1 00:00:06,316 --> 00:00:11,399 Congratulations, comrades. You're the last of 3,828 men. 2 00:00:11,608 --> 00:00:14,024 ♪ (SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS) ♪ 3 00:00:14,107 --> 00:00:16,358 ULANA KHOMYUK: I found this in the state archive. 4 00:00:16,441 --> 00:00:17,441 I need your help. 5 00:00:17,650 --> 00:00:20,066 Can you confirm that the reactor exploded 6 00:00:20,149 --> 00:00:22,232 after they attempted to shut it down? 7 00:00:22,316 --> 00:00:23,524 What, you think the right question 8 00:00:23,608 --> 00:00:24,816 will get you the truth? 9 00:00:25,941 --> 00:00:28,024 VALERY LEGASOV: They're going to put Dyatlov on trial. 10 00:00:28,107 --> 00:00:31,066 We're going to be asked to give expert testimony. 11 00:00:31,274 --> 00:00:32,733 KHOMYUK: I've analyzed the data. 12 00:00:32,941 --> 00:00:35,775 They shut the reactor down, and then it exploded. 13 00:00:36,775 --> 00:00:37,900 You've seen this before. 14 00:00:37,982 --> 00:00:40,066 I had no idea it could cause an explosion. 15 00:00:40,149 --> 00:00:41,982 -BORIS SHCHERBINA: So, it is their fault? -LEGASOV: Yes. 16 00:00:42,066 --> 00:00:43,191 KHOMYUK: But not only their fault. 17 00:00:43,274 --> 00:00:44,900 SHCHERBINA: We can make a deal with the KGB. 18 00:00:44,982 --> 00:00:46,858 You'll leave this information out in Vienna. 19 00:00:46,941 --> 00:00:49,691 They quietly let us fix the remaining reactors. 20 00:00:49,775 --> 00:00:51,941 KHOMYUK: You have a chance to talk to the world. 21 00:00:52,441 --> 00:00:54,274 Someone has to start telling the truth. 22 00:00:54,566 --> 00:00:56,024 ♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪ 23 00:01:07,232 --> 00:01:10,524 ♪ ♪ 24 00:01:30,358 --> 00:01:32,483 ♪ ♪ 25 00:01:44,232 --> 00:01:46,358 (birds singing) 26 00:02:07,149 --> 00:02:10,191 ♪ ♪ 27 00:02:23,107 --> 00:02:25,232 ♪ ♪ 28 00:02:30,816 --> 00:02:32,941 ♪ ♪ 29 00:02:38,483 --> 00:02:40,566 ♪ ♪ 30 00:02:47,691 --> 00:02:49,775 ♪ ♪ 31 00:03:01,733 --> 00:03:03,816 ♪ ♪ 32 00:03:29,066 --> 00:03:32,191 I hear they might promote Bryukhanov. 33 00:03:32,274 --> 00:03:36,274 This little problem we have with the safety test... 34 00:03:36,358 --> 00:03:40,107 if it's completed successfully, 35 00:03:40,191 --> 00:03:43,941 yes, I think promotion's very likely. 36 00:03:44,024 --> 00:03:46,191 Who knows, maybe Moscow. 37 00:03:48,024 --> 00:03:50,399 Naturally, they'll put me in charge once he's gone, 38 00:03:50,483 --> 00:03:53,524 and then I'll need someone to take my old job. 39 00:03:55,316 --> 00:03:57,608 I could pick Sitnikov. 40 00:04:06,316 --> 00:04:08,483 I would like to be considered. 41 00:04:11,608 --> 00:04:13,191 I'll keep that in mind. 42 00:04:15,024 --> 00:04:16,566 Viktor Petrovich, 43 00:04:16,650 --> 00:04:18,900 preparations for the test have gone smoothly. 44 00:04:18,982 --> 00:04:22,232 Comrade Dyatlov's been working per my instructions, 45 00:04:22,316 --> 00:04:26,566 and Reactor 4 output's been reduced to 1600 megawatts. 46 00:04:26,650 --> 00:04:30,149 With your approval, we're ready to continue lowering power to-- 47 00:04:30,232 --> 00:04:32,024 We have to wait. 48 00:04:33,107 --> 00:04:34,441 Is, uh...? 49 00:04:34,524 --> 00:04:37,441 Are you going to ask me if there's a problem, Nikolai? 50 00:04:37,524 --> 00:04:39,775 You can't read a fucking face? 51 00:04:39,858 --> 00:04:42,399 Three years, I've tried to finish this test. 52 00:04:42,483 --> 00:04:44,024 Three years. 53 00:04:50,858 --> 00:04:53,107 I've just had a call from the grid controller in Kiev. 54 00:04:53,191 --> 00:04:55,441 He says we can't lower power any further, 55 00:04:55,524 --> 00:04:56,691 not for another ten hours. 56 00:04:56,775 --> 00:04:58,566 The grid controller? Where does he get off-- 57 00:04:58,650 --> 00:05:02,566 It's not the grid controller's decision, Dyatlov. 58 00:05:02,650 --> 00:05:04,691 It's the end of the month. 59 00:05:04,775 --> 00:05:07,399 All the productivity quotas. 60 00:05:07,483 --> 00:05:10,232 Everyone's working overtime, the factories need power. 61 00:05:10,316 --> 00:05:12,191 Someone's pushing down from above. 62 00:05:12,274 --> 00:05:14,858 Although, we'll never know who. 63 00:05:22,399 --> 00:05:24,691 So, do we have to scrap it or what? 64 00:05:24,775 --> 00:05:27,149 No, I don't think so. 65 00:05:27,232 --> 00:05:29,149 If we need to wait ten hours, 66 00:05:29,232 --> 00:05:30,858 -we wait -Running at half power, 67 00:05:30,941 --> 00:05:33,232 we're not going to have stability issues? 68 00:05:33,316 --> 00:05:36,566 -No, I-I should think-- -I'm not asking you. 69 00:05:39,191 --> 00:05:40,524 Dyatlov: It's safe. 70 00:05:40,608 --> 00:05:42,149 We'll maintain at 1600. 71 00:05:42,232 --> 00:05:44,816 I'll go home, get some sleep, come back tonight. 72 00:05:44,900 --> 00:05:46,858 We'll proceed then. 73 00:05:46,941 --> 00:05:49,232 I'll personally supervise the test. 74 00:05:49,316 --> 00:05:51,816 And it will be completed. 75 00:05:55,483 --> 00:05:58,232 Well, I'm not waiting around then. 76 00:05:58,316 --> 00:05:59,816 Call me when it's done. 77 00:06:37,149 --> 00:06:40,399 (traffic whooshing) 78 00:06:40,483 --> 00:06:42,441 (pedestrians chattering) 79 00:06:54,483 --> 00:06:57,982 (voices murmuring) 80 00:07:37,274 --> 00:07:38,858 How do you feel? 81 00:07:40,691 --> 00:07:42,149 You went to the doctor yesterday. 82 00:07:42,232 --> 00:07:44,358 How is your health? 83 00:07:44,441 --> 00:07:46,650 You don't know? 84 00:07:47,775 --> 00:07:49,316 From Vienna. 85 00:07:49,399 --> 00:07:50,941 Do you read German? 86 00:07:52,441 --> 00:07:57,941 It says, "At last a Soviet scientist who tells the truth." 87 00:07:58,024 --> 00:07:59,858 Obviously, I resent the insinuation, 88 00:07:59,941 --> 00:08:03,566 but I think it's fair to say, you made an excellent impression at the conference. 89 00:08:03,650 --> 00:08:06,650 Turns out, you're quite good at this. 90 00:08:06,733 --> 00:08:08,608 At what? Lying? 91 00:08:08,691 --> 00:08:11,691 Statecraft, Legasov. Statecraft. 92 00:08:11,775 --> 00:08:14,191 The West is now satisfied 93 00:08:14,274 --> 00:08:17,232 that Chernobyl was solely the result of operator error, 94 00:08:17,316 --> 00:08:19,316 which it essentially was. 95 00:08:19,399 --> 00:08:21,316 We have you to thank for that, 96 00:08:21,399 --> 00:08:23,066 and we intend to. 97 00:08:27,107 --> 00:08:29,566 "Hero of the Soviet Union." 98 00:08:29,650 --> 00:08:31,691 Our highest honor. 99 00:08:31,775 --> 00:08:34,524 They haven't even given it to me. 100 00:08:34,608 --> 00:08:38,608 "Promotion to Director of the Kurchatov Institute." 101 00:08:41,066 --> 00:08:42,650 I'm humbled. 102 00:08:42,733 --> 00:08:47,274 I don't think there's anything humble about you, Valery Alexeyevich. 103 00:08:47,358 --> 00:08:49,816 These rewards are not yours yet. 104 00:08:49,900 --> 00:08:51,650 First, your testimony at the trial. 105 00:08:51,733 --> 00:08:56,900 Comrade Charkov, I understand my duty to the State. 106 00:08:56,982 --> 00:08:59,650 But you gave us assurances. 107 00:08:59,733 --> 00:09:02,149 The reactors would be made safe. 108 00:09:02,232 --> 00:09:04,650 It's been months, no changes have been made. 109 00:09:04,733 --> 00:09:08,399 -No changes even discussed. -First, the trial. 110 00:09:09,608 --> 00:09:11,941 Once it's over, we will have our villains, 111 00:09:12,024 --> 00:09:16,066 we will have our hero, we will have our truth. 112 00:09:16,149 --> 00:09:19,691 After that, we can deal with the reactors. 113 00:09:37,191 --> 00:09:39,316 ♪ ♪ 114 00:09:41,816 --> 00:09:43,941 (clock ticking) 115 00:10:28,107 --> 00:10:30,191 (loud knocking) 116 00:10:30,274 --> 00:10:32,191 (sighs) 117 00:10:44,191 --> 00:10:46,107 Did you take a train? 118 00:10:46,191 --> 00:10:48,941 Yes, I took a train. 119 00:10:49,024 --> 00:10:51,858 Now let's talk about Vienna. 120 00:10:51,941 --> 00:10:53,982 I'm not here to scold you. 121 00:10:54,066 --> 00:10:57,733 I know how the world works despite what Shcherbina says. 122 00:10:58,941 --> 00:11:02,316 So... why are you here? 123 00:11:02,399 --> 00:11:05,316 Because I'm brutally stubborn. 124 00:11:05,399 --> 00:11:07,608 Which you were hoping for. 125 00:11:11,399 --> 00:11:15,816 Charkov is saying they're going to fix the reactors after the trial. 126 00:11:17,441 --> 00:11:18,941 Do you believe him? 127 00:11:19,024 --> 00:11:20,316 (scoffs) 128 00:11:21,982 --> 00:11:24,024 The State will never willingly fix the reactors, 129 00:11:24,107 --> 00:11:27,733 because acknowledging the problem means admitting that they lied. 130 00:11:27,816 --> 00:11:29,733 They will have to be forced. 131 00:11:36,733 --> 00:11:40,441 At the trial, you're going to tell the truth. 132 00:11:41,775 --> 00:11:43,900 You're going to convince the jury. 133 00:11:43,982 --> 00:11:46,232 (scoffing): It's a show trial. 134 00:11:46,316 --> 00:11:50,441 -The jury's already been handed their verdict. -I'm not talking about them. 135 00:11:52,107 --> 00:11:53,816 The Central Committee have invited 136 00:11:53,900 --> 00:11:57,524 members of the scientific community to observe the trial. 137 00:11:57,608 --> 00:12:01,274 Our colleagues, from Kurchatov, 138 00:12:01,358 --> 00:12:03,399 from Sredmash, from Minenergo, 139 00:12:03,483 --> 00:12:07,191 they will be sitting in the crowd listening to every word you say. 140 00:12:07,274 --> 00:12:09,358 A jury that only we know is there. 141 00:12:09,441 --> 00:12:13,524 And when your testimony arrives at the moment of the explosion? 142 00:12:15,149 --> 00:12:18,650 That is when our jury will finally hear the truth. 143 00:12:18,733 --> 00:12:21,524 -And do what with it? -Insist on reform. 144 00:12:21,608 --> 00:12:23,107 (scoffs) 145 00:12:23,191 --> 00:12:26,733 -Not just to the RBMK, but the entire industry. -No, no, no, no, no. 146 00:12:26,816 --> 00:12:29,232 -They can't function without us. -No, no, no. 147 00:12:29,316 --> 00:12:31,524 Do you know what happened to Volkov 148 00:12:31,608 --> 00:12:34,066 the man whose report you found? 149 00:12:34,149 --> 00:12:38,858 They just removed him from his position at the Institute. 150 00:12:38,941 --> 00:12:42,066 Sacked for the crime of knowing. 151 00:12:42,149 --> 00:12:44,441 And you think that these scientists, 152 00:12:44,524 --> 00:12:47,274 handpicked to witness a show trial, 153 00:12:47,358 --> 00:12:50,982 will somehow be stirred into action by me? 154 00:12:51,066 --> 00:12:55,107 Because of some heroic stance I take in defiance of the State? 155 00:12:55,191 --> 00:12:57,066 -Yes. -Why? 156 00:12:57,149 --> 00:13:01,107 Because you're Valery Legasov, and you mean something. 157 00:13:02,066 --> 00:13:05,858 -(scoffs) -I'd like to think that if I spoke out, it would be enough. 158 00:13:07,024 --> 00:13:09,524 But I know how the world works. 159 00:13:12,232 --> 00:13:15,483 They will shoot me, Khomyuk. 160 00:13:18,358 --> 00:13:21,566 You told me to find out what happened. 161 00:13:21,650 --> 00:13:23,775 I spoke to dozens of people. 162 00:13:23,858 --> 00:13:28,399 Every word they said, I wrote down. 163 00:13:28,483 --> 00:13:30,816 All in these books. 164 00:13:30,900 --> 00:13:32,566 These are the ones who are still alive. 165 00:13:32,650 --> 00:13:34,316 These are the ones who are dead. 166 00:13:34,399 --> 00:13:35,982 They died rescuing each other. 167 00:13:36,066 --> 00:13:39,274 Putting out fires, tending to the wounded. 168 00:13:39,358 --> 00:13:41,149 They didn't hesitate, they didn't waiver. 169 00:13:41,232 --> 00:13:43,399 They simply did what had to be done. 170 00:13:43,483 --> 00:13:45,733 So have I. 171 00:13:45,816 --> 00:13:47,650 So have I. 172 00:13:47,733 --> 00:13:50,650 I went willingly to an open reactor. 173 00:13:50,733 --> 00:13:54,024 So I've already given my life. 174 00:13:54,107 --> 00:13:56,232 Isn't that enough? 175 00:13:57,733 --> 00:14:00,900 No, I'm sorry, but it is not. 176 00:14:03,066 --> 00:14:08,733 ♪ ♪ 177 00:14:48,066 --> 00:14:50,149 ♪ ♪ 178 00:15:09,358 --> 00:15:12,274 The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union 179 00:15:12,358 --> 00:15:15,358 and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R. 180 00:15:15,441 --> 00:15:17,358 has determined that justice be carried out 181 00:15:17,441 --> 00:15:18,858 on behalf of the People 182 00:15:18,941 --> 00:15:21,441 in accordance with the general goal of our Party 183 00:15:21,524 --> 00:15:25,232 as determined by its 20th, 21st, and 22nd Congresses, 184 00:15:25,316 --> 00:15:27,232 which is a Leninist goal. 185 00:15:27,316 --> 00:15:28,524 It was, is, and will be 186 00:15:28,608 --> 00:15:31,274 the only immutable goal in the Soviet state. 187 00:15:31,358 --> 00:15:32,650 The path of Leninist principles 188 00:15:32,733 --> 00:15:35,441 shall be consistently and undeviatingly followed 189 00:15:35,524 --> 00:15:38,775 as it expresses the vital interests of the Soviet People, 190 00:15:38,858 --> 00:15:40,107 its hopes and aspirations 191 00:15:40,191 --> 00:15:42,358 as we guide the life of the Party and the State. 192 00:15:42,441 --> 00:15:44,650 This session of court is now open, 193 00:15:44,733 --> 00:15:47,858 Comrade Judge Milan Kadnikov presiding. 194 00:15:49,358 --> 00:15:50,524 Indictments: 195 00:15:50,608 --> 00:15:52,650 Viktor Bryukhanov, 196 00:15:52,733 --> 00:15:54,941 Anatoly Dyatlov, 197 00:15:55,024 --> 00:15:56,941 Nikolai Fomin... 198 00:15:57,024 --> 00:15:59,982 are accused of violating Article 220 Section 2 199 00:16:00,066 --> 00:16:02,107 of the Criminal Code of the Soviet Union, 200 00:16:02,191 --> 00:16:07,232 resulting in a nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986. 201 00:16:07,316 --> 00:16:09,816 The State calls witnesses Comrade Khomyuk 202 00:16:09,900 --> 00:16:12,274 of the Byelorussian Nuclear Institute, 203 00:16:12,358 --> 00:16:16,441 Comrade Legasov of the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, 204 00:16:16,524 --> 00:16:21,107 and Comrade Boris Evdokimovich Shcherbina, 205 00:16:21,191 --> 00:16:23,608 Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers 206 00:16:23,691 --> 00:16:27,232 and head of the Bureau for Fuel and Energy. 207 00:17:01,107 --> 00:17:06,691 It began with, of all things, a safety test. 208 00:17:06,775 --> 00:17:09,691 Why was there need for a safety test at all? 209 00:17:09,775 --> 00:17:14,024 Reactor Number 4 was not new when the accident occurred. 210 00:17:14,107 --> 00:17:19,650 In fact, it went into operation on December 20th, 1983. 211 00:17:19,733 --> 00:17:23,691 Eleven days later, on the last day of the year, 212 00:17:23,775 --> 00:17:28,524 Plant Director Viktor Bryukhanov signed this document-- 213 00:17:28,608 --> 00:17:34,941 certifying the completion of the construction of the reactor. 214 00:17:36,608 --> 00:17:40,982 As a result of finishing the work before the end of the year, 215 00:17:41,066 --> 00:17:44,816 Comrade Bryukhanov was awarded Hero of Socialist Labor. 216 00:17:44,900 --> 00:17:49,566 Comrade Fomin was awarded for Valorous Labor. 217 00:17:49,650 --> 00:17:54,316 Comrade Dyatlov was given an Order of the Red Banner. 218 00:17:56,232 --> 00:17:58,858 But their work was not finished. 219 00:18:00,399 --> 00:18:04,608 And this document was a lie. 220 00:18:04,691 --> 00:18:07,566 In order to sign this certificate, 221 00:18:07,650 --> 00:18:12,024 all safety tests had to have been successfully completed, 222 00:18:12,107 --> 00:18:15,232 and yet, one remained. 223 00:18:17,274 --> 00:18:22,441 A nuclear reactor generates heat in the core here. 224 00:18:22,524 --> 00:18:24,733 A series of pumps, here and here, 225 00:18:24,816 --> 00:18:28,274 send a constant flow of cooling water through the core. 226 00:18:28,358 --> 00:18:30,816 The core's heat turns the water to steam, 227 00:18:30,900 --> 00:18:33,274 and the steam spins the turbine here, 228 00:18:33,358 --> 00:18:35,650 and the result is electricity. 229 00:18:35,733 --> 00:18:39,483 But what if a power plant has no power? 230 00:18:40,358 --> 00:18:43,941 What if the power feeding the plant itself is disrupted? 231 00:18:44,024 --> 00:18:46,566 A blackout, equipment failure, 232 00:18:46,650 --> 00:18:49,441 or an attack by a foreign enemy? 233 00:18:49,524 --> 00:18:51,316 If there's no power, 234 00:18:51,399 --> 00:18:54,274 the pumps cannot move water through the core. 235 00:18:54,358 --> 00:18:57,149 And without water, the core overheats, 236 00:18:57,232 --> 00:18:58,733 the fuel melts down. 237 00:18:58,816 --> 00:19:01,232 In short, a nuclear disaster. 238 00:19:01,316 --> 00:19:02,982 The solution? 239 00:19:03,066 --> 00:19:06,982 Three diesel fuel backup generators here. 240 00:19:07,066 --> 00:19:09,316 So, problem solved? 241 00:19:09,399 --> 00:19:11,024 No. 242 00:19:11,107 --> 00:19:13,650 Bryukhanov knew that the problem was not solved at all. 243 00:19:13,733 --> 00:19:17,149 The backup generators took approximately one minute 244 00:19:17,232 --> 00:19:19,524 to reach the speed required 245 00:19:19,608 --> 00:19:21,650 to power the pumps and prevent a meltdown, 246 00:19:21,733 --> 00:19:26,274 and by that time, it would be too late. 247 00:19:26,358 --> 00:19:28,733 So we arrive at the safety test. 248 00:19:30,441 --> 00:19:34,066 The theory was this: If the facility lost power, 249 00:19:34,149 --> 00:19:35,982 the turbine, which had been spinning, 250 00:19:36,066 --> 00:19:38,775 would take some time to slow down and stop. 251 00:19:38,858 --> 00:19:41,232 What if you could take the electricity 252 00:19:41,316 --> 00:19:44,524 it was still generating and transfer it to the pumps? 253 00:19:44,608 --> 00:19:46,191 What if the dying turbine 254 00:19:46,274 --> 00:19:48,399 could keep the pumps working long enough 255 00:19:48,483 --> 00:19:52,941 to bridge the 60-second gap until the generators came on? 256 00:19:53,858 --> 00:19:57,733 (coughing) 257 00:19:57,816 --> 00:19:59,274 Any questions? 258 00:20:00,733 --> 00:20:04,149 Kadnikov: No. Continue, please. 259 00:20:05,775 --> 00:20:07,982 To test this theory, 260 00:20:08,066 --> 00:20:11,024 the reactor is placed in a reduced power mode-- 261 00:20:11,107 --> 00:20:12,691 700 megawatts-- 262 00:20:12,775 --> 00:20:15,358 to simulate a blackout condition. 263 00:20:15,441 --> 00:20:17,358 Then the turbines are turned off, 264 00:20:17,441 --> 00:20:19,441 and as they slowly spin down, 265 00:20:19,524 --> 00:20:21,316 their electrical output is measured 266 00:20:21,399 --> 00:20:25,066 to see if it's enough to power the pumps. 267 00:20:25,149 --> 00:20:27,399 The science is strong, 268 00:20:27,483 --> 00:20:32,524 but a test is only as good as the men carrying it out. 269 00:20:33,816 --> 00:20:37,232 Now, the first time they tried, they failed. 270 00:20:37,316 --> 00:20:40,066 The second time they tried, they failed. 271 00:20:40,149 --> 00:20:42,816 The third time they tried, they failed. 272 00:20:42,900 --> 00:20:45,900 The fourth time they tried 273 00:20:45,982 --> 00:20:50,149 was April 26th, 1986. 274 00:21:01,858 --> 00:21:03,858 Stepashin: Comrade Khomyuk. 275 00:21:25,441 --> 00:21:27,441 (breathes deeply) 276 00:21:27,524 --> 00:21:29,274 To understand what happened that night, 277 00:21:29,358 --> 00:21:31,358 we have to go back ten hours earlier-- 278 00:21:31,441 --> 00:21:34,941 April 25th, the day the test was meant to take place. 279 00:21:35,024 --> 00:21:36,274 By two in the afternoon, 280 00:21:36,358 --> 00:21:38,399 the reactor has been lowered by half 281 00:21:38,483 --> 00:21:41,650 from its normal output level of 3200 megawatts 282 00:21:41,733 --> 00:21:43,941 to 1600 megawatts and is stable 283 00:21:44,024 --> 00:21:47,149 and ready to be reduced to its final output level for the test: 284 00:21:47,232 --> 00:21:49,149 700 megawatts. 285 00:21:49,232 --> 00:21:53,191 But before they can proceed, there is a phone call. 286 00:21:54,232 --> 00:21:57,232 Power grid officials in Kiev say that they cannot afford 287 00:21:57,316 --> 00:22:00,691 a further reduction in the electricity until after midnight. 288 00:22:00,775 --> 00:22:03,399 They are asking for a ten-hour delay. 289 00:22:04,441 --> 00:22:06,316 This is the first critical moment, 290 00:22:06,399 --> 00:22:08,858 the first link in the chain of disaster. 291 00:22:08,941 --> 00:22:13,524 Competent management would have insisted on canceling the test. 292 00:22:13,608 --> 00:22:16,608 These three men allowed it to proceed. 293 00:22:18,316 --> 00:22:20,316 Why was this delay so dangerous? 294 00:22:20,399 --> 00:22:23,066 It created two problems: 295 00:22:23,149 --> 00:22:26,107 One of them is scientific in nature... 296 00:22:27,232 --> 00:22:29,858 and the other is very human. 297 00:22:29,941 --> 00:22:32,066 This is the one we will consider first. 298 00:22:32,982 --> 00:22:37,107 At midnight, there is a shift change. 299 00:22:48,775 --> 00:22:51,358 -(men chattering) -Hey. 300 00:22:52,107 --> 00:22:54,691 -Khodemchuk-- -Forget it. Find another fool. 301 00:22:54,775 --> 00:22:57,733 Toptunov, want to buy a motorcycle? 302 00:22:57,816 --> 00:23:00,191 Brazhnik: Toptunov? He's just a little boy. 303 00:23:00,274 --> 00:23:02,191 He's got more hair on his face than on his balls. 304 00:23:02,274 --> 00:23:04,566 Hair? Is that what's on his lip? 305 00:23:04,650 --> 00:23:06,650 (men chuckling) 306 00:23:06,733 --> 00:23:08,232 Leonid Fedorovych. 307 00:23:08,316 --> 00:23:10,900 Akimov says to come to the control room as soon as you can. 308 00:23:10,982 --> 00:23:12,733 -Is he already here? -He came in early. 309 00:23:12,816 --> 00:23:14,816 Something about a test. 310 00:23:15,982 --> 00:23:19,982 -You see? Desperate. -(indistinct chatter) 311 00:23:27,775 --> 00:23:29,483 Toptunov: Sasha? 312 00:23:30,524 --> 00:23:34,232 Ah. You know the test they were supposed to run? 313 00:23:34,316 --> 00:23:36,900 The turbine rundown, they tried it last year. 314 00:23:36,982 --> 00:23:40,399 They couldn't do it on the day shift, so they've given it to us. 315 00:23:40,483 --> 00:23:41,524 To us? 316 00:23:41,608 --> 00:23:43,191 -We don't know what-- -Akimov: Shh. 317 00:23:44,816 --> 00:23:46,900 -(whispering): We don't know what it is. -It's fine. 318 00:23:46,982 --> 00:23:49,107 We take it down to 700, hold it there, 319 00:23:49,191 --> 00:23:51,941 the rest is Stolyarchuk and Kirschenbaum, but... 320 00:23:52,024 --> 00:23:54,274 Dyatlov is gonna be supervising. 321 00:23:54,358 --> 00:23:56,858 I have to do something I've never done before 322 00:23:56,941 --> 00:23:58,232 with Dyatlov looking over my shoulder? 323 00:23:58,316 --> 00:24:01,191 Yeah, well, don't worry, we'll do it together. 324 00:24:01,274 --> 00:24:03,858 I'm looking at the instructions now. 325 00:24:03,941 --> 00:24:07,483 Are we supposed to do those or not? 326 00:24:15,399 --> 00:24:17,941 Yes, this is Akimov in 4. 327 00:24:18,024 --> 00:24:21,608 I have the manual for the rundown test. 328 00:24:21,691 --> 00:24:24,524 You did it last year. 329 00:24:24,608 --> 00:24:26,982 Yes, in the program there's instructions of what to do, 330 00:24:27,066 --> 00:24:29,524 and then, well, there's a lot of things crossed out. 331 00:24:29,608 --> 00:24:31,066 What should I--? 332 00:24:32,858 --> 00:24:34,733 Well, what should I--? 333 00:24:36,566 --> 00:24:38,107 Are you sure? 334 00:24:38,191 --> 00:24:40,900 Right. Thank you. 335 00:24:42,274 --> 00:24:45,066 He says to follow the crossed-out instructions. 336 00:24:45,149 --> 00:24:47,358 So then why are they crossed out? 337 00:24:47,441 --> 00:24:49,024 (door opens) 338 00:24:53,941 --> 00:24:56,483 We've been cleared to run the test. 339 00:24:56,566 --> 00:24:58,316 1600. Good. 340 00:24:58,399 --> 00:25:01,566 Now, is it too much to ask that you all know what you're doing? 341 00:25:01,650 --> 00:25:03,691 -Well-- -Yes. Absolutely. 342 00:25:05,066 --> 00:25:06,483 -Stolyarchuk? -Yes. 343 00:25:06,566 --> 00:25:09,608 -Kirschenbaum? -Uh, I haven't reviewed. 344 00:25:09,691 --> 00:25:11,566 We only just found out really-- 345 00:25:11,650 --> 00:25:12,941 There, review it. 346 00:25:13,024 --> 00:25:14,858 Or you can just do what I tell you. 347 00:25:14,941 --> 00:25:17,982 I think even you, stupid as you are, can manage that. 348 00:25:18,900 --> 00:25:20,566 Well, let's go. 349 00:25:23,608 --> 00:25:26,066 I'm supposed to switch the turbine off while the reactor's still running? 350 00:25:26,149 --> 00:25:30,441 -This is not good-- -Shut the fuck up and do your job! 351 00:25:31,274 --> 00:25:34,316 Toptunov, reduce power to 700. 352 00:25:36,399 --> 00:25:38,566 (whispering): I've never done this with the power so low before. 353 00:25:38,650 --> 00:25:40,900 (whispers): It's okay. I'm with you. 354 00:25:45,941 --> 00:25:47,733 Reducing power to 700. 355 00:25:48,941 --> 00:25:51,483 Khomyuk: I want you to think of Yuri Gagarin. 356 00:25:53,399 --> 00:25:55,900 I want you to imagine that he has been told nothing 357 00:25:55,982 --> 00:25:59,733 of his mission into space until the moment that he is on the launch pad. 358 00:25:59,816 --> 00:26:01,900 I want you to imagine that all he has 359 00:26:01,982 --> 00:26:04,691 is a list of instructions that he has never seen before, 360 00:26:04,775 --> 00:26:07,232 some of which have been crossed out. 361 00:26:07,316 --> 00:26:09,232 This is exactly what was happening 362 00:26:09,316 --> 00:26:10,941 in the control room of Reactor 4. 363 00:26:11,024 --> 00:26:14,399 The night shift had not been trained to perform the experiment. 364 00:26:14,483 --> 00:26:17,232 They hadn't even been warned it was happening. 365 00:26:17,316 --> 00:26:19,107 Leonid Toptunov, 366 00:26:19,191 --> 00:26:22,733 the operator responsible for controlling and stabilizing 367 00:26:22,816 --> 00:26:27,982 the reactor that night was... all of 25 years old. 368 00:26:29,232 --> 00:26:32,358 And his total experience on the job? 369 00:26:32,441 --> 00:26:34,149 Four months. 370 00:26:35,232 --> 00:26:38,191 This is the human problem created by the delay. 371 00:26:39,107 --> 00:26:41,900 But inside the reactor core, 372 00:26:41,982 --> 00:26:44,107 in the space between the atoms themselves, 373 00:26:44,191 --> 00:26:47,441 something far more dangerous is forming. 374 00:26:47,524 --> 00:26:48,982 A poison. 375 00:26:50,650 --> 00:26:52,858 The time is 28 past midnight. 376 00:27:11,024 --> 00:27:13,358 Comrade Legasov. 377 00:27:22,316 --> 00:27:25,191 (breathes deeply) 378 00:27:33,232 --> 00:27:35,733 (pushcart rolling) 379 00:27:50,399 --> 00:27:52,816 I'm pleased to see some of my colleagues here 380 00:27:52,900 --> 00:27:56,650 from the Kurchatov Institute and Minenergo. 381 00:27:56,733 --> 00:27:59,107 But you don't need to be a nuclear scientist 382 00:27:59,191 --> 00:28:02,232 to understand what happened at Chernobyl. 383 00:28:02,316 --> 00:28:04,316 You only need to know this: 384 00:28:04,399 --> 00:28:06,982 there are essentially two things that happen 385 00:28:07,066 --> 00:28:09,691 inside a nuclear reactor. 386 00:28:09,775 --> 00:28:12,316 The reactivity which generates power 387 00:28:12,399 --> 00:28:16,274 either goes up, or it goes down. 388 00:28:16,358 --> 00:28:17,775 That's it. 389 00:28:17,858 --> 00:28:22,107 All the operators do is maintain balance. 390 00:28:24,024 --> 00:28:25,900 Uranium fuel. 391 00:28:27,733 --> 00:28:30,775 As uranium atoms split apart and collide, 392 00:28:30,858 --> 00:28:32,399 reactivity goes up. 393 00:28:32,483 --> 00:28:34,691 But if you don't balance the reactivity, 394 00:28:34,775 --> 00:28:36,982 it never stops rising. So... 395 00:28:38,900 --> 00:28:41,232 Boron control rods. 396 00:28:41,316 --> 00:28:45,941 They reduce reactivity like brakes on a car. 397 00:28:47,483 --> 00:28:51,483 But there's a third factor to consider: water. 398 00:28:52,858 --> 00:28:55,358 Cool water takes heat out of the system. 399 00:28:55,441 --> 00:28:58,775 As it does, it turns to steam, or what we call a "void." 400 00:28:58,858 --> 00:29:02,274 In an RBMK reactor of the type used at Chernobyl, 401 00:29:02,358 --> 00:29:06,399 there's something called a "positive void coefficient." 402 00:29:06,483 --> 00:29:08,232 What does that mean? 403 00:29:08,316 --> 00:29:12,775 It means that the more steam present within the system, 404 00:29:12,858 --> 00:29:14,858 the higher the reactivity, 405 00:29:14,941 --> 00:29:17,982 which means more heat, which means more steam, 406 00:29:18,066 --> 00:29:19,608 which means... 407 00:29:19,691 --> 00:29:23,608 It would appear we have a vicious cycle on our hands. 408 00:29:23,691 --> 00:29:26,566 And we would, were it not for this-- 409 00:29:26,650 --> 00:29:28,358 (clatters) 410 00:29:32,191 --> 00:29:37,982 And we would, were it not for this: 411 00:29:38,066 --> 00:29:41,483 the negative temperature coefficient. 412 00:29:41,566 --> 00:29:47,566 When nuclear fuel gets hotter, it gets less reactive, so... 413 00:29:48,816 --> 00:29:51,191 fuel increases reactivity. 414 00:29:51,274 --> 00:29:54,232 Control rods and water reduce it. 415 00:29:54,316 --> 00:29:56,608 Steam increases it, 416 00:29:56,691 --> 00:29:59,982 and the rise in temperature reduces it. 417 00:30:00,066 --> 00:30:03,691 This is the invisible dance 418 00:30:03,775 --> 00:30:07,608 that powers entire cities without smoke or flame. 419 00:30:07,691 --> 00:30:10,982 And it is beautiful 420 00:30:11,066 --> 00:30:13,066 when things are normal. 421 00:30:14,358 --> 00:30:17,232 As uranium splits apart to release energy, 422 00:30:17,316 --> 00:30:20,816 it breaks down into a new element, xenon. 423 00:30:20,900 --> 00:30:23,775 Xenon reduces reactivity. 424 00:30:23,858 --> 00:30:27,274 This is the poison Comrade Khomyuk mentioned. 425 00:30:27,358 --> 00:30:29,316 When the core is running at full power, 426 00:30:29,399 --> 00:30:32,399 it burns the xenon away before it can cause a problem. 427 00:30:32,483 --> 00:30:34,608 But because of the delay, 428 00:30:34,691 --> 00:30:38,566 Chernobyl Reactor 4 has been held at half power 429 00:30:38,650 --> 00:30:40,232 for ten hours. 430 00:30:40,316 --> 00:30:43,066 The xenon did not burn away. 431 00:30:44,399 --> 00:30:48,775 It built up, poisoning the core. 432 00:30:48,858 --> 00:30:50,524 We're starting to lose balance. 433 00:30:50,608 --> 00:30:54,691 -(coughing) -At 28 minutes past midnight, 434 00:30:54,775 --> 00:30:58,191 the reactor is now primed to slow down. 435 00:30:58,274 --> 00:31:01,775 And yet, in less than an hour, it will explode. 436 00:31:01,858 --> 00:31:05,650 If you can't understand how a stalled nuclear reactor 437 00:31:05,733 --> 00:31:08,441 could lead to an explosion, I don't blame you. 438 00:31:08,524 --> 00:31:10,566 After all, you don't work in the control room 439 00:31:10,650 --> 00:31:12,399 of a nuclear power plant. 440 00:31:12,483 --> 00:31:17,900 But as it turned out, the men who did 441 00:31:17,982 --> 00:31:20,191 didn't understand it either. 442 00:31:20,274 --> 00:31:22,441 (computers humming) 443 00:31:26,191 --> 00:31:27,650 Easy now. 444 00:31:27,733 --> 00:31:29,733 Take it down. 445 00:31:29,816 --> 00:31:31,900 Good. Like that. 446 00:31:31,982 --> 00:31:33,441 Dyatlov: You should have finished by now. 447 00:31:33,524 --> 00:31:35,566 We're following protocol for reduction rate. 448 00:31:35,650 --> 00:31:37,274 You're procrastinating. 449 00:31:37,358 --> 00:31:39,900 There are ten other men in this plant who would've done it already. 450 00:31:39,982 --> 00:31:42,650 (whispers): Keep working. You're doing fine. 451 00:31:51,650 --> 00:31:55,358 Kirschenbaum, come get me when these old women are ready. 452 00:31:55,441 --> 00:31:56,858 Yes, Comrade Dyatlov. 453 00:32:15,982 --> 00:32:17,733 Okay, very slow now. 454 00:32:17,816 --> 00:32:20,733 Let's ease it down to 700. 455 00:32:23,775 --> 00:32:27,691 -Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow. -I-I didn't move any rods there. 456 00:32:36,733 --> 00:32:40,399 -What is this? -I'm not even touching it. 457 00:33:05,107 --> 00:33:07,775 We did everything right. I think that maybe the core is poisoned. 458 00:33:07,858 --> 00:33:09,316 Well, if you thought the core was poisoned, 459 00:33:09,399 --> 00:33:10,566 then you didn't do everything right, 460 00:33:10,650 --> 00:33:12,024 because you're choking my reactor! 461 00:33:12,107 --> 00:33:12,982 Get it back up! 462 00:33:13,066 --> 00:33:15,358 Uh, I think if we turn off LAC, 463 00:33:15,441 --> 00:33:17,274 it may be possible to get more control. 464 00:33:17,358 --> 00:33:20,191 -Do it. Go. -Switch off local automatic control. 465 00:33:20,274 --> 00:33:23,066 Go to global. Leonid. 466 00:33:23,149 --> 00:33:25,858 LAC disabled. Global control activated. 467 00:33:31,941 --> 00:33:33,441 What did you do? 468 00:33:34,191 --> 00:33:37,107 -I-I did what you said. I switched-- -Dyatlov: Look at it! 469 00:33:38,191 --> 00:33:40,566 -Akimov: I don't understand. -Dyatlov: Fucking amateurs. 470 00:33:40,650 --> 00:33:42,441 You stalled the reactor. 471 00:33:42,524 --> 00:33:44,358 How the fuck did you get this job? 472 00:33:44,441 --> 00:33:47,066 -Comrade Dyatlov-- -You're gonna tell me you did everything right again, 473 00:33:47,149 --> 00:33:48,650 you incompetent asshole? 474 00:33:48,733 --> 00:33:52,107 I apologize for this unsatisfactory result. 475 00:33:56,900 --> 00:34:00,608 -What are you doing? -We have to shut all the way down. 476 00:34:00,691 --> 00:34:03,149 -No. -We could be in a xenon pit. 477 00:34:03,232 --> 00:34:04,608 We have to shut down and wait for 24 hours. 478 00:34:04,691 --> 00:34:06,816 No. We're doing the test tonight. Raise power to 700. 479 00:34:06,900 --> 00:34:08,191 We can't raise the power from here. 480 00:34:08,274 --> 00:34:09,858 -The rules-- -Don't talk to me about rules. 481 00:34:09,941 --> 00:34:12,107 -If we fall from 80%-- -No, no. We fell from 50%. 482 00:34:12,191 --> 00:34:14,483 -Akimov: Fifty percent is worse! -The rules don't say 50! 483 00:34:14,566 --> 00:34:17,733 -There is no rule! -Comrade Dyatlov, 484 00:34:17,816 --> 00:34:19,858 I apologize, but what you're saying makes no sense. 485 00:34:19,941 --> 00:34:22,566 -Raise the power. -No. 486 00:34:22,650 --> 00:34:25,608 I won't do it. It isn't safe. 487 00:34:34,441 --> 00:34:37,316 Safety first. Always. 488 00:34:37,399 --> 00:34:40,399 I've been saying that for 25 years. 489 00:34:40,483 --> 00:34:42,524 That's how long I've done this job, 25 years. 490 00:34:42,608 --> 00:34:44,066 Is that longer than you, Akimov? 491 00:34:44,149 --> 00:34:45,066 Yes. 492 00:34:45,149 --> 00:34:47,232 -Is it much longer? -Yes. 493 00:34:47,316 --> 00:34:50,441 And you with your mother's tit barely out of your mouth? 494 00:34:52,566 --> 00:34:54,733 So if I say it's safe, it's safe. 495 00:34:54,816 --> 00:34:56,149 And if the two of you disagree, 496 00:34:56,232 --> 00:34:58,149 then you don't have to work here and you won't. 497 00:34:58,232 --> 00:35:00,107 But not just here. You won't work at Kursk 498 00:35:00,191 --> 00:35:02,775 or Ignalina or Leningrad or Novo-Voronezh. 499 00:35:02,858 --> 00:35:06,232 You won't work anywhere ever again. I'll see to it. 500 00:35:06,316 --> 00:35:09,066 I think you know I will see to it. 501 00:35:10,524 --> 00:35:12,024 Raise the power. 502 00:35:15,274 --> 00:35:17,191 I would like you to record your command. 503 00:35:18,358 --> 00:35:19,691 Raise the power. 504 00:35:30,650 --> 00:35:32,691 (breathing shakily) 505 00:35:35,274 --> 00:35:36,650 Together, then. 506 00:35:40,232 --> 00:35:41,900 Dyatlov: I wasn't even there. 507 00:35:41,982 --> 00:35:44,232 -(voices murmuring) -Legasov: What? 508 00:35:46,107 --> 00:35:48,608 I wasn't in the room when they raised the power. 509 00:35:48,691 --> 00:35:50,650 If you weren't there, then where were you? 510 00:35:50,733 --> 00:35:53,733 Comrade Legasov, you are a witness, not a prosecutor. 511 00:35:53,816 --> 00:35:56,316 I will ask the questions here. 512 00:35:56,399 --> 00:35:59,566 If you weren't in the room, then where were you? 513 00:36:01,775 --> 00:36:03,066 The toilet. 514 00:36:03,149 --> 00:36:04,816 (voices murmuring) 515 00:36:04,900 --> 00:36:06,775 Stepashin: The toilet? 516 00:36:07,733 --> 00:36:09,524 Comrade Khomyuk interviewed everyone 517 00:36:09,608 --> 00:36:11,066 who was in the control room that night. 518 00:36:11,149 --> 00:36:13,107 They all told the same story. 519 00:36:16,441 --> 00:36:19,191 "I knew what Dyatlov ordered was wrong, 520 00:36:19,274 --> 00:36:22,149 but if I didn't do what he said, I would be fired." 521 00:36:22,232 --> 00:36:24,274 Leonid Toptunov. 522 00:36:25,399 --> 00:36:27,858 One day before he died. 523 00:36:27,941 --> 00:36:29,858 No, Comrade Dyatlov, you were in the room. 524 00:36:29,941 --> 00:36:31,691 You ordered them to raise the power. 525 00:36:31,775 --> 00:36:34,316 -This is a fact. -(Shcherbina coughing) 526 00:36:34,399 --> 00:36:36,566 (coughing continues) 527 00:36:43,066 --> 00:36:44,733 Court is now in recess. 528 00:36:44,816 --> 00:36:46,316 Thirty minutes. 529 00:36:46,399 --> 00:36:48,483 (coughing) 530 00:37:29,524 --> 00:37:32,650 Do you know anything about this town, Chernobyl? 531 00:37:34,107 --> 00:37:35,650 Not really, no. 532 00:37:36,816 --> 00:37:39,483 It was mostly Jews and Poles. 533 00:37:40,816 --> 00:37:42,608 The Jews were killed in pogroms, 534 00:37:42,691 --> 00:37:45,191 and Stalin forced the Poles out. 535 00:37:45,274 --> 00:37:48,775 And then the Nazis came and killed whoever was left. 536 00:37:48,858 --> 00:37:50,900 But after the war... 537 00:37:52,149 --> 00:37:54,358 people came to live here anyway. 538 00:37:55,399 --> 00:37:59,107 They knew the ground under their feet was soaked in blood, 539 00:37:59,191 --> 00:38:00,900 but they didn't care. 540 00:38:02,232 --> 00:38:05,358 Dead Jews, dead Poles. 541 00:38:05,441 --> 00:38:07,024 But not them. 542 00:38:10,024 --> 00:38:13,191 No one ever thinks it's going to happen to them. 543 00:38:14,566 --> 00:38:16,024 And here we are. 544 00:38:25,566 --> 00:38:27,608 How much time? 545 00:38:27,691 --> 00:38:29,066 Maybe a year. 546 00:38:29,149 --> 00:38:32,483 They call it a... (coughs) 547 00:38:32,566 --> 00:38:34,775 They call it a "long illness." 548 00:38:34,858 --> 00:38:37,650 It doesn't seem very long to me. 549 00:38:37,733 --> 00:38:40,274 I know you told me, and I believed you. 550 00:38:41,358 --> 00:38:43,149 But time passed, and I thought, 551 00:38:43,232 --> 00:38:45,858 it wouldn't happen to me. 552 00:38:46,775 --> 00:38:48,733 I wasted it. 553 00:38:48,816 --> 00:38:51,608 I wasted it all for nothing. 554 00:38:53,232 --> 00:38:54,900 For nothing? 555 00:38:55,775 --> 00:38:58,733 Do you remember that morning when I first called you, 556 00:38:58,816 --> 00:39:00,608 how unconcerned I was? 557 00:39:00,691 --> 00:39:02,566 I don't believe much that comes out of the Kremlin, 558 00:39:02,650 --> 00:39:04,608 but when they told me they were putting me 559 00:39:04,691 --> 00:39:07,858 in charge of the cleanup 560 00:39:07,941 --> 00:39:10,900 and they said it wasn't serious, I believed them. 561 00:39:12,483 --> 00:39:14,232 You know why? 562 00:39:15,274 --> 00:39:17,524 Because they put you in charge. 563 00:39:17,608 --> 00:39:19,107 Yeah. 564 00:39:22,066 --> 00:39:25,149 I'm an inconsequential man, Valera. 565 00:39:25,232 --> 00:39:27,107 That's all I've ever been. 566 00:39:28,274 --> 00:39:31,399 I hoped that one day I would matter, but I didn't. 567 00:39:33,316 --> 00:39:36,650 I just stood next to people who did. 568 00:39:38,733 --> 00:39:41,107 There are other scientists like me. 569 00:39:41,191 --> 00:39:43,691 Any one of them could have done what I did. 570 00:39:43,775 --> 00:39:45,107 But you... 571 00:39:46,024 --> 00:39:49,941 Everything we asked for, everything we needed. 572 00:39:51,358 --> 00:39:55,149 Men, material, lunar rovers. 573 00:39:57,483 --> 00:39:59,650 Who else could have done these things? 574 00:40:01,733 --> 00:40:05,066 They heard me, but they listened to you. 575 00:40:05,149 --> 00:40:09,107 Of all the ministers and all the deputies-- 576 00:40:09,191 --> 00:40:13,733 entire congregation of obedient fools-- 577 00:40:13,816 --> 00:40:17,858 they mistakenly sent the one good man. 578 00:40:17,941 --> 00:40:19,941 For god's sake, Boris, 579 00:40:20,024 --> 00:40:23,483 you were the one who mattered most. 580 00:40:29,441 --> 00:40:31,524 ♪ ♪ 581 00:40:46,524 --> 00:40:48,358 Ah, it's beautiful. 582 00:41:02,066 --> 00:41:04,191 (crowd murmuring) 583 00:41:04,941 --> 00:41:07,024 (sighs) 584 00:41:30,024 --> 00:41:32,232 Stepashin: Comrade Legasov. 585 00:41:44,566 --> 00:41:47,566 Legasov: The time is 38 past midnight. 586 00:41:47,650 --> 00:41:49,650 The reactor is nearly shut down. 587 00:41:49,733 --> 00:41:52,358 The operators of Reactor 4 are locked on a path 588 00:41:52,441 --> 00:41:54,399 that leads directly to disaster. 589 00:41:54,483 --> 00:41:56,691 There's no way to turn back. 590 00:41:56,775 --> 00:41:59,441 They do not yet know it, but the die is cast. 591 00:41:59,524 --> 00:42:03,775 At 30 megawatts, xenon is still being created, 592 00:42:03,858 --> 00:42:06,107 but none of it is burning away. 593 00:42:07,816 --> 00:42:09,691 The reactor is drowning in poison. 594 00:42:09,775 --> 00:42:14,191 To make matters worse, the reactor isn't hot enough 595 00:42:14,274 --> 00:42:17,066 to produce sufficient steam. 596 00:42:18,691 --> 00:42:21,524 The only way to safely raise power from this state 597 00:42:21,608 --> 00:42:23,900 is to do it very, very slowly 598 00:42:23,982 --> 00:42:26,775 over the course of 24 hours. 599 00:42:26,858 --> 00:42:29,399 But Dyatlov wants it done now. 600 00:42:29,483 --> 00:42:33,858 Akimov and Toptunov have only one course of action. 601 00:42:33,982 --> 00:42:36,733 They begin pulling control rods out. 602 00:42:36,816 --> 00:42:37,941 Dozens at a time. 603 00:42:38,024 --> 00:42:41,066 Halfway out, three-quarters of the way out, 604 00:42:41,149 --> 00:42:43,900 still, the power does not budge. 605 00:42:43,982 --> 00:42:46,691 So they begin pulling them all the way out. 606 00:42:46,775 --> 00:42:50,566 There were 211 control rods in Reactor 4. 607 00:42:50,650 --> 00:42:55,274 Akimov and Toptunov completely withdrew 205. 608 00:42:55,358 --> 00:43:00,024 Remember-- control rods are the brakes on this car. 609 00:43:00,107 --> 00:43:06,858 Of 211 rods, only six now remain in the reactor. 610 00:43:08,274 --> 00:43:10,900 As for the fuel, it's gone cold, 611 00:43:10,982 --> 00:43:13,066 so the negative temperature coefficient 612 00:43:13,149 --> 00:43:15,608 is no longer weighing down the reactivity. 613 00:43:15,691 --> 00:43:19,608 But even still, the xenon poisoning is so strong, 614 00:43:19,691 --> 00:43:23,858 the best they can do is raise the power to 200 megawatts. 615 00:43:23,941 --> 00:43:26,900 The control rods are out. 616 00:43:26,982 --> 00:43:29,441 The emergency system has been disconnected. 617 00:43:29,524 --> 00:43:31,775 The only thing keeping the reactor in check 618 00:43:31,858 --> 00:43:34,316 is water and xenon. 619 00:43:34,399 --> 00:43:38,650 It's one in the morning. The test is minutes away. 620 00:43:44,982 --> 00:43:46,524 (buttons clicking) 621 00:43:55,358 --> 00:43:58,358 ♪ ♪ 622 00:44:05,107 --> 00:44:07,232 (buttons clicking) 623 00:44:12,941 --> 00:44:15,399 I'm sorry, this is all we can get. 624 00:44:15,483 --> 00:44:18,441 It's 200 megawatts. We've pulled almost everything out. 625 00:44:18,524 --> 00:44:20,024 If that's all we have, that's all we have. 626 00:44:20,107 --> 00:44:23,982 -But the test requires 700. -Stolyarchuk, let's get ready. 627 00:44:24,066 --> 00:44:25,650 -Switch on pump 4. -Akimov: No, wait a second. 628 00:44:25,733 --> 00:44:27,524 -Dyatlov: Stolyarchuk-- -We have barely enough steam as it is. 629 00:44:27,608 --> 00:44:30,149 The turbine is going too slow for the test to deliver any valid results. 630 00:44:30,232 --> 00:44:32,107 -It's enough. -And if we add more water, there will be even less-- 631 00:44:32,191 --> 00:44:34,149 I said it's enough. I know what I'm doing. 632 00:44:34,232 --> 00:44:35,691 Stolyarchuk. 633 00:44:41,232 --> 00:44:42,775 Main Pump 4, connected. 634 00:44:42,858 --> 00:44:44,650 We should warn Khodemchuk. The pipes are gonna be-- 635 00:44:44,733 --> 00:44:46,441 Never mind him. Kirschenbaum? 636 00:44:47,149 --> 00:44:49,358 (alarm sounding) 637 00:44:49,441 --> 00:44:52,191 The steam in the separator drum is too low-- five atmospheres. 638 00:44:52,274 --> 00:44:55,107 All right, let's all help him. Get it up as best you can. 639 00:44:55,191 --> 00:44:57,566 (alarm continuing) 640 00:44:59,149 --> 00:45:01,024 We should stop. 641 00:45:01,107 --> 00:45:02,775 Dyatlov: Turn that fucking thing off. 642 00:45:02,858 --> 00:45:05,775 -(alarm stops) -You have 15 minutes. 643 00:45:07,608 --> 00:45:09,733 Legasov: Fifteen minutes. 644 00:45:09,816 --> 00:45:12,483 They may as well have had 15 days. 645 00:45:12,566 --> 00:45:15,399 The problem they were facing was not solvable. 646 00:45:15,483 --> 00:45:18,191 The power was too low, the water was too high. 647 00:45:18,274 --> 00:45:19,858 The test was already ruined. 648 00:45:19,941 --> 00:45:21,566 The results would have been useless, 649 00:45:21,650 --> 00:45:23,149 but Dyatlov didn't care. 650 00:45:23,232 --> 00:45:26,608 All he wanted to do was report a completed test. 651 00:45:27,524 --> 00:45:29,566 1:22 a.m. 652 00:45:29,650 --> 00:45:32,608 Less than two minutes remain. 653 00:45:32,691 --> 00:45:38,191 Yuvchenko, a mechanical engineer, is in his office. 654 00:45:41,524 --> 00:45:43,900 Perevozchenko, reactor section foreman, 655 00:45:43,982 --> 00:45:45,608 is in the refueling hall, 656 00:45:45,691 --> 00:45:50,316 high above the 1,000-ton steel reactor cover. 657 00:45:50,399 --> 00:45:53,691 -(rumbling) - Degtaryenko and Khodemchuk, 658 00:45:53,775 --> 00:45:56,858 circulation operators, are in the pump room. 659 00:45:58,982 --> 00:46:00,733 None of them have been told 660 00:46:00,816 --> 00:46:02,107 about the test. 661 00:46:02,191 --> 00:46:04,149 None of them know what is about to happen. 662 00:46:04,232 --> 00:46:08,524 At 1:22 and 30 seconds, 663 00:46:08,608 --> 00:46:10,650 Toptunov sees a report 664 00:46:10,733 --> 00:46:14,691 from the reactor's SKALA computer system. 665 00:46:14,775 --> 00:46:18,066 Based on the absence of sufficient control rods, 666 00:46:18,149 --> 00:46:21,691 the computer is recommending that the reactor be shut down. 667 00:46:26,900 --> 00:46:28,566 Well, of course it's saying that. 668 00:46:28,650 --> 00:46:30,650 It doesn't know we're running a test. 669 00:46:32,024 --> 00:46:33,316 All right, comrades. 670 00:46:34,858 --> 00:46:37,441 Another few minutes, it will all be over. 671 00:46:37,524 --> 00:46:39,066 Kirschenbaum, when you're ready. 672 00:46:40,232 --> 00:46:41,650 We did everything right. 673 00:46:43,816 --> 00:46:46,191 Kirschenbaum: Oscillograph on. 674 00:46:47,441 --> 00:46:49,982 Closing Number 8 throttle valve. 675 00:46:50,066 --> 00:46:51,691 Stolyarchuk: Generator rotor beginning rundown. 676 00:46:51,775 --> 00:46:55,650 Legasov: 1:23 and four seconds. 677 00:46:55,733 --> 00:46:57,066 With every decision, 678 00:46:57,149 --> 00:46:59,566 they have pulled this reactor back like a slingshot, 679 00:46:59,650 --> 00:47:01,900 further than anyone has ever pulled, 680 00:47:01,982 --> 00:47:04,316 now the test begins. 681 00:47:04,399 --> 00:47:08,066 The pumps are shut down, and they've let go. 682 00:47:10,524 --> 00:47:13,775 The pumps stop moving water through the reactor. 683 00:47:13,858 --> 00:47:17,024 Uranium fuel is now unchecked by fresh coolant, 684 00:47:17,107 --> 00:47:18,941 unchecked by control rods. 685 00:47:19,024 --> 00:47:22,149 The balance immediately swings in the opposite direction. 686 00:47:22,232 --> 00:47:23,650 In less than a second, 687 00:47:23,733 --> 00:47:25,566 reactivity increases. 688 00:47:26,775 --> 00:47:28,024 Inside the core, 689 00:47:28,107 --> 00:47:30,566 the remaining water is quickly converting to steam. 690 00:47:30,650 --> 00:47:32,733 A void is being created. 691 00:47:32,816 --> 00:47:35,441 There is no fresh water to replace it. 692 00:47:35,524 --> 00:47:38,441 Steam increases reactivity, 693 00:47:38,524 --> 00:47:41,858 increases heat, increases steam, 694 00:47:41,941 --> 00:47:44,691 increases reactivity. 695 00:47:44,775 --> 00:47:48,066 The remaining xenon decays away. 696 00:47:49,399 --> 00:47:51,483 The power is rising. 697 00:47:53,066 --> 00:47:54,900 There's nothing left to stop it. 698 00:47:54,982 --> 00:47:59,566 1:23 and 35 seconds. 699 00:47:59,650 --> 00:48:02,691 ♪ ♪ 700 00:48:02,775 --> 00:48:05,107 We have a power surge! Sasha! 701 00:48:10,358 --> 00:48:11,483 What did you do?! 702 00:48:11,566 --> 00:48:16,316 1:23 and 40 seconds. 703 00:48:23,316 --> 00:48:25,858 In every control room of every nuclear reactor in the world, 704 00:48:25,941 --> 00:48:29,107 there is a button with one single purpose-- 705 00:48:29,191 --> 00:48:32,566 to "scram," or instantly shut down, the reaction. 706 00:48:32,650 --> 00:48:36,191 In Soviet reactors, that button is called AZ-5. 707 00:48:36,274 --> 00:48:41,232 You press AZ-5, all of the control rods insert at once, 708 00:48:41,316 --> 00:48:45,399 and the reaction is stopped dead. 709 00:48:45,483 --> 00:48:47,316 But... 710 00:48:48,858 --> 00:48:50,816 (sighs) 711 00:48:53,191 --> 00:48:56,858 -What are you waiting for, Legasov? Tell your lies. -(gavel pounding) 712 00:48:56,941 --> 00:48:59,232 Kadnikov: Comrade Dyatlov, you will not be warned again. 713 00:48:59,316 --> 00:49:01,566 -Dyatlov: Or what? -For god's sake, Dyatlov. 714 00:49:01,650 --> 00:49:03,524 Legasov's already given it away. 715 00:49:03,608 --> 00:49:06,650 -He said before, there was no way to avoid what was coming. -Comrade Dyatlov. 716 00:49:06,733 --> 00:49:09,733 -He knows something. She knows something. -Comrade Dyatlov. 717 00:49:09,816 --> 00:49:13,441 -(gavel pounding) -Dyatlov: I know what you are, Valery Alexeyevich. 718 00:49:13,524 --> 00:49:16,483 -You're a liar. -We've heard enough for today. 719 00:49:16,566 --> 00:49:20,441 -(murmuring) -The defendants will be remanded in custody. 720 00:49:20,524 --> 00:49:23,524 -Court will-- -I... I haven't finished. 721 00:49:23,608 --> 00:49:25,650 I still have more evidence to give. 722 00:49:25,733 --> 00:49:29,107 It's not necessary. Your testimony is concluded. 723 00:49:29,191 --> 00:49:32,316 -Your Honor. -Court is now adjourned. 724 00:49:32,399 --> 00:49:34,733 -We will resume tomorrow with-- -Shcherbina: Let him finish. 725 00:49:34,816 --> 00:49:36,191 (chair clatters) 726 00:49:37,399 --> 00:49:39,399 Kadnikov: Comrade Shcherbina... 727 00:49:41,566 --> 00:49:43,900 Let him finish. 728 00:50:07,775 --> 00:50:10,191 Dyatlov broke every rule we have. 729 00:50:10,274 --> 00:50:12,358 (sighs) 730 00:50:14,024 --> 00:50:17,441 He pushed a reactor to the brink of destruction. 731 00:50:21,608 --> 00:50:24,232 He did these things believing there was a failsafe. 732 00:50:24,316 --> 00:50:27,566 AZ-5, a simple button to shut it all down. 733 00:50:27,650 --> 00:50:32,232 But in the circumstances he created, there wasn't. 734 00:50:32,316 --> 00:50:35,775 The shutdown system had a fatal flaw. 735 00:50:37,775 --> 00:50:43,274 At 1:23:40, Akimov engages AZ-5. 736 00:50:45,650 --> 00:50:48,274 (alarm buzzes) 737 00:50:50,733 --> 00:50:52,483 The fully-withdrawn control rods 738 00:50:52,566 --> 00:50:54,691 begin moving back into the reactor. 739 00:50:54,775 --> 00:50:57,650 These rods are made of boron, which reduces reactivity, 740 00:50:57,733 --> 00:50:59,399 but not their tips. 741 00:50:59,483 --> 00:51:04,441 The tips are made of graphite, which accelerates reactivity. 742 00:51:04,524 --> 00:51:06,316 Kadnikov: Why? 743 00:51:10,191 --> 00:51:12,149 Legasov: Why? 744 00:51:13,524 --> 00:51:16,024 For the same reason our reactors 745 00:51:16,107 --> 00:51:19,191 do not have containment buildings around them, 746 00:51:19,274 --> 00:51:20,316 like those in the West. 747 00:51:20,399 --> 00:51:22,733 For the same reason we don't use 748 00:51:22,816 --> 00:51:25,358 properly enriched fuel in our cores. 749 00:51:25,441 --> 00:51:27,733 For the same reason we are the only nation 750 00:51:27,816 --> 00:51:32,107 that builds water-cooled, graphite-moderated reactors 751 00:51:32,191 --> 00:51:35,316 with a positive void coefficient. 752 00:51:36,691 --> 00:51:37,775 It's cheaper. 753 00:51:37,858 --> 00:51:41,358 (crowd murmuring) 754 00:51:44,149 --> 00:51:46,982 (clears throat) The first part of the rods that enter the core 755 00:51:47,066 --> 00:51:48,316 are the graphite tips. 756 00:51:48,399 --> 00:51:50,775 And when they do, the reaction in the core, 757 00:51:50,858 --> 00:51:53,524 which had been rising, skyrockets. 758 00:51:53,608 --> 00:51:57,024 Every last molecule of liquid water 759 00:51:57,107 --> 00:51:58,733 instantly converts to steam, 760 00:51:58,816 --> 00:52:02,107 which expands and ruptures a series of fuel rod channels. 761 00:52:02,191 --> 00:52:06,316 The control rods in those channels can move no further. 762 00:52:06,399 --> 00:52:08,941 The graphite tips are fixed in position, 763 00:52:09,024 --> 00:52:11,816 endlessly accelerating the reaction. 764 00:52:11,900 --> 00:52:15,900 Chernobyl Reactor 4 is now a nuclear bomb. 765 00:52:15,982 --> 00:52:18,524 1:23:42. 766 00:52:18,608 --> 00:52:20,358 Perevozchenko looks down 767 00:52:20,441 --> 00:52:22,982 - on the enormous steel lid of the reactor... -(loud rumbling) 768 00:52:23,066 --> 00:52:24,982 ...and sees the impossible. 769 00:52:25,066 --> 00:52:26,941 The control rod and fuel channel caps, 770 00:52:27,024 --> 00:52:29,107 which each weigh 350 kilograms, 771 00:52:29,191 --> 00:52:30,775 are jumping up and down. 772 00:52:30,858 --> 00:52:33,441 He runs to warn the control room. 773 00:52:33,524 --> 00:52:36,982 But there's nothing he can do to stop what is coming. 774 00:52:37,066 --> 00:52:39,483 1:23 and 44 seconds. 775 00:52:39,566 --> 00:52:43,650 -(alarms buzzing) - The steam blows more fuel channels apart. 776 00:52:43,733 --> 00:52:45,816 We do not know how high the power went. 777 00:52:45,900 --> 00:52:48,191 We only know the final reading. 778 00:52:49,775 --> 00:52:50,816 Reactor 4, 779 00:52:50,900 --> 00:52:54,982 designed to operate at 3200 megawatts, 780 00:52:55,066 --> 00:52:58,733 went beyond 33,000. 781 00:53:03,232 --> 00:53:07,024 The pressure inside the core can no longer be held back. 782 00:53:07,107 --> 00:53:14,816 At long last, we have arrived. 1:23:45, explosion. 783 00:53:14,900 --> 00:53:19,066 In the instant the lid is thrown off the reactor, oxygen rushes in. 784 00:53:19,149 --> 00:53:23,608 It combines with hydrogen and super-heated graphite. 785 00:53:25,358 --> 00:53:28,441 The chain of disaster is now complete. 786 00:53:33,399 --> 00:53:35,483 ♪ ♪ 787 00:53:50,399 --> 00:53:52,524 Akimov (muffled): Comrade Dyatlov! 788 00:53:57,316 --> 00:53:59,149 Comrade Dyatlov! 789 00:54:01,483 --> 00:54:06,816 (no audible dialogue) 790 00:54:09,816 --> 00:54:12,733 Legasov: No one in the room that night knew 791 00:54:12,816 --> 00:54:16,274 the shutdown button could act as a detonator. 792 00:54:17,816 --> 00:54:19,566 They didn't know it, 793 00:54:19,650 --> 00:54:22,566 because it was kept from them. 794 00:54:22,650 --> 00:54:25,107 Kadnikov: Comrade Legasov, you're contradicting 795 00:54:25,191 --> 00:54:27,524 your own testimony in Vienna. 796 00:54:27,608 --> 00:54:30,316 My testimony in Vienna was a lie. 797 00:54:30,399 --> 00:54:34,399 -(crowd murmuring) -I lied to the world. 798 00:54:34,483 --> 00:54:36,816 I'm not the only one who kept this secret. 799 00:54:36,900 --> 00:54:39,107 There are many. 800 00:54:39,191 --> 00:54:41,900 We were following orders, 801 00:54:41,982 --> 00:54:43,566 from the KGB, from the Central Committee. 802 00:54:43,650 --> 00:54:46,316 And right now, there are 16 reactors in the Soviet Union 803 00:54:46,399 --> 00:54:48,858 with the same fatal flaw. 804 00:54:48,941 --> 00:54:50,775 Three of them are still running 805 00:54:50,858 --> 00:54:53,149 less than 20 kilometers away at Chernobyl. 806 00:54:53,232 --> 00:54:57,274 Professor Legasov, if you mean to suggest the Soviet State 807 00:54:57,358 --> 00:54:59,107 is somehow responsible for what happened, 808 00:54:59,191 --> 00:55:01,941 then I must warn you, you are treading on dangerous ground. 809 00:55:02,024 --> 00:55:04,358 I've already trod on dangerous ground. 810 00:55:04,441 --> 00:55:06,483 We're on dangerous ground right now, 811 00:55:06,566 --> 00:55:09,316 because of our secrets and our lies. 812 00:55:09,399 --> 00:55:12,483 They're practically what define us. 813 00:55:12,566 --> 00:55:15,691 When the truth offends, we lie and lie 814 00:55:15,775 --> 00:55:18,149 until we can no longer remember it is even there. 815 00:55:18,232 --> 00:55:21,232 But it is still there. 816 00:55:23,399 --> 00:55:27,733 Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. 817 00:55:29,858 --> 00:55:32,733 Sooner or later, that debt is paid. 818 00:55:36,900 --> 00:55:42,441 That is how an RBMK reactor core explodes. 819 00:55:46,107 --> 00:55:47,650 Lies. 820 00:55:50,982 --> 00:55:53,274 ♪ ♪ 821 00:56:11,524 --> 00:56:13,608 ♪ ♪ 822 00:56:59,608 --> 00:57:01,691 ♪ ♪ 823 00:57:27,941 --> 00:57:30,191 ♪ ♪ 824 00:57:51,608 --> 00:57:54,650 Valery Alexeyevich Legasov, 825 00:57:54,733 --> 00:57:57,775 son of Alexei Legasov, 826 00:57:57,858 --> 00:58:01,316 Head of Ideological Compliance, Central Committee. 827 00:58:01,399 --> 00:58:03,399 Do you know what your father did there? 828 00:58:03,483 --> 00:58:04,941 Yes. 829 00:58:05,024 --> 00:58:08,982 As a student, you had a leadership position in Komsomol. 830 00:58:09,066 --> 00:58:11,399 Communist Youth, correct? 831 00:58:12,399 --> 00:58:14,816 -You already know. -Answer the question. 832 00:58:14,900 --> 00:58:16,066 Yes. 833 00:58:17,858 --> 00:58:19,982 At the Kuchartov Institute, 834 00:58:20,066 --> 00:58:22,691 you were the Communist Party secretary. 835 00:58:22,775 --> 00:58:24,191 In the position, you limited 836 00:58:24,274 --> 00:58:27,191 the promotion of Jewish scientists. 837 00:58:31,650 --> 00:58:33,024 Yes. 838 00:58:33,107 --> 00:58:36,775 To curry favor with Kremlin officials. 839 00:58:41,441 --> 00:58:43,733 You're one of us, Legasov. 840 00:58:45,149 --> 00:58:47,566 I can do anything I want with you. 841 00:58:48,775 --> 00:58:52,858 But what I want most is for you to know that I know. 842 00:58:52,941 --> 00:58:55,316 You're not brave. 843 00:58:55,399 --> 00:58:57,608 You're not heroic. 844 00:58:59,107 --> 00:59:02,358 You're just a dying man who forgot himself. 845 00:59:02,441 --> 00:59:06,149 I know who I am, and I know what I've done. 846 00:59:08,733 --> 00:59:11,107 In a just world, I'd be shot for my lies, 847 00:59:11,191 --> 00:59:14,358 but not for this, not for the truth. 848 00:59:14,441 --> 00:59:16,566 Scientists... 849 00:59:16,650 --> 00:59:20,399 and your idiot obsessions with reasons. 850 00:59:20,483 --> 00:59:22,733 When the bullet hits your skull, 851 00:59:22,816 --> 00:59:25,358 what will it matter why? 852 00:59:32,608 --> 00:59:35,149 No one's getting shot, Legasov. 853 00:59:36,650 --> 00:59:38,982 The whole world saw you in Vienna. 854 00:59:39,066 --> 00:59:41,232 It would be embarrassing to kill you now. 855 00:59:41,316 --> 00:59:42,775 And for what? 856 00:59:42,858 --> 00:59:46,650 Your testimony today will not be accepted by the State. 857 00:59:46,733 --> 00:59:49,775 It will not be disseminated in the press. 858 00:59:49,858 --> 00:59:51,816 It never happened. 859 00:59:53,107 --> 00:59:56,066 No, you will live, 860 00:59:56,149 --> 00:59:57,941 however long you have, 861 00:59:58,024 --> 01:00:01,733 but not as a scientist, not anymore. 862 01:00:01,816 --> 01:00:06,358 You'll keep your title and your office, 863 01:00:06,441 --> 01:00:11,358 but no duties, no authority, no friends. 864 01:00:11,441 --> 01:00:13,524 No one will talk to you. 865 01:00:13,608 --> 01:00:15,524 No one will listen to you. 866 01:00:17,483 --> 01:00:21,775 Other men, lesser men, 867 01:00:21,858 --> 01:00:25,524 will receive credit for the things you have done. 868 01:00:25,608 --> 01:00:27,900 Your legacy is now their legacy. 869 01:00:27,982 --> 01:00:30,733 You'll live long enough to see that. 870 01:00:34,149 --> 01:00:36,566 What role did Shcherbina play in this? 871 01:00:36,650 --> 01:00:37,775 None. 872 01:00:37,858 --> 01:00:40,399 He didn't know what I was gonna say. 873 01:00:41,691 --> 01:00:44,775 What role did Khomyuk play in this? 874 01:00:44,858 --> 01:00:46,316 None. 875 01:00:46,399 --> 01:00:48,900 She didn't know either. 876 01:00:50,274 --> 01:00:52,650 After all you've said and done today, 877 01:00:52,733 --> 01:00:58,691 it would be curious if you chose this moment to lie. 878 01:01:01,608 --> 01:01:03,483 I would think a man of your experience 879 01:01:03,566 --> 01:01:05,900 would know a lie when he hears one. 880 01:01:10,066 --> 01:01:11,358 You will not meet or communicate 881 01:01:11,441 --> 01:01:13,608 with either one of them ever again. 882 01:01:13,691 --> 01:01:16,191 You will not communicate with anyone 883 01:01:16,274 --> 01:01:18,399 about Chernobyl ever again. 884 01:01:19,441 --> 01:01:21,858 You will remain so immaterial to the world around you 885 01:01:21,941 --> 01:01:23,733 that when you finally do die, 886 01:01:23,816 --> 01:01:28,107 it will be exceedingly hard to know that you ever lived at all. 887 01:01:32,441 --> 01:01:34,274 What if I refuse? 888 01:01:37,441 --> 01:01:40,524 Why worry about something that isn't going to happen? 889 01:01:40,608 --> 01:01:41,858 (scoffs) 890 01:01:41,941 --> 01:01:45,941 "Why worry about something that isn't going to happen?" 891 01:01:46,024 --> 01:01:48,274 Oh, that's perfect. 892 01:01:48,358 --> 01:01:51,441 They should put that on our money. 893 01:02:00,524 --> 01:02:02,650 ♪ ♪ 894 01:02:20,441 --> 01:02:22,483 (car engine starting) 895 01:02:29,524 --> 01:02:31,650 ♪ ♪ 896 01:02:41,274 --> 01:02:45,191 ♪ ♪ 897 01:02:58,483 --> 01:03:00,441 ♪ ♪ 898 01:03:00,524 --> 01:03:04,608 Legasov (on tape): To be a scientist is to be naive. 899 01:03:04,691 --> 01:03:06,941 We are so focused on our search for truth, 900 01:03:07,024 --> 01:03:11,650 we fail to consider how few actually want us to find it. 901 01:03:11,733 --> 01:03:16,107 But it is always there, whether we see it or not, 902 01:03:16,191 --> 01:03:18,024 whether we choose to or not. 903 01:03:18,107 --> 01:03:20,858 The truth doesn't care about our needs or wants. 904 01:03:20,941 --> 01:03:22,650 It doesn't care about our governments, 905 01:03:22,733 --> 01:03:26,441 our ideologies, our religions. 906 01:03:26,524 --> 01:03:30,149 It will lie in wait for all time. 907 01:03:30,232 --> 01:03:34,149 And this, at last, is the gift of Chernobyl. 908 01:03:34,232 --> 01:03:36,858 Where I once would fear the cost of truth, 909 01:03:36,941 --> 01:03:39,733 now I only ask: 910 01:03:40,733 --> 01:03:43,566 What is the cost of lies? 911 01:03:46,399 --> 01:03:48,107 ♪ ♪ 912 01:03:49,775 --> 01:03:52,232 (no audible dialogue) 913 01:04:29,232 --> 01:04:31,608 ♪ ♪ 914 01:04:57,608 --> 01:04:59,691 ♪ ♪ 915 01:06:11,775 --> 01:06:13,691 ♪ ♪ 916 01:06:52,608 --> 01:06:54,232 ♪ ♪ 917 01:09:44,441 --> 01:09:46,566 ♪ ♪ 918 01:11:28,733 --> 01:11:31,691 ♪ ♪ 919 01:11:58,316 --> 01:12:00,941 ♪ ♪ 920 01:12:15,107 --> 01:12:17,232 ♪ ♪