with steam. 174 00:16:10,700 --> 00:16:14,240 The steam turns a turbine which generates electricity. 175 00:16:14,330 --> 00:16:16,290 Where a typical power plant 176 00:16:16,370 --> 00:16:18,240 makes steam by burning coal, 177 00:16:18,330 --> 00:16:20,660 a nuclear plant... 178 00:16:25,830 --> 00:16:30,410 In a nuclear plant, we use something called fission. 179 00:16:30,490 --> 00:16:36,450 We take an unstable element like uranium 235, 180 00:16:36,540 --> 00:16:38,490 which has too many neutrons. 181 00:16:38,580 --> 00:16:41,410 - A neutron is, uh... - The bullet. 182 00:16:43,410 --> 00:16:45,200 Yes, the bullet. 183 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:48,870 So, bullets are flying off of the uranium. 184 00:16:48,950 --> 00:16:50,290 Now... 185 00:16:50,370 --> 00:16:55,200 if we put enough uranium atoms close together, 186 00:16:55,290 --> 00:16:59,660 the bullets from one atom will eventually strike another atom. 187 00:16:59,740 --> 00:17:02,830 The force of this impact splits that atom apart, 188 00:17:02,910 --> 00:17:06,200 releasing a tremendous amount of energy, fission. 189 00:17:06,290 --> 00:17:09,040 - And the graphite? - Ah, yes. 190 00:17:09,120 --> 00:17:12,990 The neutrons are actually traveling so fast... we call this "flux"... 191 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:17,870 It's relatively unlikely that the uranium atoms will ever hit one another. 192 00:17:17,950 --> 00:17:22,910 In RBMK reactors, we surround the fuel rods with graphite 193 00:17:22,990 --> 00:17:27,990 to moderate, slow down, the neutron flux. 194 00:17:31,450 --> 00:17:33,160 Good. 195 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,290 I know how a nuclear reactor works. 196 00:17:37,830 --> 00:17:40,290 Now I don't need you. 197 00:17:58,660 --> 00:18:02,240 - Can you help me? I need to find my husband. - No. Not now. 198 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:07,700 - Mikhail! - Lyudmilla. 199 00:18:07,790 --> 00:18:09,370 Take her. 200 00:18:09,450 --> 00:18:11,290 Take her away from here, please. 201 00:18:11,370 --> 00:18:13,990 - Get away from them! - You want to get sick? Go! Oh my God. 202 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:15,410 Please take her, please take her. 203 00:18:15,490 --> 00:18:17,240 Please take her, please. 204 00:18:17,330 --> 00:18:19,700 Please! Please! 205 00:18:19,790 --> 00:18:21,490 Please take her! 206 00:18:26,830 --> 00:18:29,540 Excuse me, I am Vasily Ignatenko's wife. 207 00:18:29,620 --> 00:18:32,910 He's a fireman. Ignatenko. 208 00:18:32,990 --> 00:18:36,490 Ignatenko, Sixth Paramilitary Fire and Rescue Unit. 209 00:18:36,580 --> 00:18:39,490 I need to find him. Please. 210 00:18:42,620 --> 00:18:44,200 Ignatenko... 211 00:18:44,290 --> 00:18:46,790 He's being transported by helicopter to Moscow. 212 00:18:46,870 --> 00:18:48,660 Hospital number six. 213 00:18:48,740 --> 00:18:50,870 Why, is he all right? Can I see him? 214 00:18:50,950 --> 00:18:52,450 You want to see him? Go to Moscow. 215 00:18:52,540 --> 00:18:54,830 But they're not letting us leave here. 216 00:18:57,370 --> 00:18:59,660 Tell them Major Burov allows it. 217 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:04,200 - Oh. When are they taking him? - Now. 218 00:19:34,990 --> 00:19:37,040 We're approaching the power plant. 219 00:19:42,910 --> 00:19:44,870 What have they done? 220 00:19:45,950 --> 00:19:47,990 Can you see inside? 221 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:50,910 I don't have to. Look. 222 00:19:50,990 --> 00:19:52,910 That's graphite on the roof. 223 00:19:52,990 --> 00:19:55,330 The whole building's been blown open. 224 00:19:55,410 --> 00:19:56,660 The core's exposed! 225 00:19:56,740 --> 00:19:58,660 I can't see how you can tell that from here. 226 00:19:58,740 --> 00:20:00,160 Oh, for God's sakes. 227 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:01,660 Look at that glow! 228 00:20:01,740 --> 00:20:04,410 That's radiation ionizing the air! 229 00:20:04,490 --> 00:20:06,120 Well, if we can't see, we don't know. 230 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:07,830 Get us directly over the building! 231 00:20:07,950 --> 00:20:09,596 - Boris, if we fly... - Don't you use my name! 232 00:20:09,620 --> 00:20:11,966 Directly over an open reactor, we'll be dead within a week! 233 00:20:11,990 --> 00:20:13,450 Dead! 234 00:20:14,410 --> 00:20:15,620 Sir? 235 00:20:15,700 --> 00:20:18,790 Get us over that building, or I'll have you shot! 236 00:20:22,450 --> 00:20:24,490 If you fly directly over that core, I promise you, 237 00:20:24,580 --> 00:20:27,330 by tomorrow morning, you'll be begging for that bullet. 238 00:21:15,330 --> 00:21:17,540 Perhaps if you came back another day. 239 00:21:22,540 --> 00:21:24,910 Just wonderful. 240 00:21:24,990 --> 00:21:27,410 Deputy Secretary Garanin. 241 00:21:27,490 --> 00:21:31,660 Ulana Khomyuk of the Byelorussian Institute for Nuclear Energy. 242 00:21:31,740 --> 00:21:33,080 What a pleasure. 243 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:36,040 - Let me introduce... - I'm here about Chernobyl. 244 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:39,450 Such a lovely time. 245 00:21:39,540 --> 00:21:42,870 - Visit again soon. - I will. Thank you. 246 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:57,990 I must tell you, this is why no one likes scientists. 247 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:00,830 When we have a disease to cure, where are they? 248 00:22:00,910 --> 00:22:04,620 In a lab, noses in their books, and so Grandma dies. 249 00:22:04,700 --> 00:22:05,990 But when there isn't a problem, 250 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:07,540 they're everywhere, spreading fear. 251 00:22:07,620 --> 00:22:09,990 - I know about Chernobyl. - Oh? 252 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:12,950 I know that the core is either partially or completely exposed. 253 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:15,450 - Whatever that means. - And that if you don't immediately 254 00:22:15,540 --> 00:22:18,290 issue iodine tablets and then evacuate this city, 255 00:22:18,370 --> 00:22:20,990 hundreds of thousands of people are going to get cancer, 256 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:23,410 and God knows how many more will die. 257 00:22:23,490 --> 00:22:25,200 Yes, very good. 258 00:22:25,290 --> 00:22:27,330 There has been an accident at Chernobyl, 259 00:22:27,410 --> 00:22:29,540 but I've been assured there is no problem. 260 00:22:29,620 --> 00:22:31,540 I'm telling you that there is. 261 00:22:31,620 --> 00:22:33,580 I prefer my opinion to yours. 262 00:22:33,660 --> 00:22:36,950 I'm a nuclear physicist. 263 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:38,620 Before you were Deputy Secretary, 264 00:22:38,700 --> 00:22:40,370 you worked in a shoe factory. 265 00:22:41,490 --> 00:22:45,080 Yes, I worked in a shoe factory. 266 00:22:46,120 --> 00:22:48,240 And now I'm in charge. 267 00:22:50,410 --> 00:22:53,240 "To the workers of the world." 268 00:23:14,950 --> 00:23:17,490 Stable iodine will keep your thyroid 269 00:23:17,580 --> 00:23:19,950 from absorbing radioactive iodine. 270 00:23:21,120 --> 00:23:23,910 Take one a day for as long as they last. 271 00:23:23,990 --> 00:23:25,700 And go east. 272 00:23:25,790 --> 00:23:28,240 Get as far from Minsk as you can. 273 00:24:01,830 --> 00:24:03,490 It's overkill. 274 00:24:03,580 --> 00:24:05,490 Pikalov's showing off to make us look bad. 275 00:24:05,580 --> 00:24:08,620 It doesn't matter how it looks. 276 00:24:08,700 --> 00:24:10,990 Shcherbina is a pure bureaucrat, 277 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:13,080 as stupid as he is pigheaded. 278 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:15,490 We'll tell him the truth in the simplest terms possible. 279 00:24:15,580 --> 00:24:17,290 We'll be fine. 280 00:24:20,830 --> 00:24:22,370 Pikarov! 281 00:24:47,700 --> 00:24:50,580 Comrade Shcherbina, Chief Engineer Fomin, 282 00:24:50,660 --> 00:24:52,620 Colonel General Pikalov, and I 283 00:24:52,700 --> 00:24:53,950 are honored at your arrival. 284 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:55,290 Deeply, deeply honored. 285 00:24:55,370 --> 00:24:58,330 Naturally, we regret the circumstances of your visit, 286 00:24:58,410 --> 00:25:00,580 but, as you can see, we are making excellent progress 287 00:25:00,660 --> 00:25:02,200 in containing the damage. 288 00:25:02,290 --> 00:25:07,450 We have begun our own inquiry into the cause of the accident, 289 00:25:07,540 --> 00:25:10,540 and I have a list of individuals 290 00:25:10,620 --> 00:25:13,410 who we believe are accountable. 291 00:25:35,450 --> 00:25:36,950 Professor Legasov, I understand 292 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:39,370 you've been saying dangerous things. 293 00:25:39,450 --> 00:25:41,240 Very dangerous things. 294 00:25:41,330 --> 00:25:43,660 Apparently, our reactor core exploded. 295 00:25:44,330 --> 00:25:48,580 Please, tell me how an RBMK reactor core explodes. 296 00:25:50,450 --> 00:25:52,790 I'm not prepared to explain it at this time. 297 00:25:52,870 --> 00:25:55,740 As I presumed, he has no answer. 298 00:25:55,830 --> 00:25:58,330 It's disgraceful, really. 299 00:25:58,410 --> 00:26:01,910 To spread disinformation at a time like this. 300 00:26:07,950 --> 00:26:10,660 Why did I see graphite on the roof? 301 00:26:10,740 --> 00:26:12,870 Graphite is only found in the core, 302 00:26:12,950 --> 00:26:16,410 where it's used as a neutron flux moderator. 303 00:26:16,490 --> 00:26:17,910 Correct? 304 00:26:18,870 --> 00:26:22,330 Fomin, why did the Deputy Chairman see graphite on the roof? 305 00:26:23,580 --> 00:26:25,370 Well, that... that can't be. 306 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:28,910 Comrade Shcherbina, my apologies, but graphite... 307 00:26:28,990 --> 00:26:30,200 that's not possible. 308 00:26:30,290 --> 00:26:32,540 Perhaps you saw burnt concrete. 309 00:26:32,620 --> 00:26:34,410 Now there you made a mistake, 310 00:26:34,490 --> 00:26:37,120 because I may not know much about nuclear reactors, 311 00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:38,830 but I know a lot about concrete. 312 00:26:39,660 --> 00:26:42,160 - Comrade, I assure you... - I understand. 313 00:26:42,990 --> 00:26:45,620 You think Legasov is wrong. 314 00:26:45,700 --> 00:26:47,660 How shall we prove it? 315 00:26:48,950 --> 00:26:52,200 Our high-range dosimeter just arrived. 316 00:26:52,290 --> 00:26:55,240 We could cover one of our trucks with lead shielding, 317 00:26:55,330 --> 00:26:57,660 mount the dosimeter on the front. 318 00:27:03,450 --> 00:27:06,660 Have one of your men get as close to the fire as he can. 319 00:27:06,740 --> 00:27:08,410 Give him every bit of protection you have. 320 00:27:08,490 --> 00:27:10,790 But understand that even with lead shielding, 321 00:27:10,870 --> 00:27:12,870 it may not be enough. 322 00:27:14,700 --> 00:27:16,580 Then I'll do it myself. 323 00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:23,200 Good. 324 00:29:20,990 --> 00:29:22,830 He's back. 325 00:29:51,740 --> 00:29:53,950 It's not three roentgen. 326 00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:55,790 It's 15,000. 327 00:29:55,870 --> 00:29:58,540 Comrade Shcherbina... 328 00:29:58,620 --> 00:30:00,080 What does that number mean? 329 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:02,330 It means the core is open. 330 00:30:02,410 --> 00:30:04,870 It means the fire we're watching with our own eyes 331 00:30:04,950 --> 00:30:06,510 is giving off nearly twice the radiation 332 00:30:06,540 --> 00:30:08,370 released by the bomb in Hiroshima. 333 00:30:08,450 --> 00:30:10,240 And that's every single hour. 334 00:30:10,330 --> 00:30:13,410 Hour after hour, 20 hours since the explosion, 335 00:30:13,490 --> 00:30:14,950 so 40 bombs worth by now. 336 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:16,370 Forty-eight more tomorrow. 337 00:30:16,450 --> 00:30:19,290 And it will not stop. Not in a week, not in a month. 338 00:30:19,370 --> 00:30:20,870 It will burn and spread its poison 339 00:30:20,950 --> 00:30:23,660 until the entire continent is dead. 340 00:30:26,790 --> 00:30:29,040 Please escort Comrades Bryukhanov and Fomin 341 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:31,450 to the local party headquarters. 342 00:30:31,540 --> 00:30:33,136 - Thank you for your service. - Comrade... 343 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:34,540 You're excused. 344 00:30:35,580 --> 00:30:37,370 Dyatlov was in charge. 345 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:40,120 It was Dyatlov! 346 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:42,830 - Tell me how to put it out. - We'll use helicopters. 347 00:30:42,910 --> 00:30:45,716 - We'll drop water on it like a forest fire. - No, no. You don't understand. 348 00:30:45,740 --> 00:30:48,040 This isn't a fire. 349 00:30:48,120 --> 00:30:49,950 This is a fissioning reactor core 350 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:52,330 burning at over 2,000 degrees. 351 00:30:52,410 --> 00:30:54,056 The heat will instantly vaporize the water... 352 00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:57,240 How do we put it out? 353 00:30:58,450 --> 00:31:00,410 You are dealing with something 354 00:31:00,490 --> 00:31:04,950 that has never occurred on this planet before. 355 00:31:06,910 --> 00:31:08,450 Boron. 356 00:31:09,830 --> 00:31:11,830 Boron and sand. 357 00:31:11,910 --> 00:31:14,540 Well, that'll create problems of its own, 358 00:31:14,620 --> 00:31:16,700 but I-I don't see any other way. 359 00:31:16,790 --> 00:31:18,870 Of course, it's going to take thousands of drops, 360 00:31:18,950 --> 00:31:21,540 because you can't fly the helicopters directly over the core, 361 00:31:21,620 --> 00:31:22,990 so most of it is going to miss. 362 00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:25,200 - How much sand and boron? - Well, I can't be... 363 00:31:25,290 --> 00:31:29,200 - For God's sake, roughly! - Five thousand tons. 364 00:31:29,290 --> 00:31:32,160 And obviously, we're going to need to evacuate an enormous area... 365 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:34,160 Never mind that. Focus on the fire. 366 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:36,990 I am focusing on the fire. 367 00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:41,200 The wind, it's carrying all that smoke, 368 00:31:41,290 --> 00:31:43,040 all that radiation. 369 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:46,120 At least evacuate Pripyat. It's three kilometers away. 370 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:48,120 - That's my decision to make. - Then make it. 371 00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:50,870 - I've been told not to. - Is it or is not... 372 00:31:50,950 --> 00:31:52,740 I'm in charge here! 373 00:31:52,830 --> 00:31:54,490 This will go much easier if you talk to me 374 00:31:54,580 --> 00:31:55,886 about the things you do understand 375 00:31:55,910 --> 00:31:58,660 and not about the things you do not understand. 376 00:32:02,410 --> 00:32:03,910 Where are you going? 377 00:32:03,990 --> 00:32:07,830 I'm going to get you 5,000 tons of sand and boron. 378 00:32:15,700 --> 00:32:17,830 There's a hotel. 379 00:33:13,620 --> 00:33:15,700 I'd prefer one of those. 380 00:33:23,740 --> 00:33:25,580 Superstitious? 381 00:33:34,410 --> 00:33:36,240 Moscow? 382 00:33:39,700 --> 00:33:42,080 Are you here because of the fire? 383 00:33:46,370 --> 00:33:48,910 Anything we should be worried about? 384 00:33:54,370 --> 00:33:55,950 No. 385 00:34:06,450 --> 00:34:07,950 Ah. 386 00:35:00,370 --> 00:35:03,040 - We're in position. - Approaching drop. 387 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:06,290 Clear to proceed. 388 00:35:07,660 --> 00:35:10,870 Copy. We'll go one by one in rotation. 389 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:18,160 Remind them about the perimeter. 390 00:35:21,660 --> 00:35:23,830 They cannot fly directly over the fire. 391 00:35:23,910 --> 00:35:26,120 A minimum of a ten-meter perimeter. 392 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:27,620 Ten meter perimeter. Copy. 393 00:35:27,700 --> 00:35:29,240 Lead One, per pre-flight: 394 00:35:29,330 --> 00:35:32,040 maintain minimum ten-meter perimeter. 395 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:33,200 Copy that. 396 00:35:33,290 --> 00:35:35,950 Forty meters... 35... 397 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:37,290 30... 398 00:35:40,910 --> 00:35:43,120 No, no, no! They're too close! 399 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:45,056 They can't get over the fire. How are they supposed... 400 00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:46,950 The wind will have to carry it. 401 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:49,910 Tell them, they cannot go over the core. 402 00:35:52,330 --> 00:35:53,580 Lead One is too close. 403 00:35:53,660 --> 00:35:55,540 I repeat, they are too close. 404 00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:58,040 Copy. 405 00:35:58,120 --> 00:36:00,950 Lead One, you are inside the perimeter. 406 00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:04,160 - Did not copy. - Signal's breaking up. 407 00:36:06,660 --> 00:36:09,080 Lead One? 408 00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:10,740 Do you copy? 409 00:36:10,830 --> 00:36:12,740 Lead One, do you copy? 410 00:36:12,830 --> 00:36:14,950 Lead One, come in. 411 00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:16,830 Do you copy, Lead One? 412 00:36:16,910 --> 00:36:18,620 Lead One! 413 00:36:36,450 --> 00:36:39,120 Sir? What do I tell the others? 414 00:36:41,450 --> 00:36:43,330 Is there any other way, Legasov? 415 00:36:51,950 --> 00:36:53,830 Send the next one in. 416 00:36:55,240 --> 00:36:57,290 Tell them to approach from the west. 417 00:36:58,370 --> 00:37:01,490 Lead Two, approach from the west. 418 00:37:22,290 --> 00:37:24,910 Kurchatov Institute Laboratory Four. 419 00:37:24,990 --> 00:37:29,450 Marina Gruzinskaya, it's Ulana Khomyuk from Minsk. 420 00:37:31,660 --> 00:37:34,240 Oh, yes, how nice of you to phone. 421 00:37:34,330 --> 00:37:36,240 - It's been too long. - It has. 422 00:37:36,330 --> 00:37:38,910 I was actually calling about our friend. 423 00:37:38,990 --> 00:37:41,240 - You know, the one in the country. - Oh, yes, of course. 424 00:37:41,330 --> 00:37:45,080 I wanted to see how he's doing. It's so hot there right now. 425 00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:47,580 Yes, it's extremely hot, 426 00:37:47,660 --> 00:37:48,990 but his nephews are flying down, 427 00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:51,080 and they always bring cool weather. 428 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:52,790 Oh? Which nephews? 429 00:37:53,540 --> 00:37:57,580 Simka, who's 14, and little Boris, who's five. 430 00:37:57,660 --> 00:37:58,870 Well, that's wonderful. 431 00:37:58,950 --> 00:38:00,740 Though children can make you even hotter 432 00:38:00,830 --> 00:38:02,580 when they're crawling all over you. 433 00:38:02,660 --> 00:38:04,080 Maybe I should visit them. 434 00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:05,950 No, they don't want visitors. 435 00:38:06,040 --> 00:38:08,330 I'm sorry, um, I have to get back to work. 436 00:38:08,410 --> 00:38:10,830 It's very busy right now. Goodbye. 437 00:38:13,660 --> 00:38:16,200 They're dropping sand and boron on the fire. 438 00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:18,740 It's what I would do. 439 00:38:20,540 --> 00:38:22,240 Yes, I'm sure it is. 440 00:38:44,540 --> 00:38:46,200 Where are you going? 441 00:38:47,240 --> 00:38:48,700 Chernobyl. 442 00:38:56,240 --> 00:38:59,040 It's been smooth. Twenty drops. 443 00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:06,540 What? 444 00:39:09,370 --> 00:39:12,410 There are 50,000 people in this city. 445 00:39:12,490 --> 00:39:17,120 Professor Ilyin, who's also on the commission, 446 00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:20,080 says the radiation isn't high enough to evacuate. 447 00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:21,830 Ilyin isn't a physicist. 448 00:39:21,910 --> 00:39:24,910 Well, he's a medical doctor. If he says it's safe, it's safe. 449 00:39:24,990 --> 00:39:27,450 - Not if they stay here. - We're staying here. 450 00:39:27,540 --> 00:39:31,950 Yes, we are, and we'll be dead in five years. 451 00:39:39,910 --> 00:39:42,370 I'm sorry, I... 452 00:39:42,450 --> 00:39:43,990 I'm sorry. 453 00:40:22,410 --> 00:40:23,700 Shcherbina. 454 00:40:35,160 --> 00:40:36,490 Thank you. 455 00:40:42,660 --> 00:40:46,540 A nuclear plant in Sweden has detected radiation 456 00:40:46,620 --> 00:40:49,700 and identified it as a by-product of our fuel. 457 00:40:50,830 --> 00:40:53,490 The Americans took satellite photos. 458 00:40:54,450 --> 00:40:57,740 The reactor building, the smoke, the fire. 459 00:41:00,450 --> 00:41:02,370 The whole world knows. 460 00:41:08,950 --> 00:41:11,540 The wind has been blowing toward Germany. 461 00:41:12,950 --> 00:41:15,540 They're not letting children play outside... 462 00:41:17,410 --> 00:41:18,990 in Frankfurt. 463 00:41:30,620 --> 00:41:32,490 Want a smoke? 464 00:41:47,910 --> 00:41:50,490 There has been a nuclear accident in the Soviet Union 465 00:41:50,580 --> 00:41:52,386 and the Soviets have admitted that it happened. 466 00:41:52,410 --> 00:41:53,950 The Soviet version is this: 467 00:41:54,040 --> 00:41:55,450 One of the atomic reactors 468 00:41:55,540 --> 00:41:58,120 at the Chernobyl Atomic Power Plant near the city of Kiev 469 00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:00,790 was damaged, and there is speculation in Moscow 470 00:42:00,870 --> 00:42:03,080 that people were injured and may have died. 471 00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:06,290 The Soviets may have been fairly quick to acknowledge the accident 472 00:42:06,370 --> 00:42:09,660 because evidence in the form of mild nuclear radiation 473 00:42:09,740 --> 00:42:13,790 had already reached beyond the Soviet borders to Scandinavia. 474 00:46:28,410 --> 00:46:30,830 I said turn around. This is a restricted zone. 475 00:46:30,910 --> 00:46:35,290 - I'm from the Byelorussian Institute for Nuclear Energy. - Do you have permission? 476 00:46:35,370 --> 00:46:37,620 Listen to me, I need to speak to someone urgently. 477 00:46:37,700 --> 00:46:40,080 Turn around right now, or I'll arrest you. 478 00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:41,910 If you arrest me, you should take me 479 00:46:41,990 --> 00:46:44,200 to the highest possible authority. 480 00:46:48,700 --> 00:46:51,240 We have to start a radiological survey. 481 00:46:51,330 --> 00:46:55,540 Sector by sector, on foot, dosimeters in hand. 482 00:46:57,160 --> 00:46:58,910 Are you all right? 483 00:47:01,540 --> 00:47:02,870 Of course. 484 00:47:04,080 --> 00:47:05,410 Comrades... 485 00:47:05,490 --> 00:47:08,120 The guards arrested this woman at the south checkpoint. 486 00:47:08,200 --> 00:47:12,450 - I'd have put her in a cell... - But he thought you should know that I know. 487 00:47:12,540 --> 00:47:14,330 I know that your reactor core is exposed. 488 00:47:14,410 --> 00:47:17,330 I know the graphite is on fire, the fuel is melting, 489 00:47:17,410 --> 00:47:19,330 and you're dropping sand and boron on it, 490 00:47:19,410 --> 00:47:22,660 which you probably thought was smart, but you've made a mistake. 491 00:47:22,740 --> 00:47:25,830 Ulana Yuriyvna Khomyuk, Chief Physicist, 492 00:47:25,910 --> 00:47:28,200 Byelorussian Institute for Nuclear Energy. 493 00:47:28,290 --> 00:47:31,540 And you are Valery Alexeyevich Legasov? 494 00:47:31,620 --> 00:47:34,160 Smothering the core will put the fire out, 495 00:47:34,240 --> 00:47:37,040 but the temperature will eventually increase... 496 00:47:37,120 --> 00:47:38,660 Believe me, I'm perfectly aware. 497 00:47:38,740 --> 00:47:40,790 But I estimate at least a month 498 00:47:40,870 --> 00:47:42,790 before it melts through the lower concrete pad, 499 00:47:42,870 --> 00:47:44,846 - which gives us time... - No, you don't have a month. 500 00:47:44,870 --> 00:47:46,580 You have approximately two days. 501 00:47:47,490 --> 00:47:50,700 Yes, the fuel would take a month 502 00:47:50,790 --> 00:47:52,830 to reach the concrete pad here. 503 00:47:52,910 --> 00:47:56,410 But first... it's going to burn through 504 00:47:56,490 --> 00:47:58,870 the biological shield here by Tuesday. 505 00:47:58,950 --> 00:48:01,950 And when it does, it's going to hit these tanks... 506 00:48:02,040 --> 00:48:03,330 Bubbler pools, reservoirs... 507 00:48:03,410 --> 00:48:06,580 Reservoirs for the ECS. I understand your concern, 508 00:48:06,660 --> 00:48:08,580 but I confirmed it with plant personnel. 509 00:48:08,660 --> 00:48:12,240 - The tanks are nearly empty. - No, they were nearly empty. 510 00:48:12,330 --> 00:48:15,790 Each of these points here, here, and here 511 00:48:15,870 --> 00:48:17,870 all drain to the bubbler pools. 512 00:48:17,950 --> 00:48:20,490 I'm guessing that every pipe in the building ruptured. 513 00:48:20,580 --> 00:48:23,540 And then there are those fire engines that I saw on the way in. 514 00:48:23,620 --> 00:48:25,740 The fire hoses are still connected. 515 00:48:25,830 --> 00:48:28,870 They've been gushing water into the structure this whole time. 516 00:48:28,950 --> 00:48:30,910 The tanks are full. 517 00:48:32,910 --> 00:48:35,450 The tanks are full. 518 00:49:14,450 --> 00:49:18,740 I have ten minutes, then I'm back on the phone 519 00:49:18,830 --> 00:49:21,740 apologizing to our friends, 520 00:49:21,830 --> 00:49:24,990 apologizing to our enemies. 521 00:49:25,080 --> 00:49:28,410 Our power comes from the perception of our power. 522 00:49:28,490 --> 00:49:32,120 Do you understand the damage this has done? 523 00:49:32,200 --> 00:49:35,410 Do you understand what's at stake? 524 00:49:37,040 --> 00:49:38,370 Boris. 525 00:49:40,450 --> 00:49:44,870 Professor Legasov will deliver our briefing. 526 00:49:46,540 --> 00:49:48,040 There is some good news. 527 00:49:48,120 --> 00:49:50,790 The air drops are working to douse the fire. 528 00:49:50,870 --> 00:49:54,620 There's been a reduction in radionuclide emissions, 529 00:49:54,700 --> 00:49:56,540 but the fire will not be extinguished 530 00:49:56,620 --> 00:49:59,490 for at least another two weeks. 531 00:50:01,410 --> 00:50:04,410 There is also an additional problem. 532 00:50:05,950 --> 00:50:07,700 Nuclear fuel doesn't turn cold 533 00:50:07,790 --> 00:50:10,450 simply because it is not on fire. 534 00:50:10,540 --> 00:50:12,160 In fact, the temperature will likely rise 535 00:50:12,240 --> 00:50:14,950 as a result of the blanket of sand we've dropped. 536 00:50:15,040 --> 00:50:17,830 The uranium will melt the sand, 537 00:50:17,910 --> 00:50:19,620 creating a kind of lava 538 00:50:19,700 --> 00:50:22,990 which will begin to melt down through the shield below. 539 00:50:23,080 --> 00:50:24,620 You have made lava? 540 00:50:27,290 --> 00:50:29,410 I anticipated this. 541 00:50:30,910 --> 00:50:33,200 I believed there was time to reinforce 542 00:50:33,290 --> 00:50:35,330 this lower concrete pad 543 00:50:35,410 --> 00:50:36,870 before the lava reached the earth 544 00:50:36,950 --> 00:50:38,490 and contaminated the groundwater. 545 00:50:38,580 --> 00:50:41,660 But as it turned out, I was worried about the wrong thing. 546 00:50:41,740 --> 00:50:43,620 Uh, um... 547 00:50:43,700 --> 00:50:47,290 It was my understanding that these large water tanks 548 00:50:47,370 --> 00:50:49,950 under the reactor were essentially empty. 549 00:50:50,040 --> 00:50:53,120 This is Ulana Khomyuk of the Byelorussian Institute. 550 00:50:53,200 --> 00:50:55,490 Thanks to her insight, we are now aware 551 00:50:55,580 --> 00:50:58,870 that the tanks are, in fact, full. 552 00:50:58,950 --> 00:51:02,830 Of water. Why is that a problem, professor? 553 00:51:07,120 --> 00:51:08,790 When the lava enters these tanks, 554 00:51:08,870 --> 00:51:11,200 it will instantly superheat and vaporize 555 00:51:11,290 --> 00:51:14,950 approximately 7,000 cubic meters of water, 556 00:51:15,040 --> 00:51:18,540 causing a significant thermal explosion. 557 00:51:18,620 --> 00:51:20,580 How significant? 558 00:51:20,660 --> 00:51:24,540 We estimate between two and four megatons. 559 00:51:24,620 --> 00:51:27,910 Everything within a 30-kilometer radius 560 00:51:27,990 --> 00:51:29,660 will be completely destroyed, 561 00:51:29,740 --> 00:51:33,080 including the three remaining reactors at Chernobyl. 562 00:51:33,160 --> 00:51:36,660 The entirety of the radioactive material in all of the cores 563 00:51:36,740 --> 00:51:39,830 will be ejected at force 564 00:51:39,910 --> 00:51:42,950 and dispersed by a massive shock wave, 565 00:51:43,040 --> 00:51:48,240 which will extend approximately 200 kilometers 566 00:51:48,330 --> 00:51:51,620 and likely be fatal to the entire population of Kiev 567 00:51:51,700 --> 00:51:53,740 as well as a portion of Minsk. 568 00:51:53,830 --> 00:51:56,740 The release of radiation will be severe 569 00:51:56,830 --> 00:52:00,080 and will impact all of Soviet Ukraine, 570 00:52:00,160 --> 00:52:03,790 Latvia, Lithuania, Byelorussia, 571 00:52:03,870 --> 00:52:07,120 as well as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, 572 00:52:07,200 --> 00:52:09,870 Romania, and most of East Germany. 573 00:52:13,540 --> 00:52:16,410 What do you mean "impact"? 574 00:52:17,200 --> 00:52:19,740 For much of the area, a nearly permanent disruption 575 00:52:19,830 --> 00:52:22,370 of the food and water supply, 576 00:52:22,450 --> 00:52:25,450 a steep increase in the rates of cancer and birth defects. 577 00:52:25,540 --> 00:52:28,990 I don't know how many deaths there will be, but many. 578 00:52:29,080 --> 00:52:30,950 For Byelorussia and the Ukraine, 579 00:52:31,040 --> 00:52:33,370 "impact" means completely uninhabitable 580 00:52:33,450 --> 00:52:36,870 for a minimum of 100 years. 581 00:52:40,700 --> 00:52:44,120 There are more than 50 million people 582 00:52:44,200 --> 00:52:46,950 living in Byelorussia and Ukraine. 583 00:52:47,040 --> 00:52:48,870 Sixty, yes. 584 00:52:53,240 --> 00:52:54,990 And how long before this happens? 585 00:52:55,080 --> 00:52:58,950 Approximately 48 to 72 hours. 586 00:53:02,410 --> 00:53:04,830 But we may have a solution. 587 00:53:04,910 --> 00:53:06,700 We can pump the water from the tanks. 588 00:53:06,790 --> 00:53:10,200 Unfortunately, the tanks are sealed shut by a sluice gate, 589 00:53:10,290 --> 00:53:12,410 and the gate can only be opened manually 590 00:53:12,490 --> 00:53:14,040 from within the duct system itself. 591 00:53:14,120 --> 00:53:17,290 So we need to find three plant workers 592 00:53:17,370 --> 00:53:18,950 who know the facility well enough 593 00:53:19,040 --> 00:53:20,660 to enter the basement here, 594 00:53:20,740 --> 00:53:24,990 find their way through all these duct ways, 595 00:53:25,080 --> 00:53:27,160 get to the sluice gate valve here, 596 00:53:27,240 --> 00:53:31,700 and give us the access we need to pump out the tanks. 597 00:53:31,790 --> 00:53:34,540 Of course, we will need your permission. 598 00:53:34,620 --> 00:53:36,660 My permission for what? 599 00:53:36,740 --> 00:53:39,200 Uh, the water in these ducts, 600 00:53:39,290 --> 00:53:42,120 the level of radioactive contamination... 601 00:53:42,200 --> 00:53:44,620 They'll likely be dead in a week. 602 00:53:46,370 --> 00:53:50,120 We're asking for your permission to kill three men. 603 00:53:58,290 --> 00:53:59,660 Well... 604 00:53:59,740 --> 00:54:02,330 Comrade Legasov... 605 00:54:02,410 --> 00:54:06,160 all victories inevitably come at a cost. 606 00:55:31,290 --> 00:55:35,120 And open the sluice gate valve... here. 607 00:55:35,200 --> 00:55:37,200 The valve will be difficult to operate, 608 00:55:37,290 --> 00:55:39,120 so we'll need three men 609 00:55:39,200 --> 00:55:42,740 who will need to know the basement layout. 610 00:55:42,830 --> 00:55:46,790 And, of course, any volunteers will be rewarded. 611 00:55:46,870 --> 00:55:51,290 A yearly stipend of 400 rubles. 612 00:55:57,370 --> 00:56:02,330 And, uh, for those of you working in reactors one and two, promotions. 613 00:56:02,410 --> 00:56:06,160 Why are reactors one and two still operating at all? 614 00:56:06,240 --> 00:56:08,330 My friend was a security guard that night, 615 00:56:08,410 --> 00:56:09,990 and, uh, she's now dying. 616 00:56:10,080 --> 00:56:12,700 And we've all heard about the firemen. 617 00:56:12,790 --> 00:56:16,790 And now you want us to swim underneath a burning reactor? 618 00:56:17,580 --> 00:56:19,700 Do you even know how contaminated it is? 619 00:56:21,790 --> 00:56:23,660 I... I don't have an exact number. 620 00:56:23,740 --> 00:56:26,620 You don't need an exact number to know if it'll kill us. 621 00:56:27,240 --> 00:56:29,160 But you can't even tell us that. 622 00:56:30,450 --> 00:56:32,870 Why should we do this? For what, 400 rubles? 623 00:56:36,410 --> 00:56:39,160 You'll do it because it must be done. 624 00:56:43,740 --> 00:56:47,120 You'll do it because nobody else can. 625 00:56:49,450 --> 00:56:53,120 And if you don't, millions will die. 626 00:56:54,290 --> 00:56:57,240 If you tell me that's not enough, I won't believe you. 627 00:56:58,450 --> 00:57:02,540 This is what has always set our people apart. 628 00:57:02,620 --> 00:57:05,830 A thousand years of sacrifice in our veins. 629 00:57:06,660 --> 00:57:09,450 And every generation must know its own suffering. 630 00:57:10,490 --> 00:57:13,240 I spit on the people who did this, 631 00:57:13,330 --> 00:57:15,950 and I curse the price I have to pay. 632 00:57:18,080 --> 00:57:20,490 But I'm making my peace with it, 633 00:57:20,580 --> 00:57:22,330 and now you make yours. 634 00:57:22,410 --> 00:57:25,160 And go into that water. 635 00:57:27,240 --> 00:57:28,910 Because it must be done. 636 00:57:46,160 --> 00:57:47,700 Ananenko. 637 00:57:52,040 --> 00:57:53,540 Bezpalov. 638 00:57:58,700 --> 00:58:00,540 Baranov.