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1
00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:12,074
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2
00:02:34,030 --> 00:02:36,240
I hear they might promote Bryukhanov.
3
00:02:37,408 --> 00:02:40,578
This little problem we have
with the safety test,
4
00:02:41,412 --> 00:02:43,914
if it's completed successfully...
5
00:02:45,249 --> 00:02:48,002
Yes, I think promotion's very likely.
6
00:02:49,045 --> 00:02:51,047
Who knows, maybe Moscow.
7
00:02:53,049 --> 00:02:55,426
Naturally, they'll put me in charge
once he's gone,
8
00:02:55,509 --> 00:02:58,262
and then I'll need someone
to take my old job.
9
00:03:00,222 --> 00:03:02,308
I could pick Sitnikov.
10
00:03:11,150 --> 00:03:12,943
I would like to be considered.
11
00:03:16,489 --> 00:03:17,865
We'll keep that in mind.
12
00:03:19,784 --> 00:03:23,913
Viktor Petrovich, preparations
for the test have gone smoothly.
13
00:03:23,996 --> 00:03:27,291
Comrade Dyatlov's been working
per my instructions,
14
00:03:27,375 --> 00:03:30,836
and Reactor 4 output's been
reduced to 1,600 megawatts.
15
00:03:31,712 --> 00:03:35,007
With your approval, we're ready
to continue lowering power to...
16
00:03:35,091 --> 00:03:36,258
We have to wait.
17
00:03:37,927 --> 00:03:38,928
Is, uh...
18
00:03:39,512 --> 00:03:41,972
Are you going to ask me
if there's a problem, Nikolai?
19
00:03:42,431 --> 00:03:44,266
You can't read a fucking face?
20
00:03:44,850 --> 00:03:47,228
Three years,
I've tried to finish this test.
21
00:03:47,311 --> 00:03:48,437
Three years.
22
00:03:55,903 --> 00:03:58,114
I've just had a call from
the grid controller in Kiev.
23
00:03:58,197 --> 00:04:00,366
He says we can't
lower power any further,
24
00:04:00,449 --> 00:04:01,742
not for another 10 hours.
25
00:04:01,826 --> 00:04:03,661
A grid controller?
Where does he get off...
26
00:04:03,744 --> 00:04:06,372
It's not the grid controller's
decision, Dyatlov.
27
00:04:07,540 --> 00:04:08,874
It's the end of the month.
28
00:04:09,667 --> 00:04:12,420
All the productivity quotas.
29
00:04:12,503 --> 00:04:15,214
Everyone's working overtime.
The factories need power.
30
00:04:15,297 --> 00:04:17,049
Someone's pushing down from above.
31
00:04:17,133 --> 00:04:18,676
Not that we'll never know who.
32
00:04:19,969 --> 00:04:21,303
(GRUNTS SOFTLY)
33
00:04:27,351 --> 00:04:29,603
So, do we have to scrap it or what?
34
00:04:29,687 --> 00:04:31,480
No, I don't think so.
35
00:04:32,148 --> 00:04:34,733
If we need to wait 10 hours, we wait.
36
00:04:34,817 --> 00:04:38,237
Running at half power, we're not
going to have stability issues?
37
00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:40,948
- No, I should think...
- I'm not asking you.
38
00:04:44,076 --> 00:04:45,327
DYATLOV: It's safe.
39
00:04:45,786 --> 00:04:47,204
We'll maintain at 1,600.
40
00:04:47,288 --> 00:04:49,707
I'll go home, get some sleep,
come back tonight.
41
00:04:49,790 --> 00:04:51,041
We'll proceed then.
42
00:04:51,917 --> 00:04:54,003
I'll personally supervise the test.
43
00:04:54,753 --> 00:04:56,547
And it will be completed.
44
00:05:00,426 --> 00:05:01,886
Well, I'm not waiting around, then.
45
00:05:03,220 --> 00:05:04,555
Call me when it's done.
46
00:06:42,152 --> 00:06:43,237
How do you feel?
47
00:06:45,614 --> 00:06:48,200
You went to the doctor yesterday.
How is your health?
48
00:06:49,326 --> 00:06:50,411
You don't know?
49
00:06:52,621 --> 00:06:53,956
CHARKOV: From Vienna.
50
00:06:54,248 --> 00:06:55,666
Do you read German?
51
00:06:57,459 --> 00:07:02,298
It says, "At last a Soviet
scientist who tells the truth."
52
00:07:02,965 --> 00:07:04,967
Obviously, I resent the insinuation,
53
00:07:05,050 --> 00:07:06,176
but I think it's fair to say
54
00:07:06,260 --> 00:07:08,554
you made an excellent impression
at the conference.
55
00:07:09,013 --> 00:07:11,056
Turns out, you're quite good at this.
56
00:07:11,599 --> 00:07:13,517
At what? Lying?
57
00:07:13,601 --> 00:07:16,562
Statecraft, Legasov. Statecraft.
58
00:07:16,687 --> 00:07:19,231
The West is now satisfied
59
00:07:19,315 --> 00:07:22,151
that Chernobyl was solely
the result of operator error,
60
00:07:22,234 --> 00:07:23,652
which it essentially was.
61
00:07:24,445 --> 00:07:26,155
We have you to thank for that,
62
00:07:26,238 --> 00:07:27,698
and we intend to.
63
00:07:32,036 --> 00:07:34,079
"Hero of the Soviet Union."
64
00:07:34,538 --> 00:07:36,290
Our highest honor.
65
00:07:36,665 --> 00:07:39,043
They haven't even given it to me.
66
00:07:39,627 --> 00:07:42,838
"Promotion to director
of the Kurchatov Institute."
67
00:07:46,258 --> 00:07:47,593
I'm humbled.
68
00:07:48,218 --> 00:07:52,222
I don't think there's anything humble
about you, Valery Alexeyevich.
69
00:07:52,306 --> 00:07:54,183
These rewards are not yours yet.
70
00:07:54,850 --> 00:07:56,644
First, your testimony at the trial.
71
00:07:56,727 --> 00:08:00,648
Comrade Charkov,
I understand my duty to the State.
72
00:08:01,940 --> 00:08:03,901
But you gave us assurances.
73
00:08:04,693 --> 00:08:07,154
The reactors would be made safe.
74
00:08:07,237 --> 00:08:09,698
It's been months.
No changes have been made.
75
00:08:09,782 --> 00:08:13,118
- No changes even discussed.
- First, the trial.
76
00:08:14,620 --> 00:08:16,914
Once it's over,
we will have our villains,
77
00:08:16,997 --> 00:08:20,167
we will have our hero,
we will have our truth.
78
00:08:21,085 --> 00:08:24,129
After that,
we can deal with the reactors.
79
00:09:32,948 --> 00:09:34,491
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
80
00:09:35,534 --> 00:09:37,035
(SIGHS)
81
00:09:49,047 --> 00:09:50,424
Did you take a train?
82
00:09:51,049 --> 00:09:53,010
Yes, I took a train.
83
00:09:53,927 --> 00:09:55,763
Now let's talk about Vienna.
84
00:09:56,847 --> 00:09:58,474
I'm not here to scold you.
85
00:09:59,141 --> 00:10:02,478
I know how the world works
despite what Shcherbina says.
86
00:10:03,812 --> 00:10:06,690
So, why are you here?
87
00:10:07,900 --> 00:10:09,693
Because I'm brutally stubborn.
88
00:10:10,319 --> 00:10:12,070
Which you were hoping for.
89
00:10:16,533 --> 00:10:20,287
Charkov is saying they're going to fix
the reactors after the trial.
90
00:10:22,331 --> 00:10:24,458
- Do you believe him?
- (SNICKERS)
91
00:10:27,002 --> 00:10:29,171
The State will never
willingly fix the reactors
92
00:10:29,254 --> 00:10:32,591
because acknowledging the problem
means admitting that they lied.
93
00:10:32,674 --> 00:10:34,384
They will have to be forced.
94
00:10:41,683 --> 00:10:44,812
At the trial,
you're going to tell the truth.
95
00:10:46,730 --> 00:10:48,857
You're going to convince the jury.
96
00:10:48,941 --> 00:10:50,609
It's a show trial.
97
00:10:51,485 --> 00:10:53,278
The jury's already been
handed their verdict.
98
00:10:53,362 --> 00:10:54,696
I'm not talking about them.
99
00:10:57,074 --> 00:11:00,953
The Central Committee have invited
members of the scientific community
100
00:11:01,036 --> 00:11:02,454
to observe the trial.
101
00:11:02,996 --> 00:11:05,874
Our colleagues, from Kurchatov,
102
00:11:06,291 --> 00:11:08,377
from Sredmash, from Minenergo,
103
00:11:08,460 --> 00:11:12,047
they will be sitting in the crowd
listening to every word you say.
104
00:11:12,130 --> 00:11:14,341
A jury that only we know is there.
105
00:11:14,424 --> 00:11:17,928
And when your testimony arrives
at the moment of the explosion?
106
00:11:19,972 --> 00:11:23,016
That is when our jury
will finally hear the truth.
107
00:11:23,684 --> 00:11:26,728
- And do what with it?
- Insist on reform.
108
00:11:28,272 --> 00:11:30,649
Not just to the RBMK,
but the entire industry.
109
00:11:30,732 --> 00:11:31,733
No, no, no.
110
00:11:31,817 --> 00:11:33,318
- They can't function without us.
- No, no, no.
111
00:11:33,402 --> 00:11:34,403
If we...
112
00:11:34,486 --> 00:11:38,532
Do you know what happened to Volkov,
the man whose report you found?
113
00:11:39,241 --> 00:11:42,995
They just removed him
from his position at the Institute.
114
00:11:43,912 --> 00:11:46,206
Sacked for the crime of knowing.
115
00:11:47,207 --> 00:11:52,212
And you think that these scientists,
handpicked to witness a show trial,
116
00:11:52,296 --> 00:11:55,507
will somehow be stirred
into action by me?
117
00:11:56,300 --> 00:11:59,803
Because of some heroic stance
I take in defiance of the State?
118
00:11:59,887 --> 00:12:01,138
Yes.
119
00:12:01,221 --> 00:12:02,264
Why?
120
00:12:02,347 --> 00:12:05,767
Because you're Valery Legasov,
and you mean something.
121
00:12:07,936 --> 00:12:10,606
I'd like to think that if I spoke out,
it would be enough.
122
00:12:11,899 --> 00:12:13,734
But I know how the world works.
123
00:12:17,112 --> 00:12:19,781
They will shoot me, Khomyuk.
124
00:12:23,327 --> 00:12:26,496
You told me to find out what happened.
125
00:12:26,580 --> 00:12:28,707
I spoke to dozens of people.
126
00:12:28,790 --> 00:12:32,002
Every word they said, I wrote down.
127
00:12:33,253 --> 00:12:34,588
All in these books.
128
00:12:35,839 --> 00:12:37,507
These are the ones
who are still alive.
129
00:12:37,591 --> 00:12:39,217
These are the ones who are dead.
130
00:12:39,301 --> 00:12:40,928
They died rescuing each other.
131
00:12:41,428 --> 00:12:44,264
Putting out fires,
tending to the wounded.
132
00:12:44,348 --> 00:12:46,099
They didn't hesitate.
They didn't waiver.
133
00:12:46,183 --> 00:12:48,268
They simply did what had to be done.
134
00:12:48,352 --> 00:12:49,353
So have I.
135
00:12:50,646 --> 00:12:51,647
So have I.
136
00:12:52,689 --> 00:12:54,816
I went willingly to an open reactor.
137
00:12:55,651 --> 00:12:58,153
So I've already given my life.
138
00:12:59,529 --> 00:13:00,697
Isn't that enough?
139
00:13:02,658 --> 00:13:04,993
No, I'm sorry, but it is not.
140
00:14:14,479 --> 00:14:17,357
"The Central Committee of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
141
00:14:17,441 --> 00:14:20,402
and the Presidium of the
Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R.
142
00:14:20,485 --> 00:14:23,780
has determined that justice
be carried out on behalf of the People
143
00:14:23,864 --> 00:14:26,491
in accordance with the
general goal of our Party
144
00:14:26,575 --> 00:14:30,162
as determined by its 20th,
21 st and 22nd Congresses,
145
00:14:30,245 --> 00:14:32,164
which is a Leninist goal.
146
00:14:32,247 --> 00:14:36,209
It was, is, and will be the only
immutable goal in the Soviet state.
147
00:14:36,293 --> 00:14:37,711
The path of Leninist principles
148
00:14:37,794 --> 00:14:40,464
shall be consistently
and undeviatingly followed,
149
00:14:40,547 --> 00:14:43,383
as it expresses the vital
interests of the Soviet people,
150
00:14:43,759 --> 00:14:45,093
its hopes and aspirations
151
00:14:45,177 --> 00:14:47,345
as we guide the life of
the Party and the State.
152
00:14:47,596 --> 00:14:49,639
This session of court is now open,
153
00:14:49,723 --> 00:14:52,559
Comrade Judge
Milan Kadnikov presiding."
154
00:14:54,186 --> 00:14:55,395
Indictments.
155
00:14:55,479 --> 00:14:57,522
Viktor Bryukhanov,
156
00:14:57,606 --> 00:14:59,816
Anatoly Dyatlov,
157
00:14:59,900 --> 00:15:01,943
Nikolai Fomin,
158
00:15:02,027 --> 00:15:05,030
are accused of violating
Article 220 Section 2
159
00:15:05,113 --> 00:15:07,199
of the Criminal Code
of the Soviet Union,
160
00:15:07,282 --> 00:15:11,244
resulting in a nuclear disaster
on April 26, 1986.
161
00:15:12,329 --> 00:15:14,790
The State calls witnesses
Comrade Khomyuk
162
00:15:14,873 --> 00:15:17,292
of the Byelorussian Nuclear Institute,
163
00:15:17,375 --> 00:15:21,379
Comrade Legasov of the Kurchatov
Institute of Atomic Energy,
164
00:15:22,172 --> 00:15:25,467
and Comrade Boris
Evdokimovich Shcherbina,
165
00:15:26,134 --> 00:15:28,637
Deputy Chairman of
the Council of Ministers
166
00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:31,515
and head of the Bureau
for Fuel and Energy.
167
00:15:51,576 --> 00:15:53,078
(DOOR CLOSES)
168
00:16:06,341 --> 00:16:10,554
It began with,
of all things, a safety test.
169
00:16:11,763 --> 00:16:14,516
Why was there need
for a safety test at all?
170
00:16:15,225 --> 00:16:18,395
Reactor number 4 was not new
when the accident occurred.
171
00:16:19,146 --> 00:16:23,817
In fact, it went into operation
on December 20th, 1983.
172
00:16:24,734 --> 00:16:27,863
Eleven days later,
on the last day of the year,
173
00:16:28,780 --> 00:16:33,201
plant director Viktor Bryukhanov
signed this document,
174
00:16:34,619 --> 00:16:39,624
certifying the completion
of the construction of the reactor.
175
00:16:41,626 --> 00:16:44,671
As a result of finishing the work
before the end of the year,
176
00:16:46,089 --> 00:16:49,801
Comrade Bryukhanov was awarded
Hero of Socialist Labor.
177
00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:54,264
Comrade Fomin was awarded
for Valorous Labor.
178
00:16:54,681 --> 00:16:58,727
Comrade Dyatlov was given
an Order of the Red Banner.
179
00:17:01,146 --> 00:17:03,607
But their work was not finished.
180
00:17:05,317 --> 00:17:08,528
And this document was a lie.
181
00:17:10,155 --> 00:17:12,490
In order to sign this certificate,
182
00:17:12,741 --> 00:17:16,953
all safety tests had to have
been successfully completed,
183
00:17:17,037 --> 00:17:18,830
and yet, one remained.
184
00:17:22,292 --> 00:17:26,504
A nuclear reactor generates
heat in the core here.
185
00:17:27,464 --> 00:17:29,716
A series of pumps, here and here,
186
00:17:29,799 --> 00:17:32,844
send a constant flow of cooling water
through the core.
187
00:17:33,345 --> 00:17:35,847
The core's heat
turns the water to steam,
188
00:17:35,931 --> 00:17:38,225
and the steam spins the turbine here,
189
00:17:38,308 --> 00:17:39,935
and the result is electricity.
190
00:17:40,727 --> 00:17:43,563
But what if a power plant
has no power?
191
00:17:45,357 --> 00:17:48,193
What if the power feeding
the plant itself is disrupted?
192
00:17:48,985 --> 00:17:53,365
A blackout, equipment failure,
or an attack by a foreign enemy?
193
00:17:54,449 --> 00:17:56,326
If there's no power,
194
00:17:56,409 --> 00:17:59,162
the pumps cannot move
water through the core.
195
00:17:59,579 --> 00:18:01,998
And without water, the core overheats,
196
00:18:02,082 --> 00:18:03,625
the fuel melts down.
197
00:18:03,708 --> 00:18:06,211
In short, a nuclear disaster.
198
00:18:06,294 --> 00:18:07,420
The solution?
199
00:18:08,004 --> 00:18:11,341
Three diesel fuel
backup generators here.
200
00:18:11,925 --> 00:18:13,718
So, problem solved?
201
00:18:14,094 --> 00:18:15,470
No.
202
00:18:16,054 --> 00:18:18,598
Bryukhanov knew that the problem
was not solved at all.
203
00:18:19,140 --> 00:18:22,060
The backup generators took
approximately one minute
204
00:18:22,143 --> 00:18:24,521
to reach the speed required
205
00:18:24,604 --> 00:18:26,815
to power the pumps
and prevent a meltdown,
206
00:18:26,898 --> 00:18:29,901
and by that time,
it would be too late.
207
00:18:31,319 --> 00:18:33,196
So we arrive at the safety test.
208
00:18:35,407 --> 00:18:36,783
The theory was this,
209
00:18:36,866 --> 00:18:39,077
if the facility lost power,
210
00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:41,037
the turbine, which had been spinning,
211
00:18:41,121 --> 00:18:43,999
would take some time
to slow down and stop.
212
00:18:44,082 --> 00:18:47,877
What if you could take the electricity
it was still generating
213
00:18:47,961 --> 00:18:49,421
and transfer it to the pumps?
214
00:18:49,504 --> 00:18:53,341
What if the dying turbine could keep
the pumps working long enough
215
00:18:53,425 --> 00:18:57,512
to bridge the 60-second gap
until the generators came on?
216
00:18:58,513 --> 00:18:59,723
(COUGHS)
217
00:19:00,807 --> 00:19:02,600
(COUGHS)
218
00:19:02,684 --> 00:19:04,019
Any questions?
219
00:19:05,603 --> 00:19:08,815
No. Continue, please.
220
00:19:10,692 --> 00:19:12,986
To test this theory,
221
00:19:13,069 --> 00:19:17,490
the reactor is placed in a reduced
power mode, 700 megawatts,
222
00:19:17,574 --> 00:19:19,326
to simulate a blackout condition.
223
00:19:20,410 --> 00:19:22,329
Then the turbines are turned off,
224
00:19:22,579 --> 00:19:24,372
and as they slowly spin down,
225
00:19:24,456 --> 00:19:26,291
their electrical output is measured
226
00:19:26,374 --> 00:19:29,336
to see if it's enough
to power the pumps.
227
00:19:30,003 --> 00:19:31,504
The science is strong,
228
00:19:32,505 --> 00:19:37,260
but a test is only as good
as the men carrying it out.
229
00:19:38,678 --> 00:19:41,598
Now, the first time they tried,
they failed.
230
00:19:42,307 --> 00:19:44,601
The second time they tried,
they failed.
231
00:19:45,101 --> 00:19:47,395
The third time they tried,
they failed.
232
00:19:48,104 --> 00:19:50,815
The fourth time they tried
233
00:19:50,899 --> 00:19:54,527
was April 26th, 1986.
234
00:20:06,706 --> 00:20:08,416
STEPASHIN: Comrade Khomyuk.
235
00:20:13,797 --> 00:20:17,008
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
236
00:20:19,094 --> 00:20:21,304
(LOW INDISTINCT CHATTER)
237
00:20:32,524 --> 00:20:34,275
To understand
what happened that night,
238
00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:36,403
we have to go back 10 hours earlier,
239
00:20:36,486 --> 00:20:39,864
April 25th, the day the test
was meant to take place.
240
00:20:39,948 --> 00:20:43,410
By 2:00 in the afternoon,
the reactor has been lowered by half
241
00:20:43,493 --> 00:20:46,621
from its normal output level
of 3,200 megawatts
242
00:20:46,704 --> 00:20:48,957
to 1,600 megawatts and is stable
243
00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:51,960
and ready to be reduced to its
final output level for the test,
244
00:20:52,043 --> 00:20:53,586
700 megawatts.
245
00:20:54,254 --> 00:20:57,882
But before they can proceed,
there is a phone call.
246
00:20:59,300 --> 00:21:02,303
Power grid officials in Kiev
say that they cannot afford
247
00:21:02,387 --> 00:21:05,682
a further reduction in the electricity
until after midnight.
248
00:21:05,765 --> 00:21:08,101
They are asking for a 10-hour delay.
249
00:21:09,394 --> 00:21:11,229
This is the first critical moment,
250
00:21:11,312 --> 00:21:13,940
the first link
in the chain of disaster.
251
00:21:14,023 --> 00:21:17,402
Competent management would have
insisted on canceling the test.
252
00:21:18,611 --> 00:21:21,364
These three men allowed it to proceed.
253
00:21:23,283 --> 00:21:25,201
Why was this delay so dangerous?
254
00:21:25,535 --> 00:21:27,454
It created two problems.
255
00:21:28,121 --> 00:21:30,290
One of them is scientific in nature,
256
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:33,668
and the other is very human.
257
00:21:34,919 --> 00:21:36,754
This is the one
we will consider first.
258
00:21:37,797 --> 00:21:41,759
At midnight, there is a shift change.
259
00:21:55,273 --> 00:21:56,274
Hey.
260
00:21:57,108 --> 00:21:59,694
- Khodemchuk...
- Forget it. Find another fool.
261
00:22:00,445 --> 00:22:02,739
Toptunov, want to buy a motorcycle?
262
00:22:02,822 --> 00:22:05,200
BRAZHNIK: Toptunov?
He's just a little boy.
263
00:22:05,283 --> 00:22:07,160
He's got more hair on his face
than on his balls.
264
00:22:07,243 --> 00:22:09,496
Hair? Is that what's on his lip?
265
00:22:09,579 --> 00:22:11,498
(MEN CHUCKLING)
266
00:22:11,581 --> 00:22:12,665
Leonid Fedorovych.
267
00:22:13,291 --> 00:22:15,877
Akimov says to come to the
control room as soon as you can.
268
00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:17,587
- Is he already here?
- He came in early.
269
00:22:18,129 --> 00:22:19,380
Something about a test.
270
00:22:21,216 --> 00:22:23,426
You see? Desperate.
271
00:22:25,428 --> 00:22:26,596
(DOOR OPENS)
272
00:22:29,807 --> 00:22:31,184
(DOOR CLOSES)
273
00:22:33,061 --> 00:22:34,229
TOPTUNOV: Sasha?
274
00:22:35,897 --> 00:22:38,274
You know the test
they were supposed to run?
275
00:22:39,317 --> 00:22:41,986
The turbine rundown,
they tried it last year.
276
00:22:42,070 --> 00:22:45,240
They couldn't do it on the day shift,
so they've given it to us.
277
00:22:45,323 --> 00:22:46,491
To us?
278
00:22:46,574 --> 00:22:47,951
- We don't know what...
- AKIMOV: Shh...
279
00:22:49,869 --> 00:22:51,871
- We don't know what it is.
- It's fine.
280
00:22:51,955 --> 00:22:54,082
We take it down to 700, hold it there,
281
00:22:54,165 --> 00:22:56,584
the rest is Stolyarchuk
and Kirschenbaum, but...
282
00:22:56,918 --> 00:22:59,254
Dyatlov is gonna be supervising.
283
00:22:59,963 --> 00:23:01,798
I have to do something
I've never done before
284
00:23:01,881 --> 00:23:03,216
with Dyatlov looking over my shoulder?
285
00:23:03,299 --> 00:23:06,135
Yeah, well, don't worry,
we'll do it together.
286
00:23:06,219 --> 00:23:07,762
I'm just looking
at the instructions now.
287
00:23:09,472 --> 00:23:11,349
Are we supposed to do those or not?
288
00:23:20,316 --> 00:23:22,277
Yes, this is Akimov in 4.
289
00:23:23,444 --> 00:23:26,406
I have the manual
for the rundown test.
290
00:23:27,073 --> 00:23:28,866
You did it last year.
291
00:23:29,659 --> 00:23:32,036
Yes, in the program,
there's instructions of what to do,
292
00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:34,414
and then, well,
there's a lot of things crossed out.
293
00:23:34,497 --> 00:23:35,498
What should I...
294
00:23:37,625 --> 00:23:38,751
Well, what should I...
295
00:23:41,254 --> 00:23:42,297
Are you sure?
296
00:23:43,798 --> 00:23:45,633
Right. Thank you.
297
00:23:47,302 --> 00:23:49,554
He says to follow
the crossed-out instructions.
298
00:23:50,096 --> 00:23:51,681
So then why are they crossed out?
299
00:23:52,432 --> 00:23:53,641
(DOOR OPENS)
300
00:23:58,896 --> 00:24:00,398
We've been cleared to run the test.
301
00:24:01,399 --> 00:24:02,984
1,600. Good.
302
00:24:03,860 --> 00:24:06,487
Now, is it too much to ask that
you all know what you're doing?
303
00:24:06,571 --> 00:24:08,406
- Well...
- Yes. Absolutely.
304
00:24:09,991 --> 00:24:11,451
- Stolyarchuk?
- Yes.
305
00:24:11,534 --> 00:24:14,537
- Kirschenbaum?
- Uh, I haven't reviewed.
306
00:24:14,621 --> 00:24:16,414
We only just found out really...
307
00:24:16,497 --> 00:24:17,707
There, review it.
308
00:24:17,790 --> 00:24:19,876
Or you can just do what I tell you.
309
00:24:19,959 --> 00:24:22,587
I think even you, stupid as you are,
can manage that.
310
00:24:23,755 --> 00:24:24,756
Well, let's go.
311
00:24:28,718 --> 00:24:31,638
I'm supposed to switch the turbine off
while the reactor's still running?
312
00:24:31,721 --> 00:24:35,141
- This is not good...
- Shut the fuck up and do your job!
313
00:24:36,225 --> 00:24:39,646
Toptunov, reduce power to 700.
314
00:24:41,481 --> 00:24:43,524
(WHISPERS) I've never done this
with the power so low before.
315
00:24:43,608 --> 00:24:44,984
(WHISPERS) It's okay. I'm with you.
316
00:24:50,823 --> 00:24:52,367
Reducing power to 700.
317
00:24:53,993 --> 00:24:56,245
KHOMYUK: I want you
to think of Yuri Gagarin.
318
00:24:58,414 --> 00:25:01,042
I want you to imagine
that he has been told nothing
319
00:25:01,125 --> 00:25:02,377
of his mission into space
320
00:25:02,460 --> 00:25:04,629
until the moment
that he is on the launch pad.
321
00:25:04,921 --> 00:25:06,964
I want you to imagine that all he has
322
00:25:07,048 --> 00:25:09,634
is a list of instructions
that he has never seen before,
323
00:25:09,717 --> 00:25:11,761
some of which have been crossed out.
324
00:25:12,261 --> 00:25:16,015
This is exactly what was happening
in the control room of Reactor 4.
325
00:25:16,766 --> 00:25:19,394
The night shift had not been trained
to perform the experiment.
326
00:25:19,477 --> 00:25:22,063
They hadn't even been
warned it was happening.
327
00:25:22,146 --> 00:25:24,065
Leonid Toptunov,
328
00:25:24,148 --> 00:25:26,734
the operator
responsible for controlling
329
00:25:26,818 --> 00:25:29,278
and stabilizing the reactor
that night was
330
00:25:30,738 --> 00:25:32,699
all of 25 years old.
331
00:25:34,158 --> 00:25:36,035
And his total experience on the job?
332
00:25:37,286 --> 00:25:38,371
Four months.
333
00:25:40,248 --> 00:25:42,875
This is the human problem
created by the delay.
334
00:25:44,001 --> 00:25:46,879
But inside the reactor core,
335
00:25:46,963 --> 00:25:49,090
in the space
between the atoms themselves,
336
00:25:49,590 --> 00:25:52,260
something far more dangerous
is forming.
337
00:25:52,343 --> 00:25:53,761
A poison.
338
00:25:55,555 --> 00:25:57,348
The time is 28 past midnight.
339
00:26:16,159 --> 00:26:17,744
Comrade Legasov.
340
00:26:38,598 --> 00:26:40,433
(TROLLEY RUMBLING)
341
00:26:55,406 --> 00:26:57,825
I'm pleased to see some
of my colleagues here
342
00:26:57,909 --> 00:27:00,578
from the Kurchatov Institute
and Minenergo.
343
00:27:02,038 --> 00:27:04,081
(CLEARS THROAT) But you don't
need to be a nuclear scientist
344
00:27:04,165 --> 00:27:06,167
to understand what
happened at Chernobyl.
345
00:27:07,210 --> 00:27:09,295
You only need to know this.
346
00:27:09,378 --> 00:27:14,050
There are essentially two things
that happen inside a nuclear reactor.
347
00:27:14,717 --> 00:27:20,515
The reactivity, which generates power,
either goes up or it goes down.
348
00:27:21,182 --> 00:27:22,183
That's it.
349
00:27:22,850 --> 00:27:25,895
All the operators do
is maintain balance.
350
00:27:28,898 --> 00:27:30,066
Uranium fuel.
351
00:27:32,693 --> 00:27:37,406
As uranium atoms split apart
and collide, reactivity goes up.
352
00:27:37,490 --> 00:27:39,450
But if you don't balance
the reactivity,
353
00:27:39,534 --> 00:27:41,536
it never stops rising. So...
354
00:27:43,788 --> 00:27:46,207
Boron control rods.
355
00:27:46,290 --> 00:27:50,962
They reduce reactivity
like brakes on a car.
356
00:27:52,463 --> 00:27:56,175
But there's a third factor
to consider, water.
357
00:27:57,844 --> 00:28:00,388
Cool water takes heat
out of the system.
358
00:28:00,471 --> 00:28:03,808
As it does, it turns to steam,
or what we call a "void."
359
00:28:03,891 --> 00:28:07,311
In an RBMK reactor
of the type used at Chernobyl,
360
00:28:07,395 --> 00:28:11,232
there's something called
a "positive void coefficient."
361
00:28:11,315 --> 00:28:12,483
What does that mean?
362
00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:17,697
It means that the more steam
present within the system,
363
00:28:17,780 --> 00:28:19,866
the higher the reactivity,
364
00:28:19,949 --> 00:28:22,869
which means more heat,
which means more steam,
365
00:28:22,952 --> 00:28:23,953
which means...
366
00:28:24,912 --> 00:28:28,291
It would appear we have
a vicious cycle on our hands.
367
00:28:28,666 --> 00:28:31,419
And we would, were it not for this...
368
00:28:37,550 --> 00:28:42,930
And we would, were it not for this,
369
00:28:43,014 --> 00:28:45,308
the negative temperature coefficient.
370
00:28:46,642 --> 00:28:52,315
When nuclear fuel gets hotter,
it gets less reactive,
371
00:28:53,608 --> 00:28:55,526
so fuel increases reactivity.
372
00:28:56,235 --> 00:28:59,113
Control rods and water reduce it.
373
00:28:59,196 --> 00:29:01,574
Steam increases it,
374
00:29:01,657 --> 00:29:04,118
and the rise in temperature
reduces it.
375
00:29:05,870 --> 00:29:08,706
This is the invisible dance
376
00:29:08,789 --> 00:29:12,460
that powers entire cities
without smoke or flame.
377
00:29:12,543 --> 00:29:14,879
And it is beautiful,
378
00:29:15,963 --> 00:29:17,465
when things are normal.
379
00:29:19,300 --> 00:29:22,219
As uranium splits apart
to release energy,
380
00:29:22,303 --> 00:29:25,723
it breaks down
into a new element, xenon.
381
00:29:25,806 --> 00:29:28,726
Xenon reduces reactivity.
382
00:29:28,809 --> 00:29:31,354
This is the poison
Comrade Khomyuk mentioned.
383
00:29:32,313 --> 00:29:34,357
When the core
is running at full power,
384
00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:37,318
it burns the xenon away
before it can cause a problem.
385
00:29:37,401 --> 00:29:39,612
But because of the delay,
386
00:29:39,695 --> 00:29:44,533
Chernobyl Reactor 4 has been held
at half power for 10 hours.
387
00:29:45,242 --> 00:29:47,495
The xenon did not burn away.
388
00:29:49,330 --> 00:29:52,291
It built up, poisoning the core.
389
00:29:53,751 --> 00:29:55,503
We're starting to lose balance.
390
00:29:55,586 --> 00:29:59,382
- (COUGHING)
- LEGASOV: At 28 minutes past midnight,
391
00:29:59,465 --> 00:30:02,468
the reactor is now primed
to slow down.
392
00:30:03,302 --> 00:30:06,514
And yet, in less than an hour,
it will explode.
393
00:30:07,556 --> 00:30:10,643
If you can't understand
how a stalled nuclear reactor
394
00:30:10,726 --> 00:30:13,437
could lead to an explosion,
I don't blame you.
395
00:30:13,521 --> 00:30:17,274
After all, you don't work in the
control room of a nuclear power plant.
396
00:30:18,192 --> 00:30:20,569
But as it turned out,
397
00:30:20,653 --> 00:30:24,657
the men who did
didn't understand it either.
398
00:30:31,038 --> 00:30:32,081
Easy now.
399
00:30:32,581 --> 00:30:33,708
Take it down.
400
00:30:34,625 --> 00:30:36,836
Good. Like that.
401
00:30:36,919 --> 00:30:38,421
DYATLOV: You should have
finished by now.
402
00:30:38,504 --> 00:30:40,464
We're following protocol
for reduction rate.
403
00:30:40,548 --> 00:30:42,383
You're procrastinating.
404
00:30:42,466 --> 00:30:44,927
There are 10 other men in this plant
who would've done it already.
405
00:30:45,011 --> 00:30:47,346
(WHISPERS) Keep working.
You're doing fine.
406
00:30:56,856 --> 00:31:00,234
Kirschenbaum, come get me
when these old women are ready.
407
00:31:00,317 --> 00:31:01,610
Yes, Comrade Dyatlov.
408
00:31:09,994 --> 00:31:11,370
(DOOR CLOSES)
409
00:31:21,047 --> 00:31:25,468
Okay, very slow now.
Let's ease it down to 700.
410
00:31:28,804 --> 00:31:32,141
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow.
- I didn't move any rods there.
411
00:31:41,734 --> 00:31:45,154
- What is this?
- I'm not even touching it.
412
00:32:10,179 --> 00:32:11,305
We did everything right.
413
00:32:11,388 --> 00:32:12,765
I think that
maybe the core is poisoned.
414
00:32:12,848 --> 00:32:14,266
Well, if you thought
the core was poisoned,
415
00:32:14,350 --> 00:32:16,894
then you didn't do everything right,
because you're choking my reactor!
416
00:32:16,977 --> 00:32:18,020
Get it back up!
417
00:32:18,104 --> 00:32:20,314
I think if we turn off LAC,
418
00:32:20,397 --> 00:32:22,316
it may be possible
to get more control.
419
00:32:22,399 --> 00:32:25,111
- Do it. Go.
- Switch off local automatic control.
420
00:32:25,194 --> 00:32:27,279
Go to global. Leonid.
421
00:32:28,155 --> 00:32:30,574
LAC disabled.
Global control activated.
422
00:32:36,747 --> 00:32:38,207
What did you do?
423
00:32:39,208 --> 00:32:41,836
- I did what you said. I switched...
- DYATLOV: Look at it!
424
00:32:43,212 --> 00:32:45,464
AKIMOV: I don't understand.
DYATLOV: Fucking amateurs.
425
00:32:45,548 --> 00:32:47,383
You've stalled the reactor.
426
00:32:47,466 --> 00:32:49,301
(YELLS) How the fuck
did you get this job?
427
00:32:49,385 --> 00:32:50,469
Comrade Dyatlov...
428
00:32:50,553 --> 00:32:52,179
You're gonna tell me
you did everything right again,
429
00:32:52,263 --> 00:32:53,639
you incompetent asshole?
430
00:32:53,722 --> 00:32:56,433
I apologize for this
unsatisfactory result.
431
00:33:02,314 --> 00:33:03,399
What are you doing?
432
00:33:03,732 --> 00:33:05,568
We have to shut all the way down.
433
00:33:05,651 --> 00:33:08,112
- No.
- AKIMOV: We could be in a xenon pit.
434
00:33:08,195 --> 00:33:09,655
We have to shut down
and wait 24 hours.
435
00:33:09,738 --> 00:33:11,782
No. We're doing the test tonight.
Raise power to 700.
436
00:33:11,866 --> 00:33:13,242
AKIMOV: We can't raise
the power from here.
437
00:33:13,325 --> 00:33:14,910
- The rules...
- Don't talk to me about rules.
438
00:33:14,994 --> 00:33:17,163
- If we fall from 80%...
- No, no. We fell from 50%.
439
00:33:17,246 --> 00:33:19,415
- AKIMOV: 50% is even worse.
- The rules don't say 50.
440
00:33:19,498 --> 00:33:20,791
There is no rule!
441
00:33:20,875 --> 00:33:24,753
Comrade Dyatlov, I apologize,
but what you're saying makes no sense.
442
00:33:24,837 --> 00:33:26,755
- Raise the power.
- No.
443
00:33:28,132 --> 00:33:29,967
I won't do it. It isn't safe.
444
00:33:39,310 --> 00:33:42,062
Safety first. Always.
445
00:33:42,938 --> 00:33:45,399
I've been saying that for 25 years.
446
00:33:45,482 --> 00:33:47,484
That's how long
I've done this job, 25 years.
447
00:33:47,568 --> 00:33:48,861
Is that longer than you, Akimov?
448
00:33:48,944 --> 00:33:50,029
Yes.
449
00:33:50,112 --> 00:33:52,323
- Is it much longer?
- Yes.
450
00:33:52,406 --> 00:33:54,950
And you with your mother's tit
barely out of your mouth?
451
00:33:57,536 --> 00:33:59,705
So if I say it's safe, it's safe.
452
00:33:59,788 --> 00:34:01,081
And if the two of you disagree,
453
00:34:01,165 --> 00:34:03,125
then you don't have to work here
and you won't.
454
00:34:03,209 --> 00:34:04,210
But not just here.
455
00:34:04,293 --> 00:34:07,755
You won't work at Kursk or Ignalina
or Leningrad or Novovoronezh.
456
00:34:07,838 --> 00:34:10,883
You won't work anywhere ever again.
I'll see to it.
457
00:34:11,258 --> 00:34:13,677
I think you know I will see to it.
458
00:34:15,346 --> 00:34:16,597
Raise the power.
459
00:34:20,226 --> 00:34:21,936
I would like you
to record your command.
460
00:34:23,229 --> 00:34:24,313
Raise the power.
461
00:34:40,162 --> 00:34:41,372
(BREATHING SHAKILY) Together, then.
462
00:34:45,167 --> 00:34:46,752
DYATLOV: I wasn't even there.
463
00:34:47,544 --> 00:34:48,963
What?
464
00:34:51,006 --> 00:34:53,425
I wasn't in the room
when they raised the power.
465
00:34:54,176 --> 00:34:55,636
If you weren't there,
then where were you?
466
00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:58,639
Comrade Legasov,
you are a witness, not a prosecutor.
467
00:34:58,722 --> 00:35:00,557
I will ask the questions here.
468
00:35:01,809 --> 00:35:03,852
If you weren't in the room,
then where were you?
469
00:35:06,563 --> 00:35:07,648
The toilet.
470
00:35:08,565 --> 00:35:10,901
- (INDISTINCT MURMURING)
- STEPASHIN: The toilet?
471
00:35:12,695 --> 00:35:14,488
Comrade Khomyuk interviewed everyone
472
00:35:14,571 --> 00:35:15,990
who was in the control room
that night.
473
00:35:16,073 --> 00:35:17,866
They all told the same story.
474
00:35:21,453 --> 00:35:23,706
"I knew what Dyatlov
ordered was wrong,
475
00:35:24,164 --> 00:35:26,500
"but if I didn't do what he said,
I would be fired."
476
00:35:27,084 --> 00:35:28,585
Leonid Toptunov.
477
00:35:30,254 --> 00:35:31,880
One day before he died.
478
00:35:32,923 --> 00:35:34,800
No, Comrade Dyatlov,
you were in the room.
479
00:35:35,175 --> 00:35:37,636
You ordered them to raise the power.
This is a fact.
480
00:35:38,387 --> 00:35:41,015
(SHCHERBINA COUGHING)
481
00:35:46,645 --> 00:35:47,813
(COUGHING CONTINUES)
482
00:35:47,896 --> 00:35:50,607
Court is now in recess.
Thirty minutes.
483
00:35:51,358 --> 00:35:53,193
(COUGHING)
484
00:36:34,526 --> 00:36:37,363
Do you know anything
about this town, Chernobyl?
485
00:36:38,989 --> 00:36:40,407
Not really, no.
486
00:36:41,784 --> 00:36:44,244
It was mostly Jews and Poles.
487
00:36:45,788 --> 00:36:49,458
The Jews were killed in pogroms,
and Stalin forced the Poles out.
488
00:36:50,292 --> 00:36:53,379
And then the Nazis came
and killed whoever was left.
489
00:36:54,463 --> 00:36:55,631
But after the war,
490
00:36:57,091 --> 00:36:59,051
people came to live here anyway.
491
00:37:00,427 --> 00:37:04,014
They knew the ground under
their feet was soaked in blood,
492
00:37:04,098 --> 00:37:05,307
but they didn't care.
493
00:37:07,017 --> 00:37:09,103
Dead Jews, dead Poles.
494
00:37:10,312 --> 00:37:11,355
But not them.
495
00:37:15,025 --> 00:37:17,194
No one ever thinks
it's going to happen to them.
496
00:37:19,363 --> 00:37:20,406
And here we are.
497
00:37:30,374 --> 00:37:31,375
How much time?
498
00:37:32,501 --> 00:37:33,752
Maybe a year.
499
00:37:34,628 --> 00:37:37,423
They call it a... (COUGHS)
500
00:37:37,506 --> 00:37:39,675
They call it a "long illness."
501
00:37:39,758 --> 00:37:41,468
It doesn't seem very long to me.
502
00:37:42,678 --> 00:37:44,763
I know you told me,
and I believed you.
503
00:37:46,265 --> 00:37:47,933
But time passed, and I thought
504
00:37:48,851 --> 00:37:50,519
it wouldn't happen to me.
505
00:37:51,645 --> 00:37:53,021
I wasted it.
506
00:37:53,730 --> 00:37:55,816
I wasted it all for nothing.
507
00:37:58,110 --> 00:37:59,361
For nothing?
508
00:38:00,821 --> 00:38:03,615
Do you remember that morning
when I first called you,
509
00:38:03,699 --> 00:38:05,617
how unconcerned I was?
510
00:38:05,701 --> 00:38:07,578
I don't believe much that
comes out of the Kremlin,
511
00:38:07,661 --> 00:38:11,957
but when they told me they were
putting me in charge of the cleanup
512
00:38:12,916 --> 00:38:15,419
and they said it wasn't serious,
I believed them.
513
00:38:17,337 --> 00:38:18,422
You know why?
514
00:38:20,132 --> 00:38:21,884
Because they put you in charge.
515
00:38:22,843 --> 00:38:23,886
(SOFTLY) Yeah.
516
00:38:27,014 --> 00:38:29,391
I'm an inconsequential man, Valery.
517
00:38:30,142 --> 00:38:31,852
That's all I've ever been.
518
00:38:33,187 --> 00:38:35,981
I hoped that one day
I would matter, but I didn't.
519
00:38:38,275 --> 00:38:41,195
I just stood next to people who did.
520
00:38:43,697 --> 00:38:46,116
There are other scientists like me.
521
00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:48,577
Any one of them could
have done what I did.
522
00:38:48,660 --> 00:38:49,870
But you...
523
00:38:51,038 --> 00:38:54,791
Everything we asked for,
everything we needed.
524
00:38:56,210 --> 00:38:59,630
Men, material, lunar rovers.
525
00:39:02,466 --> 00:39:04,384
Who else could have done these things?
526
00:39:06,720 --> 00:39:09,264
They heard me,
but they listened to you.
527
00:39:10,474 --> 00:39:14,102
Of all the ministers
and all the deputies,
528
00:39:14,186 --> 00:39:17,814
entire congregation of obedient fools,
529
00:39:18,774 --> 00:39:21,735
they mistakenly sent the one good man.
530
00:39:22,819 --> 00:39:24,821
For God's sakes, Boris,
531
00:39:25,822 --> 00:39:28,242
you were the one who mattered most.
532
00:39:51,390 --> 00:39:53,058
Ah, it's beautiful.
533
00:40:08,574 --> 00:40:10,784
- (PEOPLE CHATTERING)
- (SIGHS)
534
00:40:35,100 --> 00:40:36,935
STEPASHIN: Comrade Legasov.
535
00:40:49,531 --> 00:40:51,575
LEGASOV: The time is 38 past midnight.
536
00:40:52,576 --> 00:40:54,411
The reactor is nearly shut down.
537
00:40:55,078 --> 00:40:56,872
The operators of Reactor 4 are locked
538
00:40:56,955 --> 00:40:59,124
on a path that leads
directly to disaster.
539
00:40:59,708 --> 00:41:01,335
There's no way to turn back.
540
00:41:01,752 --> 00:41:04,212
They do not yet know it,
but the die is cast.
541
00:41:05,047 --> 00:41:08,675
At 30 megawatts,
xenon is still being created,
542
00:41:08,759 --> 00:41:10,510
but none of it is burning away.
543
00:41:12,763 --> 00:41:14,681
The reactor is drowning in poison.
544
00:41:15,432 --> 00:41:19,102
To make matters worse,
the reactor isn't hot enough
545
00:41:19,186 --> 00:41:21,772
to produce sufficient steam.
546
00:41:23,732 --> 00:41:26,485
The only way to safely raise
power from this state
547
00:41:26,568 --> 00:41:30,906
is to do it very, very slowly
over the course of 24 hours.
548
00:41:31,698 --> 00:41:33,992
But Dyatlov wants it done now.
549
00:41:34,534 --> 00:41:37,996
Akimov and Toptunov have
only one course of action.
550
00:41:38,914 --> 00:41:41,249
They begin pulling control rods out.
551
00:41:41,917 --> 00:41:42,918
Dozens at a time.
552
00:41:43,418 --> 00:41:46,004
Halfway out,
three-quarters of the way out,
553
00:41:46,088 --> 00:41:48,882
still, the power does not budge.
554
00:41:48,965 --> 00:41:51,677
So they begin pulling
them all the way out.
555
00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:55,555
There were 211 control rods
in Reactor 4.
556
00:41:55,639 --> 00:42:00,310
Akimov and Toptunov
completely withdrew 205.
557
00:42:00,394 --> 00:42:04,398
Remember, control rods
are the brakes on this car.
558
00:42:05,107 --> 00:42:11,613
Of 211 rods, only six
now remain in the reactor.
559
00:42:13,115 --> 00:42:15,909
As for the fuel, it's gone cold,
560
00:42:15,992 --> 00:42:17,994
so the negative
temperature coefficient
561
00:42:18,078 --> 00:42:20,664
is no longer
weighing down the reactivity.
562
00:42:20,747 --> 00:42:24,626
But even still,
the xenon poisoning is so strong,
563
00:42:24,710 --> 00:42:28,296
the best they can do is raise
the power to 200 megawatts.
564
00:42:29,715 --> 00:42:31,508
The control rods are out.
565
00:42:31,967 --> 00:42:34,428
The emergency system
has been disconnected.
566
00:42:34,511 --> 00:42:36,680
The only thing keeping
the reactor in check
567
00:42:36,763 --> 00:42:39,349
is water and xenon.
568
00:42:39,433 --> 00:42:43,353
It's 1:00 in the morning.
The test is minutes away.
569
00:43:17,888 --> 00:43:20,015
I'm sorry, this is all we can get.
570
00:43:20,515 --> 00:43:22,934
It's 200 megawatts.
We've pulled almost everything out.
571
00:43:23,518 --> 00:43:24,978
If that's all we have,
that's all we have.
572
00:43:25,437 --> 00:43:28,982
- But the test requires 700.
- Stolyarchuk, let's get ready.
573
00:43:29,065 --> 00:43:30,734
- Switch on pump four.
- AKIMOV: No, wait a second.
574
00:43:30,817 --> 00:43:32,778
- DYATLOV: Stolyarchuk...
- We have barely enough steam as it is.
575
00:43:32,861 --> 00:43:35,280
The turbine is going too slow for
the test to deliver any valid results.
576
00:43:35,363 --> 00:43:36,740
- It's enough.
- And if we add more water,
577
00:43:36,823 --> 00:43:38,492
- there will be even less...
- I said it's enough.
578
00:43:38,575 --> 00:43:39,743
I know what I'm doing. Stolyarchuk.
579
00:43:46,082 --> 00:43:47,459
Main pump four, connected.
580
00:43:47,834 --> 00:43:49,544
We should warn Khodemchuk.
The pipes are gonna be...
581
00:43:49,628 --> 00:43:51,129
Never mind him. Kirschenbaum?
582
00:43:52,172 --> 00:43:54,424
(ALARM SOUNDING)
583
00:43:54,508 --> 00:43:57,219
The steam in the separator drum
is too low, five atmospheres.
584
00:43:57,302 --> 00:44:00,013
All right, let's all help him.
Get it up as best you can.
585
00:44:02,057 --> 00:44:04,226
(ALARM CONTINUES)
586
00:44:04,309 --> 00:44:05,393
We should stop.
587
00:44:06,061 --> 00:44:07,729
DYATLOV: Turn that fucking thing off.
588
00:44:08,897 --> 00:44:10,524
You have 15 minutes.
589
00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:13,568
LEGASOV: Fifteen minutes.
590
00:44:14,820 --> 00:44:17,239
They may as well have had 15 days.
591
00:44:17,572 --> 00:44:20,325
The problem they were facing
was not solvable.
592
00:44:20,408 --> 00:44:23,036
The power was too low.
The water was too high.
593
00:44:23,119 --> 00:44:24,746
The test was already ruined.
594
00:44:24,830 --> 00:44:27,791
The results would have been useless,
but Dyatlov didn't care.
595
00:44:28,208 --> 00:44:30,919
All he wanted to do was
report a completed test.
596
00:44:32,379 --> 00:44:34,506
1:22 a.m.
597
00:44:35,215 --> 00:44:37,092
Less than two minutes remain.
598
00:44:38,343 --> 00:44:42,305
Yuvchenko, a mechanical engineer,
is in his office.
599
00:44:46,518 --> 00:44:48,895
Perevozchenko,
reactor section foreman,
600
00:44:48,979 --> 00:44:50,146
is in the refueling hall,
601
00:44:50,730 --> 00:44:54,317
high above the 1,000-ton
steel reactor cover.
602
00:44:55,402 --> 00:44:56,653
(RUMBLING)
603
00:44:56,736 --> 00:44:58,738
Degtaryenko, Khodemchuk,
604
00:44:58,822 --> 00:45:01,616
circulation operators,
are in the pump room.
605
00:45:03,869 --> 00:45:07,122
None of them
have been told about the test.
606
00:45:07,205 --> 00:45:09,040
None of them know
what is about to happen.
607
00:45:09,833 --> 00:45:14,880
At 1:22 and 30 seconds,
Toptunov sees a report
608
00:45:15,755 --> 00:45:18,592
from the reactor's
SKALA computer system.
609
00:45:19,801 --> 00:45:23,138
Based on the absence
of sufficient control rods,
610
00:45:23,221 --> 00:45:26,391
the computer is recommending
that the reactor be shut down.
611
00:45:32,314 --> 00:45:34,774
Well, of course it's saying that.
It doesn't know we're running a test.
612
00:45:36,943 --> 00:45:38,028
All right, comrades.
613
00:45:39,863 --> 00:45:42,365
Another few minutes,
it will all be over.
614
00:45:42,449 --> 00:45:43,825
Kirschenbaum, when you're ready.
615
00:45:45,160 --> 00:45:46,244
We did everything right.
616
00:45:48,747 --> 00:45:50,248
KIRSCHENBAUM: Oscillograph on.
617
00:45:52,292 --> 00:45:53,960
Closing number eight throttle valve.
618
00:45:55,086 --> 00:45:56,630
STOLYARCHUK: Generator rotor
beginning rundown.
619
00:45:57,088 --> 00:45:59,799
LEGASOV: 1:23 and four seconds.
620
00:46:00,634 --> 00:46:04,512
With every decision, they have pulled
this reactor back like a slingshot,
621
00:46:04,596 --> 00:46:06,640
further than anyone has ever pulled.
622
00:46:07,223 --> 00:46:08,808
Now the test begins.
623
00:46:09,351 --> 00:46:12,312
The pumps are shut down,
and they've let go.
624
00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:18,193
The pumps stop moving water
through the reactor.
625
00:46:18,860 --> 00:46:21,947
Uranium fuel is now
unchecked by fresh coolant,
626
00:46:22,030 --> 00:46:23,990
unchecked by control rods.
627
00:46:24,074 --> 00:46:27,077
The balance immediately swings
in the opposite direction.
628
00:46:27,160 --> 00:46:30,288
In less than a second,
reactivity increases.
629
00:46:31,623 --> 00:46:33,041
Inside the core,
630
00:46:33,124 --> 00:46:35,460
the remaining water is
quickly converting to steam.
631
00:46:35,543 --> 00:46:37,712
A void is being created.
632
00:46:37,796 --> 00:46:40,340
There is no fresh water to replace it.
633
00:46:40,423 --> 00:46:43,343
Steam increases reactivity,
634
00:46:43,426 --> 00:46:46,721
increases heat, increases steam,
635
00:46:46,805 --> 00:46:48,431
increases reactivity.
636
00:46:49,724 --> 00:46:52,769
The remaining xenon decays away.
637
00:46:54,187 --> 00:46:55,689
The power is rising.
638
00:46:57,983 --> 00:46:59,484
There's nothing left to stop it.
639
00:47:00,860 --> 00:47:04,280
1:23 and 35 seconds.
640
00:47:07,617 --> 00:47:09,703
We have a power surge! Sasha!
641
00:47:15,208 --> 00:47:16,334
(SHOUTS) What did you do?
642
00:47:16,918 --> 00:47:20,130
1:23 and 40 seconds.
643
00:47:28,346 --> 00:47:30,849
In every control room
of every nuclear reactor in the world,
644
00:47:30,932 --> 00:47:34,102
there is a button
with one single purpose,
645
00:47:34,185 --> 00:47:37,605
to "scram," or instantly
shut down the reaction.
646
00:47:37,689 --> 00:47:40,942
In Soviet reactors,
that button is called AZ-5.
647
00:47:41,860 --> 00:47:43,903
You press AZ-5,
648
00:47:43,987 --> 00:47:46,197
all of the control rods
insert at once,
649
00:47:46,281 --> 00:47:49,826
and the reaction is stopped dead.
650
00:47:50,910 --> 00:47:52,078
But...
651
00:47:53,747 --> 00:47:55,331
(SIGHS)
652
00:47:58,626 --> 00:47:59,919
What are you waiting for, Legasov?
653
00:48:00,003 --> 00:48:01,921
- (KNOCK ON TABLE)
- Tell your lies.
654
00:48:02,005 --> 00:48:04,215
KADNIKOV: Comrade Dyatlov,
you will not be warned again.
655
00:48:04,299 --> 00:48:06,509
- DYATLOV: Or what?
- For God's sake, Dyatlov.
656
00:48:06,593 --> 00:48:08,595
- Legasov's already given it away.
- That's enough.
657
00:48:08,678 --> 00:48:11,723
He said before there was no way
to avoid what was coming.
658
00:48:11,806 --> 00:48:13,433
- He knows something.
- Comrade Dyatlov.
659
00:48:13,516 --> 00:48:15,101
She knows something.
660
00:48:15,185 --> 00:48:16,311
(GRAVEL POUNDING)
661
00:48:16,394 --> 00:48:18,438
DYATLOV: I know what you are,
Valery Alexeyevich.
662
00:48:18,521 --> 00:48:21,524
- You're a liar.
- We've heard enough for today.
663
00:48:22,692 --> 00:48:25,403
The defendants will be
remanded in custody.
664
00:48:25,487 --> 00:48:28,490
- Court will...
- I haven't finished.
665
00:48:28,573 --> 00:48:30,700
I still have more evidence to give.
666
00:48:30,784 --> 00:48:34,079
It's not necessary.
Your testimony is concluded.
667
00:48:34,162 --> 00:48:37,332
- Your Honor.
- Court is now adjourned.
668
00:48:37,415 --> 00:48:39,626
- We will resume tomorrow with...
- SHCHERBINA: Let him finish.
669
00:48:42,337 --> 00:48:43,671
KADNIKOV: Comrade Shcherbina...
670
00:48:46,424 --> 00:48:47,467
Let him finish.
671
00:49:12,742 --> 00:49:15,078
Dyatlov broke every rule we have.
672
00:49:15,870 --> 00:49:17,288
(SIGHS)
673
00:49:18,790 --> 00:49:21,918
He pushed a reactor
to the brink of destruction.
674
00:49:23,086 --> 00:49:24,420
(SIGHS)
675
00:49:26,464 --> 00:49:29,050
He did these things believing
there was a failsafe.
676
00:49:29,134 --> 00:49:32,595
AZ-5, a simple button
to shut it all down.
677
00:49:32,679 --> 00:49:37,225
But in the circumstances he created,
there wasn't.
678
00:49:37,308 --> 00:49:40,520
The shutdown system had a fatal flaw.
679
00:49:42,647 --> 00:49:47,902
At 1:23:40, Akimov engages AZ-5.
680
00:49:50,738 --> 00:49:52,574
(ALARM BUZZES)
681
00:49:55,952 --> 00:49:59,747
The fully withdrawn control rods
begin moving back into the reactor.
682
00:49:59,831 --> 00:50:02,500
These rods are made of boron,
which reduces reactivity,
683
00:50:02,584 --> 00:50:03,668
but not their tips.
684
00:50:04,502 --> 00:50:08,798
The tips are made of graphite,
which accelerates reactivity.
685
00:50:09,299 --> 00:50:10,300
KADNIKOV: Why?
686
00:50:14,971 --> 00:50:16,097
LEGASOV: Why?
687
00:50:18,725 --> 00:50:21,019
For the same reason our reactors
688
00:50:21,102 --> 00:50:23,188
do not have containment
buildings around them,
689
00:50:24,147 --> 00:50:25,273
like those in the West.
690
00:50:25,356 --> 00:50:30,069
For the same reason we don't use
properly enriched fuel in our cores.
691
00:50:30,320 --> 00:50:32,655
For the same reason
we are the only nation
692
00:50:32,739 --> 00:50:37,076
that builds water-cooled,
graphite-moderated reactors
693
00:50:37,160 --> 00:50:39,621
with a positive void coefficient.
694
00:50:41,497 --> 00:50:42,540
It's cheaper.
695
00:50:42,624 --> 00:50:45,835
(CROWD MURMURING)
696
00:50:48,755 --> 00:50:50,006
LEGASOV: (CLEARS THROAT)
The first part
697
00:50:50,089 --> 00:50:51,883
of the rods that enter the core
698
00:50:51,966 --> 00:50:53,301
are the graphite tips.
699
00:50:53,384 --> 00:50:55,720
And when they do,
the reaction in the core,
700
00:50:55,803 --> 00:50:58,681
which had been rising, skyrockets.
701
00:50:58,765 --> 00:51:03,770
Every last molecule of liquid water
instantly converts to steam,
702
00:51:03,853 --> 00:51:07,148
which expands and ruptures
a series of fuel rod channels.
703
00:51:07,232 --> 00:51:11,319
The control rods in those
channels can move no further.
704
00:51:11,402 --> 00:51:13,863
The graphite tips
are fixed in position,
705
00:51:13,947 --> 00:51:16,824
endlessly accelerating the reaction.
706
00:51:16,908 --> 00:51:20,745
Chernobyl Reactor 4
is now a nuclear bomb.
707
00:51:21,287 --> 00:51:23,831
- (LOUD RUMBLING)
- LEGASOV: 1:23:42.
708
00:51:23,915 --> 00:51:27,877
Perevozchenko looks down on
the enormous steel lid of the reactor
709
00:51:27,961 --> 00:51:29,963
and sees the impossible.
710
00:51:30,046 --> 00:51:31,839
The control rod and fuel channel caps,
711
00:51:31,923 --> 00:51:34,008
which each weigh 350 kilograms,
712
00:51:34,092 --> 00:51:35,760
are jumping up and down.
713
00:51:36,302 --> 00:51:38,513
He runs to warn the control room.
714
00:51:38,596 --> 00:51:41,516
But there's nothing he can do
to stop what is coming.
715
00:51:41,599 --> 00:51:44,602
- (ALARM BUZZING)
- 1:23 and 44 seconds.
716
00:51:45,228 --> 00:51:48,648
The steam blows
more fuel channels apart.
717
00:51:48,731 --> 00:51:50,775
We do not know
how high the power went.
718
00:51:50,858 --> 00:51:52,068
We only know the final reading.
719
00:51:52,151 --> 00:51:54,570
(ALARM CONTINUES)
720
00:51:54,654 --> 00:51:59,200
Reactor 4, designed to operate
at 3,200 megawatts,
721
00:51:59,951 --> 00:52:02,495
went beyond 33,000.
722
00:52:08,251 --> 00:52:12,046
The pressure inside the core
can no longer be held back.
723
00:52:12,130 --> 00:52:18,428
At long last, we have arrived.
1:23:45, explosion.
724
00:52:18,511 --> 00:52:19,971
(EXPLOSION)
725
00:52:20,054 --> 00:52:23,016
In the instant the lid is
thrown off the reactor,
726
00:52:23,099 --> 00:52:24,142
oxygen rushes in.
727
00:52:24,225 --> 00:52:28,313
It combines with hydrogen
and super-heated graphite.
728
00:52:30,356 --> 00:52:33,192
The chain of disaster is now complete.
729
00:52:55,340 --> 00:52:56,758
AKIMOV: (MUFFLED) Comrade Dyatlov!
730
00:53:02,013 --> 00:53:03,348
Comrade Dyatlov!
731
00:53:09,395 --> 00:53:11,481
(INAUDIBLE)
732
00:53:14,859 --> 00:53:17,737
LEGASOV: No one in the room
that night knew
733
00:53:17,820 --> 00:53:20,990
the shutdown button
could act as a detonator.
734
00:53:22,617 --> 00:53:23,951
They didn't know it,
735
00:53:25,620 --> 00:53:27,622
because it was kept from them.
736
00:53:27,705 --> 00:53:32,460
Comrade Legasov, you're contradicting
your own testimony in Vienna.
737
00:53:32,877 --> 00:53:34,837
My testimony in Vienna was a lie.
738
00:53:34,921 --> 00:53:36,255
(CROWD MURMURING)
739
00:53:36,339 --> 00:53:38,633
LEGASOV: I lied to the world.
740
00:53:39,467 --> 00:53:41,302
I'm not the only one
who kept this secret.
741
00:53:41,386 --> 00:53:42,387
There are many.
742
00:53:43,971 --> 00:53:45,390
We were following orders,
743
00:53:46,974 --> 00:53:48,601
from the KGB,
from the Central Committee.
744
00:53:48,684 --> 00:53:51,229
And right now, there are
16 reactors in the Soviet Union
745
00:53:51,312 --> 00:53:53,773
with the same fatal flaw.
746
00:53:53,856 --> 00:53:55,733
Three of them are still running
747
00:53:55,817 --> 00:53:58,236
less than 20 kilometers away
at Chernobyl.
748
00:53:58,319 --> 00:54:02,240
Professor Legasov, if you mean
to suggest the Soviet state
749
00:54:02,323 --> 00:54:04,158
is somehow responsible
for what happened,
750
00:54:04,242 --> 00:54:06,953
then I must warn you, you are
treading on dangerous ground.
751
00:54:07,662 --> 00:54:09,330
I've already trod on dangerous ground.
752
00:54:09,414 --> 00:54:11,457
We're on dangerous ground right now,
753
00:54:11,541 --> 00:54:14,293
because of our secrets and our lies.
754
00:54:14,377 --> 00:54:17,422
They're practically what define us.
755
00:54:17,505 --> 00:54:20,716
When the truth offends, we lie and lie
756
00:54:20,800 --> 00:54:23,052
until we can no longer
remember it is even there.
757
00:54:23,136 --> 00:54:24,720
But it is still there.
758
00:54:28,391 --> 00:54:32,437
Every lie we tell incurs
a debt to the truth.
759
00:54:34,814 --> 00:54:36,983
Sooner or later, that debt is paid.
760
00:54:41,904 --> 00:54:46,826
That is how an RBMK
reactor core explodes.
761
00:54:50,872 --> 00:54:51,873
Lies.
762
00:56:56,539 --> 00:56:58,833
Valery Alexeyevich Legasov,
763
00:57:00,418 --> 00:57:02,628
son of Alexei Legasov,
764
00:57:02,837 --> 00:57:05,298
Head of Ideological Compliance,
Central Committee.
765
00:57:06,340 --> 00:57:07,842
Do you know
what your father did there?
766
00:57:08,175 --> 00:57:09,176
Yes.
767
00:57:10,553 --> 00:57:13,889
As a student, you had a
leadership position in Komsomol.
768
00:57:13,973 --> 00:57:16,017
Communist Youth, correct?
769
00:57:17,393 --> 00:57:19,312
- You already know.
- Answer the question.
770
00:57:19,729 --> 00:57:20,771
Yes.
771
00:57:22,773 --> 00:57:24,775
At the Kurchatov Institute,
772
00:57:24,859 --> 00:57:27,028
you were the
Communist Party secretary.
773
00:57:27,737 --> 00:57:31,407
In the position, you limited
the promotion of Jewish scientists.
774
00:57:36,370 --> 00:57:37,955
Yes.
775
00:57:38,039 --> 00:57:40,666
To curry favor with Kremlin officials.
776
00:57:46,297 --> 00:57:48,174
You're one of us, Legasov.
777
00:57:50,009 --> 00:57:51,886
I can do anything I want with you.
778
00:57:53,638 --> 00:57:56,515
But what I want the most is
for you to know that I know.
779
00:57:57,808 --> 00:57:59,310
You're not brave.
780
00:58:00,853 --> 00:58:02,313
You're not heroic.
781
00:58:03,981 --> 00:58:07,360
You're just a dying man
who forgot himself.
782
00:58:07,443 --> 00:58:10,905
I know who I am,
and I know what I've done.
783
00:58:13,699 --> 00:58:16,077
In a just world,
I'd be shot for my lies,
784
00:58:16,160 --> 00:58:18,371
but not for this, not for the truth.
785
00:58:19,330 --> 00:58:21,499
Scientists,
786
00:58:21,582 --> 00:58:25,294
and your idiot obsession
with reasons.
787
00:58:25,378 --> 00:58:29,799
(YELLS) When the bullet hits
your skull, what will it matter why?
788
00:58:37,473 --> 00:58:39,809
No one's getting shot, Legasov.
789
00:58:41,519 --> 00:58:43,187
The whole world saw you in Vienna.
790
00:58:44,021 --> 00:58:46,107
It would be embarrassing
to kill you now.
791
00:58:46,190 --> 00:58:47,233
And for what?
792
00:58:48,609 --> 00:58:51,654
Your testimony today
will not be accepted by the State.
793
00:58:51,737 --> 00:58:54,073
It will not be disseminated
in the press.
794
00:58:54,740 --> 00:58:56,575
It never happened.
795
00:58:57,952 --> 00:59:02,206
No, you will live,
however long you have,
796
00:59:02,998 --> 00:59:05,751
but not as a scientist, not anymore.
797
00:59:06,752 --> 00:59:10,715
You'll keep your title
and your office,
798
00:59:11,924 --> 00:59:16,262
but no duties,
no authority, no friends.
799
00:59:16,345 --> 00:59:17,680
No one will talk to you.
800
00:59:18,514 --> 00:59:19,890
No one will listen to you.
801
00:59:22,351 --> 00:59:25,771
Other men, lesser men,
802
00:59:26,897 --> 00:59:29,608
will receive credit
for the things you have done.
803
00:59:30,568 --> 00:59:32,862
Your legacy is now their legacy.
804
00:59:32,945 --> 00:59:35,156
You'll live long enough to see that.
805
00:59:39,118 --> 00:59:40,953
What role did Shcherbina play in this?
806
00:59:41,704 --> 00:59:42,788
None.
807
00:59:42,872 --> 00:59:44,707
He didn't know what I was gonna say.
808
00:59:46,625 --> 00:59:48,711
What role did Khomyuk play in this?
809
00:59:49,378 --> 00:59:50,379
None.
810
00:59:51,255 --> 00:59:52,673
She didn't know either.
811
00:59:55,217 --> 00:59:57,678
After all you've said and done today,
812
00:59:57,762 --> 01:00:03,392
it would be curious
if you chose this moment to lie.
813
01:00:06,604 --> 01:00:10,608
I would think a man of your experience
would know a lie when he hears one.
814
01:00:14,945 --> 01:00:17,948
You will not meet or communicate
with either one of them ever again.
815
01:00:19,450 --> 01:00:22,912
You will not communicate with anyone
about Chernobyl ever again.
816
01:00:24,413 --> 01:00:26,665
You will remain so immaterial
to the world around you
817
01:00:26,749 --> 01:00:28,626
that when you finally do die,
818
01:00:29,251 --> 01:00:32,838
it will be exceedingly hard
to know that you ever lived at all.
819
01:00:37,301 --> 01:00:39,011
And if I refuse?
820
01:00:42,389 --> 01:00:45,309
Why worry about something
that isn't going to happen?
821
01:00:45,392 --> 01:00:46,644
(CHUCKLES)
822
01:00:46,727 --> 01:00:49,939
"Why worry about something
that isn't going to happen?"
823
01:00:50,898 --> 01:00:52,441
Oh, that's perfect.
824
01:00:53,317 --> 01:00:55,152
They should put that on our money.
825
01:01:26,225 --> 01:01:28,602
(ENGINE STARTS)
826
01:02:05,598 --> 01:02:08,350
LEGASOV: (ON TAPE)
To be a scientist is to be naive.
827
01:02:09,685 --> 01:02:12,021
We are so focused
on our search for truth,
828
01:02:12,104 --> 01:02:16,275
we fail to consider how few
actually want us to find it.
829
01:02:16,817 --> 01:02:21,030
But it is always there,
whether we see it or not,
830
01:02:21,113 --> 01:02:23,073
whether we choose to or not.
831
01:02:23,157 --> 01:02:25,868
The truth doesn't care
about our needs or wants.
832
01:02:25,951 --> 01:02:27,620
It doesn't care about our governments,
833
01:02:27,703 --> 01:02:30,039
our ideologies, our religions.
834
01:02:31,498 --> 01:02:33,959
It will lie in wait for all time.
835
01:02:35,252 --> 01:02:39,173
And this, at last,
is the gift of Chernobyl.
836
01:02:39,256 --> 01:02:41,717
Where I once would fear
the cost of truth,
837
01:02:41,800 --> 01:02:43,427
now I only ask,
838
01:02:45,596 --> 01:02:47,556
"What is the cost of lies?"
839
01:02:53,187 --> 01:02:56,482
(SOMBER INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING)
839
01:02:57,305 --> 01:03:03,288
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