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RADIATION DETECTOR CLICKS AND BEEPS
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Wow.
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SIREN WAILS
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00:00:28,569 --> 00:00:32,744
When the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor
exploded in 1986,
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it changed Everything.
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I was 13 years old
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and it was just when I was
starting to understand the world.
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Ancl Chernobyl for me
was such a massive
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punctuation mark.
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Now, 35 years after the disaster,
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I'm travelling to the most
radioactive place on Earth.
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This is the accident
and emergency department.
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Imagine the horrors
that went on in here.
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I've been granted special permission
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to explore some of Chernobyl's
secrets...
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Some people believe this was a mind
controller, like a brain scorcher.
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...going inside the very control room
where the fatal mistake was made...
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Goodness me.
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I mean, this is unbelievable.
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...and seeing close-up
the tomb of the doomed reactor.
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Wow. I can't quite believe
I'm actually in here.
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What has Chernobyl now become?
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Oh, look.
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So, someone's been staying in here.
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This is the Chernobyl squatter.
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And what does it mean
for the generations to come?
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I see this as a very timely visit.
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Because the world
is at tipping point.
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I'm hoping that by visiting
this place, the people,
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maybe I'll find some hope
that all is not lost.
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I'm on my way to the scene of the
world's worst nuclear accident.
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So, this road doesn't lead anywhere
but into the Restricted Zone now?
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We call it simply The Zone.
The Zone, yes.
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Where I'm going, I have to be
accompanied
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by a government sanctioned expert.
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Nikolai Fomin has in-depth
knowledge of the risks.
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So this is the checkpoint?
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Still pretty highly militarised area
so please prepare your documents.
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Beyond this border crossing
is the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone,
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00:03:04,659 --> 00:03:06,434
a region so contaminated
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00:03:06,459 --> 00:03:10,404
it was closed off from the rest
of the world for over a decade.
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00:03:10,429 --> 00:03:12,923
It feels quite strange.
It's heavily militarised,
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there's load of police
and it's heavily controlled
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in terms of who can go in
and even who can go out.
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From now on, the law dictates
that the increased radiation
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I'm about to experience
must be continually monitored.
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I've got the meter for you.
The dosimeter. Yeah.
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00:03:35,948 --> 00:03:39,274
This is the device that measures
your total radiation exposure,
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your dose. So this I have to wear
around my neck? Yes.
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00:03:42,299 --> 00:03:44,043
And this is the Geiger counter.
Yeah.
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These units measure
radiation level.
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It's never zero, right? So there is
always a little bit of background
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radiation all over the world.
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So right now we are measuring
0.13 microsieverts per hour.
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If radiation levels exceed normal
reading, it will go off.
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00:04:00,629 --> 00:04:03,043
It will start flashing red,
it will start beeping
57
00:04:03,068 --> 00:04:06,564
so you'll never miss that.
OK, we're good to go.
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00:04:08,229 --> 00:04:11,043
Two worlds. I'm about to
step over the threshold.
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I'll be spending a week
living inside the Exclusion Zone,
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which covers an area of more than
1,000 square miles -
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larger than Luxembourg.
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The Zone was established
in the aftermath of the worst
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nuclear disaster in history.
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00:04:41,659 --> 00:04:44,764
On April 26th 1986,
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Chernobyl's reactor No 4 exploded.
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00:04:48,219 --> 00:04:52,884
The resulting fire lasted ten days,
releasing 400 times as much
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00:04:52,909 --> 00:04:57,214
radioactive material as the
atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
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The entire civilian population
in the surrounding towns
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00:05:02,938 --> 00:05:05,684
and villages was forcibly evacuated,
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00:05:05,709 --> 00:05:08,274
later told never to return.
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00:05:22,739 --> 00:05:25,754
Are these radiation signs?
Yes, they are.
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Stay away from the warning signs
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and from now on
don't touch anything.
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00:05:31,509 --> 00:05:35,274
I'll be going inside the stricken
power plant itself,
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00:05:35,299 --> 00:05:39,123
but first I want to visit
the ghost of Chernobyl.
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We're in the city now.
Yes, we're in Pripyat.
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In front of us
is main street of Pripyat.
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This is the main street?
This is the main street.
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So, everything, all these trees,
this has all grown
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00:05:52,268 --> 00:05:54,393
since it was abandoned? Yeah.
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00:05:57,499 --> 00:06:02,604
Pripyat was still being constructed
when its 48,000 residents all left.
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00:06:04,349 --> 00:06:10,113
It was designed to be the model
socialist city, a Soviet Utopia.
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00:06:14,068 --> 00:06:16,804
Never really seen anything like it.
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00:06:16,829 --> 00:06:21,704
I've Been to war zones, I've seen
places that have, you know,
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00:06:21,729 --> 00:06:26,194
experienced great upheaval and
changes but never quite like this.
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00:06:27,749 --> 00:06:32,913
I'm imagining mums and their
pushchairs and children squealing.
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00:06:32,938 --> 00:06:35,604
You know, a bustling place.
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00:06:37,299 --> 00:06:38,834
And now look at it.
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I was expecting to see a few
derelict buildings but not this.
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This is not even a town.
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00:06:57,268 --> 00:07:01,644
This is an entire city,
with five secondary schools,
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00:07:01,669 --> 00:07:06,724
two sports stadiums
and its own Palace of Culture,
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00:07:06,749 --> 00:07:10,163
all left to ruin
and consumed by nature.
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00:07:13,109 --> 00:07:16,604
That's incredible, I'm on a
multistorey school building
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00:07:16,629 --> 00:07:19,394
and there's trees
growing through the floor.
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00:07:25,188 --> 00:07:27,754
I do feel like
I've gone back in time.
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00:07:29,579 --> 00:07:35,474
To me, that looks like sort of
dosimetry to test for radiation.
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00:07:35,499 --> 00:07:39,324
The great irony is that everyone
here was preparing for
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00:07:39,349 --> 00:07:40,834
a nuclear catastrophe
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00:07:40,859 --> 00:07:44,084
that came from the other side
of the Atlantic that would
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come in the form of a bomb, not in
the form of their own power station.
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00:08:07,258 --> 00:08:08,363
Wow.
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00:08:11,149 --> 00:08:14,564
Iconic, poignant.
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00:08:14,589 --> 00:08:16,844
It's kind of everything, this.
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00:08:16,869 --> 00:08:19,403
Cos this was the theme park
that never was.
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00:08:21,789 --> 00:08:26,283
The abandoned city of Pripyat
is unlike anywhere I've ever been.
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Life changed here forever
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a day after the world's
worst nuclear disaster.
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By all accounts Pripyat had been
a happy, thriving city,
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full of the hopes and dreams
of a young population.
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The average age was 26.
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00:08:46,919 --> 00:08:50,173
It was built just 3km
from the Chernobyl Power Plant
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for workers and their families,
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00:08:52,278 --> 00:08:55,614
with brand-new facilities to
rival the West.
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00:08:55,639 --> 00:08:56,864
Wow.
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WHISTLE PEEPS
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CHEERING
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00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:16,864
Back in 1986 this was
state of the art in the USSR.
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00:09:16,889 --> 00:09:22,144
This was unheard of cos Pripyat,
this was a model town, a model city.
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00:09:22,169 --> 00:09:26,784
I suppose the comparison in
the United Kingdom is Milton Keynes.
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00:09:26,809 --> 00:09:30,303
You know, this was built for purpose
and the living standards here
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00:09:30,328 --> 00:09:35,383
were far better than anywhere
else in the Soviet Union.
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It makes me smile more in here
than other places,
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with an air sadness as well
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cos there would have been so many
happy times that people had in here.
126
00:09:54,887 --> 00:09:56,865
The Chernobyl No 4 reactor
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00:09:56,890 --> 00:10:00,915
exploded in the early hours
of April 26th, 1986.
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00:10:00,940 --> 00:10:02,755
When Pripyat awoke,
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00:10:02,780 --> 00:10:06,474
toxic levels of radiation
were already engulfing the area.
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00:10:06,499 --> 00:10:10,835
But no warning was given. People
continued their lives as normal.
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00:10:13,970 --> 00:10:17,755
Alexander Sirota was a nine-year-old
schoolboy at the time.
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00:10:19,140 --> 00:10:23,785
So, what are your memories
from the 26th of April 1986?
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00:10:50,430 --> 00:10:52,175
So this is the school here?
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00:10:55,430 --> 00:10:57,374
Right through here? Yes.
135
00:10:57,399 --> 00:11:00,895
This is You? Yes.
This is poignant.
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00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:02,035
Wow.
137
00:11:33,289 --> 00:11:35,324
Alexander was sent back to school,
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00:11:35,349 --> 00:11:37,935
despite the fact that radiation
levels in the city
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00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:41,815
had reached alarming levels.
Incredibly, the Soviet authorities
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00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:45,574
waited 36 hours before
starting an evacuation.
141
00:11:47,349 --> 00:11:49,124
Can I ask if you or your family
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00:11:49,149 --> 00:11:52,735
suffered long-term
health implications?
143
00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:12,374
I-I really can't even imagine
what he went through.
144
00:12:12,399 --> 00:12:16,045
That 36 hour delay,
so much is made about that.
145
00:12:16,070 --> 00:12:17,405
Without doubt,
146
00:12:17,430 --> 00:12:22,015
that cost people their health
and probably their lives.
147
00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:26,035
The Soviet Union did not want to
admit, it was embarrassing,
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00:12:26,060 --> 00:12:28,875
it wasn't... It wasn't Soviet.
149
00:12:28,900 --> 00:12:32,454
You know, a reactor couldn't
explode, there was disbelief
150
00:12:32,479 --> 00:12:39,454
but there was also denial
and denial cost lives.
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00:12:44,149 --> 00:12:48,165
By the afternoon,
confusion had descended on Pripyat.
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No official information
was being provided
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other than a small fire
on the roof of the power plant.
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But there was one place in the city
that had already been a witness
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to the terrifying events
that were unfolding.
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00:13:02,820 --> 00:13:05,685
Oh, hello, we've got company.
157
00:13:05,710 --> 00:13:09,685
In my mind this is one of the most
significant buildings, really,
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00:13:09,710 --> 00:13:14,995
in Pripyat cos this is
the hospital, Hospital 126.
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00:13:17,580 --> 00:13:21,805
Everyone who went to the plant that
night to fight the little fire
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on the roof that we now know
was this...
161
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...this world-shattering explosion...
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...would have been taken
in this door.
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Remember to just not touch stuff,
yeah.
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00:13:45,150 --> 00:13:49,835
In the hours after the explosion,
108 firefighters and plant workers,
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suffering from acute radiation
sickness,
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00:13:52,470 --> 00:13:54,965
were taken through these corridors.
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This is the accident
and emergency department.
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I'm trying to imagine the chaos
and but also the unknown, really.
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00:14:07,379 --> 00:14:10,245
No-one really knew why all these
firefighters were coming
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and why they were vomiting.
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00:14:13,990 --> 00:14:18,354
The contamination they left
is still a danger today.
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00:14:18,379 --> 00:14:22,885
That's the reason I've got a mask on
right now, all those dust particles.
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00:14:22,910 --> 00:14:25,885
Don't really want those
going into my nose and mouth.
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Cos this is one of the most
radioactive parts of Pripyat.
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All the first responders
were heavily radioactive
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from fighting those fires.
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00:14:38,910 --> 00:14:42,965
Anyone exposed to radiation at the
power plant should have been washed
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00:14:42,990 --> 00:14:47,555
and dressed in uncontaminated
clothing before they arrived here.
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That never happen.
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00:14:49,499 --> 00:14:52,555
This is kind of strange.
181
00:14:52,580 --> 00:14:56,195
There are still the rags that the
nurses were using on the firemen.
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00:14:56,220 --> 00:15:00,245
If I use my dosimeter that is
picking up beta...
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BEEPING AND CLICKING
184
00:15:04,299 --> 00:15:07,274
It's already gone
the highest it's been.
185
00:15:07,299 --> 00:15:09,245
The reading is 60 times higher
186
00:15:09,270 --> 00:15:13,835
than the average background
radiation just outside The Zone.
187
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I'm not going to spend
very long in here.
188
00:15:15,780 --> 00:15:17,685
I'm obviously being very sensible.
189
00:15:17,710 --> 00:15:22,555
But it's the invisibility of the
radiation that they would have had
190
00:15:22,580 --> 00:15:26,805
as well, they wouldn't have had a
clue. They didn't have these.
191
00:15:26,830 --> 00:15:29,504
These were just firemen
who had burns
192
00:15:29,529 --> 00:15:32,755
and unknown symptoms
that caused vomiting.
193
00:15:36,629 --> 00:15:40,274
28 people brought to this hospital
after the explosion
194
00:15:40,299 --> 00:15:43,195
lost their lives
within three months.
195
00:15:43,220 --> 00:15:46,365
It's unclear how many would
later suffer ill health as a result
196
00:15:46,390 --> 00:15:49,085
of their exposure to radiation
that night.
197
00:15:53,780 --> 00:15:57,724
I think of all the buildings
I've been into in Pripyat,
198
00:15:57,749 --> 00:16:03,325
this is...the most chilling,
most haunting.
199
00:16:03,350 --> 00:16:05,675
Imagine the horrors
that went on in here,
200
00:16:05,700 --> 00:16:07,555
the number of lives that were lost
201
00:16:07,580 --> 00:16:10,474
cos this was a town
of 48,000 people.
202
00:16:10,499 --> 00:16:12,755
In fact, they called it a city.
203
00:16:12,780 --> 00:16:18,445
So there would have been many, many
pregnant women, lots of newborns.
204
00:16:18,470 --> 00:16:22,445
And just 36 hours after the accident
205
00:16:22,470 --> 00:16:26,724
this, along with the whole city,
was evacuated.
206
00:16:26,749 --> 00:16:29,445
A whole working hospital, gone.
207
00:16:30,499 --> 00:16:31,724
Look at it now.
208
00:16:38,299 --> 00:16:42,035
I've been told that beneath this
pile of rather innocent-looking sand
209
00:16:42,060 --> 00:16:43,604
is the entrance to the basement,
210
00:16:43,629 --> 00:16:46,724
one of the most toxic parts
of the whole Chernobyl.
211
00:16:46,749 --> 00:16:50,445
All of the uniforms from the first
responders, the firefighters -
212
00:16:50,470 --> 00:16:54,165
so their boots, their tunics
their hats - was taken down
213
00:16:54,190 --> 00:16:57,675
into the basement where it was left
214
00:16:57,700 --> 00:17:00,955
because they were so toxic,
so radioactive,
215
00:17:00,980 --> 00:17:03,445
they couldn't let anyone go near it.
216
00:17:03,470 --> 00:17:07,724
The basement was only sealed
a few years ago to stop trespassers
217
00:17:07,749 --> 00:17:12,594
intent on venturing into one of
Chernobyl's deadliest sites.
218
00:17:12,619 --> 00:17:14,555
Nikolai wants to show me
some footage
219
00:17:14,580 --> 00:17:16,115
of what's actually down there.
220
00:17:17,700 --> 00:17:21,085
This is the basement of the hospital
before it was buried. Mm-hm.
221
00:17:21,110 --> 00:17:24,365
Levels of radiation there
are insanely high.
222
00:17:25,780 --> 00:17:30,005
72... 700. 720...
That's off the scale now, you see.
223
00:17:30,030 --> 00:17:33,195
And that's a pair
of fireman's boots.
224
00:17:33,220 --> 00:17:37,445
The main risk is not even the dose
of radiation you obtained there,
225
00:17:37,470 --> 00:17:42,445
it's dust. All those tiny partials
of radioactive material,
226
00:17:42,470 --> 00:17:47,644
if you ingest any of those, even
the microscopic ones you cannot see,
227
00:17:47,669 --> 00:17:50,365
they are capable
of killing human beings.
228
00:17:51,860 --> 00:17:55,285
Are these authorised individuals?
229
00:17:55,310 --> 00:17:58,235
No, I'm pretty sure
they are trespassers.
230
00:17:58,260 --> 00:18:01,945
Cos it's strictly
forbidden to go there.
231
00:18:01,970 --> 00:18:04,825
Although in recent years authorities
have allowed some
232
00:18:04,850 --> 00:18:08,115
very strictly controlled tours
inside the wider Zone area...
233
00:18:10,749 --> 00:18:14,474
...illegal thrill-seekers,
driven largely by social media,
234
00:18:14,499 --> 00:18:16,755
continue to be a problem here.
235
00:18:16,780 --> 00:18:20,315
I think these guys are doing it
for adrenaline, attention...
236
00:18:20,340 --> 00:18:22,565
Showing off.
..social media, showing off.
237
00:18:22,590 --> 00:18:27,115
That's what drives people to take
the risk and go down there.
238
00:18:29,769 --> 00:18:32,225
What about the firemen's helmets,
are they down there?
239
00:18:32,250 --> 00:18:37,285
There was one helmet that
somebody took from the basement
240
00:18:37,310 --> 00:18:40,755
and put on the ground floor
of the hospital building in Pripyat.
241
00:18:40,780 --> 00:18:45,644
That was in front of
the main entrance for years.
242
00:18:45,669 --> 00:18:47,844
Now it's gone. Somebody took it.
243
00:18:47,869 --> 00:18:52,165
So somewhere out there is a highly
radioactive fireman's helmet?
244
00:18:52,190 --> 00:18:55,165
Yeah, and I hope
that's within The Zone.
245
00:18:55,190 --> 00:18:57,594
I really hope
they didn't take it out
246
00:18:57,619 --> 00:19:00,115
because that's
the worst case scenario.
247
00:19:00,140 --> 00:19:02,675
Cos if you take something
radioactive from here,
248
00:19:02,700 --> 00:19:04,644
it can cause a lot of trouble.
249
00:19:04,669 --> 00:19:07,925
Radiation has no taste,
it's invisible, you can't see it,
250
00:19:07,950 --> 00:19:09,445
you can't smell it.
251
00:19:09,470 --> 00:19:13,247
The levels of radiation in the
uniforms are a sobering reminder
252
00:19:13,272 --> 00:19:17,029
of just how toxic some parts
of The Zone still are.
253
00:19:17,054 --> 00:19:20,799
Scientists predict the Chernobyl
reactor site will be uninhabitable
254
00:19:20,824 --> 00:19:24,479
for at least 20,000 years.
255
00:19:24,504 --> 00:19:26,919
Containing the disaster is ongoing.
256
00:19:26,944 --> 00:19:30,029
Almost 3,000 people still
work at the power plant.
257
00:19:30,054 --> 00:19:32,388
No-one can stay within
10km of the site
258
00:19:32,413 --> 00:19:35,109
and for some workers
this is a way of life.
259
00:19:36,254 --> 00:19:40,029
So you do this everyday, basically,
when you go into the Control Zone.
260
00:19:41,694 --> 00:19:42,669
Clean.
261
00:19:43,863 --> 00:19:49,439
This just analyses what I've got
on me, if I'm contaminated or not.
262
00:19:49,464 --> 00:19:52,949
That says I'm clean.
It's good news.
263
00:19:57,254 --> 00:20:00,919
I'm spending my first night at one
of the few lodgings in The Zone.
264
00:20:05,584 --> 00:20:06,789
Yes, of course.
265
00:20:06,814 --> 00:20:08,588
BEEPING
266
00:20:08,613 --> 00:20:09,588
OK.
267
00:20:12,174 --> 00:20:14,149
OK. Over here?
268
00:20:14,174 --> 00:20:16,359
VOICEOVER: To limit
my close of radiation,
269
00:20:16,384 --> 00:20:20,949
I'm only allowed to stay in The Zone
for up to 14 days at a time.
270
00:20:26,174 --> 00:20:27,388
Wow.
271
00:20:27,413 --> 00:20:30,479
It's actually a lot more comfortable
than I thought this was going to be.
272
00:20:34,454 --> 00:20:37,638
But it is very weird
that I am just a few of kilometres
273
00:20:37,663 --> 00:20:42,999
from the Chernobyl
that I remember melting down
274
00:20:43,024 --> 00:20:47,919
when I was a 13-year-old. And here
I am, about to have my first night.
275
00:20:47,944 --> 00:20:51,309
And I've even got a memory of home.
That's nice.
276
00:20:51,334 --> 00:20:56,279
I've been advised that boots
should maybe be left outside
277
00:20:56,304 --> 00:21:01,479
just because they've been touching
dirt and dust that might be
278
00:21:01,504 --> 00:21:04,789
a little bit more radioactive
than anything else.
279
00:21:04,814 --> 00:21:07,229
So these need to be left outside.
280
00:21:14,694 --> 00:21:18,919
The invisible threat of radiation
is ever present in The Zone.
281
00:21:18,944 --> 00:21:23,199
Tomorrow, I'm going to the very
heart of where it all started.
282
00:21:36,092 --> 00:21:40,756
The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is
a strange and unsettling place,
283
00:21:40,781 --> 00:21:44,706
filled with haunting human stories
of a paradise lost.
284
00:21:47,781 --> 00:21:51,317
I want to get closer to the events
that actually unfolded
285
00:21:51,342 --> 00:21:54,677
in the early hours of April 26th
1986,
286
00:21:54,702 --> 00:21:58,397
and so that can only lead me
to one place.
287
00:21:59,901 --> 00:22:03,267
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
itself.
288
00:22:06,292 --> 00:22:11,706
This, back in 1986,
was ground zero.
289
00:22:11,731 --> 00:22:14,157
When the roof blew off
290
00:22:14,182 --> 00:22:18,876
that was one of the things
that we were most fearful of.
291
00:22:18,901 --> 00:22:23,107
Thousands of miles away in the UK,
I remember being terrified of it.
292
00:22:23,132 --> 00:22:26,677
What happens if that reached me?
293
00:22:26,702 --> 00:22:27,826
Now I'm here.
294
00:22:29,622 --> 00:22:33,157
I'm...going to go in there.
295
00:22:33,182 --> 00:22:34,797
How mad is that?
296
00:22:43,572 --> 00:22:47,447
An enormous steel arch now shields
the highly radioactive remains
297
00:22:47,472 --> 00:22:50,657
of Chernobyl's doomed
No 4 reactor unit.
298
00:22:50,682 --> 00:22:55,137
I've been given permission to go
inside the actual control room
299
00:22:55,162 --> 00:22:57,047
where the disaster unfolded,
300
00:22:57,072 --> 00:23:00,527
which for decades has been
completely off limits.
301
00:23:04,392 --> 00:23:08,247
I'm heading into the inner workings
of Chernobyl.
302
00:23:08,272 --> 00:23:15,806
So, you have to make sure there is
nothing that can be contaminated
303
00:23:15,831 --> 00:23:19,087
so the only thing that I'm wearing
of my own is my pants.
304
00:23:21,322 --> 00:23:23,887
They may need to be changed
after this.
305
00:23:25,802 --> 00:23:28,367
Are we ready? I think so.
306
00:23:34,751 --> 00:23:37,217
From now on we have to move quickly.
307
00:23:37,242 --> 00:23:39,076
The power plant is vast
308
00:23:39,101 --> 00:23:42,297
and my permitted close of radiation
strictly controlled.
309
00:23:45,472 --> 00:23:48,726
This is pretty extraordinary,
this, to...
310
00:23:48,751 --> 00:23:51,647
...be given access into the
311
00:23:51,672 --> 00:23:55,087
workings of Chernobyl.
312
00:23:55,112 --> 00:23:56,527
Pretty amazing.
313
00:23:59,472 --> 00:24:03,056
Lots of activity here,
there's lots of people working here,
314
00:24:03,081 --> 00:24:06,157
obviously, ensuring that it's safe.
315
00:24:07,542 --> 00:24:08,907
Wow, it's endless.
316
00:24:12,032 --> 00:24:14,936
The 800-metre so-called
golden corridor
317
00:24:14,961 --> 00:24:17,887
links what remains of Chernobyl's
reactor 4
318
00:24:17,912 --> 00:24:19,777
to its three other reactors,
319
00:24:19,802 --> 00:24:23,007
which were largely undamaged
in the explosion.
320
00:24:27,522 --> 00:24:30,367
So that says Control Room 1?
Yes. So that's in there.
321
00:24:33,112 --> 00:24:36,187
I'll only have a very limited
and restricted time
322
00:24:36,212 --> 00:24:40,447
inside the heavily contaminated
shell of Control Room 4.
323
00:24:44,722 --> 00:24:47,287
So, engineer Valerii Kulishenko
324
00:24:47,312 --> 00:24:50,417
first takes me to see
what it WOULD have looked like.
325
00:24:56,751 --> 00:25:00,447
Feels like going back in time now.
So, this is the control room
326
00:25:00,472 --> 00:25:02,826
of reactor No 3,
327
00:25:02,851 --> 00:25:06,437
the sister reactor
to the one that exploded.
328
00:25:06,462 --> 00:25:08,626
On the night of the accident,
329
00:25:08,651 --> 00:25:11,717
up the corridor
in Control Room Number 4,
330
00:25:11,742 --> 00:25:14,797
engineers were carrying out
complex reactor tests
331
00:25:14,822 --> 00:25:17,587
that were spiralling out of control.
332
00:25:17,612 --> 00:25:20,267
As an exact mirror to
Control Room Number 4,
333
00:25:20,292 --> 00:25:24,307
this was the button
that doomed Chernobyl.
334
00:25:24,332 --> 00:25:27,467
This unprecedented
chain of events had begun,
335
00:25:27,492 --> 00:25:30,797
and the final decision was made
to shut it down.
336
00:25:30,822 --> 00:25:32,227
The button was turned...
337
00:25:35,822 --> 00:25:38,667
...and that was it. Disaster.
338
00:25:45,182 --> 00:25:48,517
The shutdown triggered
a massive power surge.
339
00:25:48,542 --> 00:25:50,437
Oh, my goodness.
340
00:25:50,462 --> 00:25:54,637
The core overheated and, seconds
later, the first explosion,
341
00:25:54,662 --> 00:25:56,866
followed soon after by a second.
342
00:25:58,021 --> 00:26:01,277
This is truly extraordinary.
343
00:26:01,302 --> 00:26:05,307
I am standing on
reactor No 3.
344
00:26:05,332 --> 00:26:08,547
So, each of these is a fuel rod.
345
00:26:08,572 --> 00:26:12,307
1,661 to be exact.
346
00:26:12,332 --> 00:26:16,717
This is an exact mirror
of reactor No 4.
347
00:26:16,742 --> 00:26:21,717
This blew right through the ceiling.
Everything came off.
348
00:26:21,742 --> 00:26:25,437
This is what people thought
was impossible.
349
00:26:25,462 --> 00:26:28,637
But what you must remember
is we're talking 1986.
350
00:26:28,662 --> 00:26:32,227
That was when nuclear energy was in
its infancy, it was transitioning
351
00:26:32,252 --> 00:26:35,637
from weapon to source of power
352
00:26:35,662 --> 00:26:39,307
and the USSR were producing
these power stations
353
00:26:39,332 --> 00:26:42,387
faster than anyone else,
354
00:26:42,412 --> 00:26:44,797
but they were also cutting corners.
355
00:26:50,221 --> 00:26:53,667
These reactors weren't designed
with a concrete and steel dome
356
00:26:53,692 --> 00:26:55,866
to contain the radiation.
357
00:26:55,891 --> 00:26:59,147
Two engineers were killed
instantly in the explosion
358
00:26:59,172 --> 00:27:01,946
while the night shift in
Control Room Number 4
359
00:27:01,971 --> 00:27:04,996
were exposed to lethal levels
of radiation.
360
00:27:06,532 --> 00:27:08,307
So, there's a little hatch here.
361
00:27:08,332 --> 00:27:11,467
It looks like I'm going to be
given another dosimeter.
362
00:27:11,492 --> 00:27:14,277
Kind of shows that I'm now heading
into a more vulnerable part
363
00:27:14,302 --> 00:27:19,147
of Chernobyl. There's much higher
radiation where we're going now.
364
00:27:20,742 --> 00:27:23,437
I'm now heading into the heart
of the Chernobyl story...
365
00:27:23,462 --> 00:27:24,866
Through here?
366
00:27:24,891 --> 00:27:27,787
...where many of the decisions and
actions that led to the disaster
367
00:27:27,812 --> 00:27:29,437
played out.
368
00:27:29,462 --> 00:27:33,137
So, this door goes into
Control Room Number 4?
369
00:27:35,612 --> 00:27:40,277
I mean, this is pretty extraordinary
because beyond this door
370
00:27:40,302 --> 00:27:43,467
is a control room
that changed the world.
371
00:27:43,492 --> 00:27:46,147
I mean, this is unbelievable.
372
00:27:55,862 --> 00:27:57,196
Goodness me.
373
00:27:59,942 --> 00:28:01,866
I don't have long to take it in.
374
00:28:05,612 --> 00:28:07,946
Five minutes to absorb all of this.
Wow.
375
00:28:12,612 --> 00:28:18,886
In terms of places of historical
significance this is right up there
376
00:28:18,911 --> 00:28:23,116
because, arguably,
this was the location
377
00:28:23,141 --> 00:28:25,866
of the world's greatest mistake.
378
00:28:56,771 --> 00:28:59,746
Oh, my goodness.
It's a time capsule.
379
00:28:59,771 --> 00:29:03,707
Lots of things have been removed.
Where are they?
380
00:29:03,732 --> 00:29:05,227
Stolen over the years.
381
00:29:06,771 --> 00:29:09,667
It's hard to even imagine
the terrifying events
382
00:29:09,692 --> 00:29:11,427
that took place here.
383
00:29:11,452 --> 00:29:15,167
The panic, the fear,
the horrific effects of radiation.
384
00:29:16,962 --> 00:29:19,427
The reading is pretty high in here.
It's about as high
385
00:29:19,452 --> 00:29:24,307
as I've seen during my whole time
around Chernobyl.
386
00:29:24,332 --> 00:29:30,347
But what a profound,
extraordinary, moving place.
387
00:29:30,372 --> 00:29:31,946
I mean, look at this.
388
00:29:36,612 --> 00:29:40,277
Soviet authorities blamed
the disaster on an inexperienced
389
00:29:40,302 --> 00:29:43,367
night shift failing to follow
safety protocols.
390
00:29:43,392 --> 00:29:46,527
But was it human error,
flaws in the design
391
00:29:46,552 --> 00:29:49,857
or was the Soviet nuclear
programme's technology
392
00:29:49,882 --> 00:29:50,966
just unstable?
393
00:29:52,272 --> 00:29:54,447
Time, we have to go.
394
00:29:54,472 --> 00:29:56,216
Then my time was up.
395
00:29:58,241 --> 00:30:00,417
OK, we gotta go.
396
00:30:00,442 --> 00:30:06,247
I doubt I'll ever come back into
here but, wow, what an experience.
397
00:30:07,602 --> 00:30:10,367
It's a reminder,
I suppose, of our mortality.
398
00:30:16,472 --> 00:30:19,327
I'll be returning to the power plant
later in my journey
399
00:30:19,352 --> 00:30:23,167
to see something
perhaps even more extraordinary -
400
00:30:23,192 --> 00:30:27,986
the tomb of the doomed reactor,
deeper inside the huge steal arch.
401
00:30:39,692 --> 00:30:42,866
There are very few people
who witnessed first-hand
402
00:30:42,891 --> 00:30:46,347
the events of that night
and lived to tell their story.
403
00:30:46,372 --> 00:30:49,116
I'm returning to the ghost town
of Pripyat
404
00:30:49,141 --> 00:30:51,347
to meet one person that did...
405
00:30:54,091 --> 00:30:55,627
So, this is the police station?
406
00:30:57,612 --> 00:31:00,787
...a former policeman
called Alexey Moskalenko.
407
00:31:09,891 --> 00:31:13,316
Alexey was a 29-year-old officer
with a young family
408
00:31:13,341 --> 00:31:15,116
when the disaster happened.
409
00:31:19,612 --> 00:31:23,787
Incredibly, he was on patrol
directly outside the power station
410
00:31:23,812 --> 00:31:25,757
when reactor 4 exploded.
411
00:31:52,011 --> 00:31:56,427
Despite his injuries, long after
his own family had been evacuated,
412
00:31:56,452 --> 00:31:59,837
Alexey stayed on in Pripyat
to police the enormous,
413
00:31:59,862 --> 00:32:02,267
life-threatening clean-up operation.
414
00:32:03,372 --> 00:32:05,066
Where are we going now?
415
00:32:16,252 --> 00:32:18,787
So this, this is the claw?
416
00:32:18,812 --> 00:32:22,397
Apparently, this grappling claw
was attached to a crane
417
00:32:22,422 --> 00:32:24,597
and used to handle large chunks
418
00:32:24,622 --> 00:32:28,957
of ultra-radioactive graphite
ejected by the explosion.
419
00:32:28,982 --> 00:32:31,986
Does that not mean that this is
highly radioactive?
420
00:32:41,652 --> 00:32:43,757
BEEPING AND CLICKING
421
00:32:47,782 --> 00:32:50,707
OK. I don't want you to overdo it!
422
00:32:50,732 --> 00:32:53,347
That was as high as I've seen it.
423
00:33:04,011 --> 00:33:07,907
Toxic debris was scattered
all over the roof of reactor 3,
424
00:33:07,932 --> 00:33:11,186
spewing out lethal doses
of radiation.
425
00:33:11,211 --> 00:33:14,186
Attempts to use robots
to clear the area failed
426
00:33:14,211 --> 00:33:16,597
so another method was needed.
427
00:33:40,131 --> 00:33:43,037
The army of people drafted in
for the deadly task
428
00:33:43,062 --> 00:33:45,827
became known as the liquidators.
429
00:33:45,852 --> 00:33:47,517
Every shovel they used
430
00:33:47,542 --> 00:33:51,106
and every item of makeshift
protective clothing they wore
431
00:33:51,131 --> 00:33:56,186
had to be safely disposed of after
each potentially fatal mission.
432
00:33:56,211 --> 00:33:59,037
Thousands of liquidators
are thought to have died
433
00:33:59,062 --> 00:34:01,627
as a result of exposure
to radiation.
434
00:34:04,982 --> 00:34:08,517
Do you think people sacrificed their
lives because they had to
435
00:34:08,542 --> 00:34:11,147
or did they do it for their country?
436
00:34:21,211 --> 00:34:23,707
Did you...
Did you sacrifice your health?
437
00:34:29,091 --> 00:34:31,066
You were given five years.
438
00:34:40,062 --> 00:34:41,907
It's just incredible,
439
00:34:41,932 --> 00:34:45,974
I mean, to meet someone who not only
experienced it first-hand
440
00:34:45,999 --> 00:34:49,505
but came back, was given
five years to live.
441
00:34:49,530 --> 00:34:53,815
I-I really can't even imagine
what he went through.
442
00:34:56,249 --> 00:35:00,094
It was just a duty of humanity.
443
00:35:00,119 --> 00:35:04,174
So, what he did with arguably for
all of us, really,
444
00:35:04,199 --> 00:35:08,585
to help contain it and that's what
the liquidator's did
445
00:35:08,610 --> 00:35:13,615
and they are the unsung heroes
of this whole sorry story.
446
00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:23,094
Cleared by the liquidators
as best they could,
447
00:35:23,119 --> 00:35:25,615
deep in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
448
00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:29,695
it's still referred to
as a toxic dead zone.
449
00:35:29,720 --> 00:35:33,375
But just how true is that?
Tomorrow I'm going somewhere
450
00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:36,535
that might well turn
everything on its head.
451
00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:40,375
Could people actually
still be living here?
452
00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:42,895
DOG BARKS
453
00:35:56,900 --> 00:36:00,725
My Exclusion Zone lodgings
are in the tiny town of Chernobyl,
454
00:36:00,750 --> 00:36:03,515
after which the power plant
itself was named.
455
00:36:03,540 --> 00:36:09,364
Still inside The Zone, it was also
evacuated but, being 14km away,
456
00:36:09,389 --> 00:36:12,475
didn't suffer the total abandonment
seen in Pripyat.
457
00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:17,185
It has a very strange feel here.
458
00:36:17,210 --> 00:36:19,625
It feels like we're the only
people here.
459
00:36:20,930 --> 00:36:24,414
Showing me around
is Kate Goncharenko,
460
00:36:24,439 --> 00:36:27,294
whose father and grandparents
were forcibly relocated
461
00:36:27,319 --> 00:36:29,655
after the accident.
462
00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:32,265
This looks like it's a working
building over here.
463
00:36:32,290 --> 00:36:36,344
Yeah, yeah, exactly. This is the
post office, of Chernobyl town.
464
00:36:36,369 --> 00:36:39,735
And, generally, the one post office
for the whole area.
465
00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:43,214
And above the window
you can see the screen.
466
00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:47,294
Usually, when we see such a screen
in a post office, we expect to see
467
00:36:47,319 --> 00:36:50,375
the time there but as long as we're
in the Exclusion Zone
468
00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:52,855
we see the level of radiation
469
00:36:52,880 --> 00:36:56,094
in the different parts
of the Exclusion Zone.
470
00:36:56,119 --> 00:36:57,695
That's kind of mad.
471
00:36:57,720 --> 00:37:01,334
So, basically, what my little
dosimeter is doing here... Yeah.
472
00:37:01,359 --> 00:37:04,855
...that's telling me every single
part and region
473
00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:09,375
of the entire Exclusion Zone.
Exactly, you're getting it right.
474
00:37:11,439 --> 00:37:15,135
No-one is allowed to stay here
for more than two weeks at a time,
475
00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:16,905
but there is a local shop.
476
00:37:18,359 --> 00:37:21,464
This is a proper supermarket.
Hello. Hello.
477
00:37:21,489 --> 00:37:25,214
You've got everything you can need -
knives, biscuits, a lot of alcohol.
478
00:37:25,239 --> 00:37:26,214
Yeah.
479
00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:32,725
Do you just come here
for two weeks at a time?
480
00:37:32,750 --> 00:37:34,495
How do you feel working here?
481
00:37:38,359 --> 00:37:41,905
I think I'm going to get myself
a little something sweet.
482
00:37:41,930 --> 00:37:45,655
Do you fancy anything, Kate?
I guess one of this. Yeah. Yeah.
483
00:37:48,720 --> 00:37:52,655
I love that she's using an abacus.
Yeah.
484
00:37:52,680 --> 00:37:54,825
Like stepping back in time.
485
00:37:54,850 --> 00:37:57,745
26. Thank you.
486
00:37:57,770 --> 00:38:00,575
Thank you so much, bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
487
00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,825
It's against the law
to live inside The Zone
488
00:38:06,850 --> 00:38:10,655
but Kate is taking me to the
crumbling outskirts of Chernobyl
489
00:38:10,680 --> 00:38:14,695
to meet one woman who is defying
the authorities.
490
00:38:14,720 --> 00:38:17,055
Look at all these derelict
houses here.
491
00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:23,775
This is the house of Valentina,
one of the re-settlers,
492
00:38:23,800 --> 00:38:28,775
the people who came back and
continued living in their homes.
493
00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:29,975
Let's go.
494
00:38:31,319 --> 00:38:34,155
Oh, look she's got a cat. Yeah.
495
00:38:38,700 --> 00:38:42,275
I didn't really that there were
re-settlers, as in people
496
00:38:42,300 --> 00:38:44,314
who moved back here permanently.
497
00:38:44,339 --> 00:38:47,875
Still feels like this is
a dead zone.
498
00:38:47,900 --> 00:38:50,635
You know, the fact that I'm walking
around with this,
499
00:38:50,660 --> 00:38:55,155
monitoring the amount of
radioactivity that I'm absorbing,
500
00:38:55,180 --> 00:38:57,155
but Valentina lives here.
501
00:38:57,180 --> 00:38:59,715
It's kind of quite a lot to
get your head around.
502
00:38:59,740 --> 00:39:01,354
Shall we? Yes.
503
00:39:02,589 --> 00:39:04,795
Thank you very much for letting me
come into your house.
504
00:39:06,339 --> 00:39:09,765
Valentina moved back to The Zone
soon after the disaster.
505
00:39:09,790 --> 00:39:12,434
Her late husband found work
here as a liquidator.
506
00:39:12,459 --> 00:39:16,765
Hello, little dog.
Who ate all the pies?
507
00:39:16,790 --> 00:39:18,314
Valentina, what is your dog called?
508
00:39:19,430 --> 00:39:21,635
Dana. I can't quite work it out.
509
00:39:21,660 --> 00:39:24,635
It's like a Chihuahua-Corgi cross.
510
00:39:24,660 --> 00:39:27,234
There's lots of bottles of water.
Do you drink from the tap?
511
00:39:37,459 --> 00:39:42,125
Valentina does have electricity and
friends bring food in from outside
512
00:39:42,150 --> 00:39:43,875
but it's a humble existence.
513
00:39:46,070 --> 00:39:48,765
So, Valentina, why did you choose
514
00:39:48,790 --> 00:39:55,484
to return to a place so close
to Chernobyl Power Station?
515
00:40:03,940 --> 00:40:06,155
Does it ever feel sad here
or lonely here?
516
00:40:31,709 --> 00:40:33,155
Will you ever leave here?
517
00:40:39,900 --> 00:40:43,434
Around 200 re-settlers
still live in The Zone,
518
00:40:43,459 --> 00:40:46,405
one of the most toxic places
on Earth.
519
00:40:46,430 --> 00:40:48,795
Already they've lived longer
on average
520
00:40:48,820 --> 00:40:50,715
than those who never returned.
521
00:40:50,740 --> 00:40:53,554
She also offers us some vodka.
522
00:40:53,579 --> 00:40:57,434
When in Ukraine, I feel
I must take a bit of vodka.
523
00:40:57,459 --> 00:40:59,965
These labels look a little
bit scary.
524
00:40:59,990 --> 00:41:03,325
Isn't that for electricity?
Electricity, yeah.
525
00:41:03,350 --> 00:41:06,635
VOICEOVER: I think Valentina is keen
to show me that there can be
526
00:41:06,660 --> 00:41:08,875
a kind of normality here.
527
00:41:08,900 --> 00:41:12,085
Is this Ukrainian hospitality?
Exactly.
528
00:41:13,379 --> 00:41:16,865
My goodness. That's quite a lot.
Is she trying to get me drunk?
529
00:41:16,890 --> 00:41:20,684
Exactly. Thank you very much.
How do we say cheers in Ukrainian?
530
00:41:20,709 --> 00:41:22,684
Budmo. Budmo. OK.
531
00:41:26,740 --> 00:41:27,715
Whoa.
532
00:41:30,020 --> 00:41:33,434
Wow. You should eat something.
Oh, should I eat something as well?
533
00:41:33,459 --> 00:41:37,635
Yeah. I think I need to.
That was quite strong.
534
00:41:37,660 --> 00:41:38,965
Thank you.
535
00:41:38,990 --> 00:41:42,195
Valentina has one more
treat for me...
536
00:41:42,220 --> 00:41:44,115
Is this the entertainment?
537
00:41:45,530 --> 00:41:48,749
...ably assisted by Dana.
538
00:41:48,774 --> 00:41:51,789
DANA HOWLS REPEATEDLY
539
00:42:06,734 --> 00:42:10,428
DANA HOWLS CONTINUOUSLY, BEN LAUGHS
540
00:42:10,453 --> 00:42:12,678
Valentina, that...
541
00:42:12,703 --> 00:42:15,428
That... I will never forget that.
542
00:42:15,453 --> 00:42:16,829
DANA BARKS
543
00:42:19,794 --> 00:42:23,578
Take Care. Thank you.
544
00:42:26,433 --> 00:42:28,609
That was kind of amazing.
545
00:42:28,634 --> 00:42:33,219
So much love and humour
and humanity and normalness.
546
00:42:34,994 --> 00:42:39,609
And then this, which is kind of what
people expect to see in Chernobyl -
547
00:42:39,634 --> 00:42:43,609
abandonment and derelict buildings.
548
00:42:43,634 --> 00:42:46,049
It's kind of a tale
of two worlds, isn't it?
549
00:42:46,074 --> 00:42:48,969
And it's just completely
unexpected, that.
550
00:42:48,994 --> 00:42:53,328
Because that's such a sign
of kind of hope and beauty
551
00:42:53,353 --> 00:42:57,499
amidst such wretchedness.
Kind of flips it all on its head.
552
00:43:04,394 --> 00:43:08,859
Self-settlers like Valentina show
that life can still exist here,
553
00:43:08,884 --> 00:43:12,328
but I'm learning of a newer
generation who also want to connect
554
00:43:12,353 --> 00:43:14,648
to this strange place.
555
00:43:14,673 --> 00:43:18,969
This evening I'm returning
to the ghost town of Pripyat.
556
00:43:18,994 --> 00:43:22,648
No-one can enter here
without a government permit.
557
00:43:22,673 --> 00:43:26,889
But not everyone heeds the rules.
558
00:43:26,914 --> 00:43:29,499
What I've slowly realised
being here is that
559
00:43:29,524 --> 00:43:33,778
although it is a deserted city,
stuff still happens here,
560
00:43:33,803 --> 00:43:36,578
and police patrols
are one of the realities
561
00:43:36,603 --> 00:43:42,289
because a deserted city attracts
people for the wrong reason.
562
00:43:42,314 --> 00:43:46,169
And I'm curious to find out what
sort of people do come here and why.
563
00:43:47,714 --> 00:43:52,139
Ukrainian police carry out
24-hour surveillance of Pripyat.
564
00:43:52,164 --> 00:43:56,939
Officer Mykhailo Kuzmenko
and his team are on the night shift.
565
00:43:56,964 --> 00:43:59,609
What kind of things
do people get up to here?
566
00:44:23,524 --> 00:44:27,009
The illegal trespassers
are known as stalkers.
567
00:44:30,314 --> 00:44:31,889
They operate in groups,
568
00:44:31,914 --> 00:44:34,528
creating makeshift living quarters
inside buildings...
569
00:44:38,553 --> 00:44:40,249
...and even sleeping there.
570
00:44:43,084 --> 00:44:47,249
Stalkers seek out the most dangerous
and inaccessible places...
571
00:44:49,314 --> 00:44:50,729
...to get their thrills.
572
00:44:54,593 --> 00:44:57,009
The dangers are clearly massive.
573
00:44:57,034 --> 00:44:59,139
RAPID BEEPING
574
00:45:01,234 --> 00:45:04,139
Tonight, Mykhailo's team believe
some have been staying in
575
00:45:04,164 --> 00:45:06,499
a high-rise on the outskirts
of the city.
576
00:45:06,524 --> 00:45:07,698
Going in.
577
00:45:26,034 --> 00:45:28,419
This is so strange.
578
00:45:28,444 --> 00:45:34,599
Kind of going from apartment to
apartment...looking for people.
579
00:45:50,444 --> 00:45:52,729
People have been graffitiing here.
580
00:45:52,754 --> 00:45:56,648
They're pretty certain
that there is someone around.
581
00:45:56,673 --> 00:45:58,979
There's fresh footprints,
582
00:45:59,004 --> 00:46:01,599
fresh signs of people being here.
583
00:46:03,644 --> 00:46:05,599
Look.
584
00:46:05,624 --> 00:46:07,809
So someone's been staying in here?
585
00:46:11,164 --> 00:46:13,239
This is the Chernobyl squatter.
586
00:46:15,444 --> 00:46:17,059
Who'd have thought?
587
00:46:17,084 --> 00:46:20,139
It's a side to Chernobyl
I never even considered,
588
00:46:20,164 --> 00:46:24,698
that people would be attracted here
for the thrill of staying over.
589
00:46:26,114 --> 00:46:31,089
I mean, pretty astonishing views.
I'm drawn to the window. Wow.
590
00:46:33,754 --> 00:46:35,849
There's a little sledge there.
591
00:46:40,234 --> 00:46:42,639
Very easy to face of the facts
592
00:46:42,664 --> 00:46:46,359
that it was once
a thriving block of flats.
593
00:46:54,254 --> 00:46:55,639
Oh, yeah, look.
594
00:46:58,334 --> 00:47:02,229
So this is pretty strange.
I can't quite make heads nor tails.
595
00:47:02,254 --> 00:47:05,079
I don't think any books or anything
were left in this building,
596
00:47:05,104 --> 00:47:08,999
everything was kind of taken, so
it's almost like they've created
597
00:47:09,024 --> 00:47:12,639
this little thing.
It's got the original Soviet flag,
598
00:47:12,664 --> 00:47:14,788
it's got a map of Pripyat.
599
00:47:14,813 --> 00:47:18,149
This is the social media affect.
600
00:47:18,174 --> 00:47:21,156
It's even reached Chernobyl.
601
00:47:21,181 --> 00:47:23,784
Because people want to come here,
they want to make videos,
602
00:47:23,809 --> 00:47:29,825
they want to show off, they want to,
erm, create dangerous stunts
603
00:47:29,850 --> 00:47:34,914
and, actually, this is sort of
their playground.
604
00:47:34,939 --> 00:47:37,784
That's a post-disaster effect
nowadays.
605
00:47:44,770 --> 00:47:48,025
The problem is so widespread, it's
common for the police to arrest
606
00:47:48,050 --> 00:47:50,664
at least one stalker
on every patrol.
607
00:47:50,689 --> 00:47:53,385
If they get caught,
do they get arrested?
608
00:48:24,890 --> 00:48:27,995
Darkness has set in and it has
a whole different feel now.
609
00:48:29,689 --> 00:48:32,865
It's getting late,
and with no arrests tonight,
610
00:48:32,890 --> 00:48:35,815
the police head off to patrol
other parts of The Zone.
611
00:48:35,840 --> 00:48:38,945
I think it's fair to say
that's the strangest,
612
00:48:38,970 --> 00:48:42,995
most surreal night patrol
I've ever been on.
613
00:48:43,020 --> 00:48:46,345
It's just a whole other face
to Chernobyl.
614
00:48:49,479 --> 00:48:52,025
The stalkers might have eluded us
tonight,
615
00:48:52,050 --> 00:48:54,704
but we have another plan
to track them down.
616
00:48:58,330 --> 00:49:01,145
Nikolai, my minder,
reckons that tomorrow morning
617
00:49:01,170 --> 00:49:03,914
we'll definitely snare us
our stalker.
618
00:49:17,599 --> 00:49:21,465
I'm spending a week inside
the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone,
619
00:49:21,490 --> 00:49:24,215
a toxic wasteland
that I've discovered is now
620
00:49:24,240 --> 00:49:28,855
a major attraction for illegal
sightseers and thrill-seekers.
621
00:49:28,880 --> 00:49:32,595
I want to understand why these
so-called stalkers come here
622
00:49:32,620 --> 00:49:35,595
and what Chernobyl means to the
generation who weren't around
623
00:49:35,620 --> 00:49:37,495
at the time of the accident.
624
00:49:41,570 --> 00:49:45,415
Nikolai has managed to track down
a stalker through social media
625
00:49:45,440 --> 00:49:48,615
and he's willing to talk to me.
626
00:49:48,640 --> 00:49:52,765
He's there. Down here somewhere?
Yes, on his way back from The Zone.
627
00:49:54,190 --> 00:49:56,515
Stalkers enter The Zone illegally
628
00:49:56,540 --> 00:49:59,695
so we're meeting
just outside the border.
629
00:49:59,720 --> 00:50:02,844
Apparently they're on their way
back from Pripyat
630
00:50:02,869 --> 00:50:05,695
so they well might have been there
when I was there.
631
00:50:06,999 --> 00:50:09,285
Hey, he's over there. Hey.
632
00:50:11,310 --> 00:50:13,615
No, no, we're good. OK.
633
00:50:16,470 --> 00:50:20,155
How long were you in Pripyat for?
Four days. Four days?
634
00:50:20,180 --> 00:50:23,205
And when you're in Pripyat,
where where do you stay?
635
00:50:23,230 --> 00:50:28,445
In my apartment. Your...? Yes,
I can show you my videos from there.
636
00:50:28,470 --> 00:50:31,335
This is my house, where we live.
637
00:50:32,640 --> 00:50:33,765
Good morning.
638
00:50:36,540 --> 00:50:39,924
How did you get in?
Illegally way.
639
00:50:41,230 --> 00:50:45,085
From the perimeter fence,
it's around 30km to Pripyat.
640
00:50:48,590 --> 00:50:50,844
The Zone is a vast wilderness.
641
00:50:50,869 --> 00:50:54,844
To avoid the police, stalkers must
trek through toxic forests
642
00:50:54,869 --> 00:50:56,645
and cross ice-cold rivers.
643
00:51:00,640 --> 00:51:03,365
So, crossing the river in your
pants, it's got to be cold.
644
00:51:03,390 --> 00:51:04,645
Argh!
645
00:51:04,670 --> 00:51:06,924
The water was this deep.
646
00:51:06,949 --> 00:51:12,565
With this backpack, I turn in my
hands, and go across this river.
647
00:51:12,590 --> 00:51:14,365
You don't understand how it's cold.
648
00:51:14,390 --> 00:51:15,794
Argh!
649
00:51:17,150 --> 00:51:20,485
Why do you do it? For me it is
just like a new adventure
650
00:51:20,510 --> 00:51:23,005
and every time it is very different.
651
00:51:23,030 --> 00:51:26,325
For example,
I find police and run away.
652
00:51:26,350 --> 00:51:30,565
Second time I meet many stalkers
also illegally.
653
00:51:30,590 --> 00:51:34,485
It's like adventure
and shock for me.
654
00:51:34,510 --> 00:51:38,174
Reaching Pripyat is
the stalker's Holy Grail...
655
00:51:40,430 --> 00:51:43,205
...a place where they can share
their extreme thrill-seeking
656
00:51:43,230 --> 00:51:44,724
on social media.
657
00:51:48,710 --> 00:51:51,924
The dangers of this illegal trespass
are clear.
658
00:51:51,949 --> 00:51:54,685
That must be scary up there.
Wow. Look at that.
659
00:51:57,590 --> 00:52:00,255
Do you not worry about radiation?
660
00:52:00,280 --> 00:52:02,325
I know where it's dangerous
661
00:52:02,350 --> 00:52:06,815
and it's, like four days radiation
not kill you, so why not?
662
00:52:08,460 --> 00:52:09,435
See you.
663
00:52:12,460 --> 00:52:14,044
Fascinating, that.
664
00:52:14,069 --> 00:52:20,125
Here, I suppose, is in modern
Ukrainian youth who's embracing
665
00:52:20,150 --> 00:52:24,255
2020, 2021, and social media
666
00:52:24,280 --> 00:52:27,075
and making videos
and keeping stories alive.
667
00:52:27,100 --> 00:52:30,325
It's a form of history telling,
isn't it? Really.
668
00:52:30,350 --> 00:52:33,355
It's the new world
meeting the old world.
669
00:52:33,380 --> 00:52:34,944
It's kind of cool
670
00:52:34,969 --> 00:52:38,535
and weird and...unexpected.
671
00:52:45,230 --> 00:52:47,405
I'm back inside The Zone.
672
00:52:47,430 --> 00:52:49,685
Its size still astounds me.
673
00:52:49,710 --> 00:52:53,714
1,000 square miles of crumbling
villages, toxic forests
674
00:52:53,739 --> 00:52:55,714
and abandoned farmland.
675
00:52:57,069 --> 00:53:00,325
But when the eyes
of the world turned to Chernobyl
676
00:53:00,350 --> 00:53:04,755
they found far more here
than just a ruined nuclear plant.
677
00:53:04,780 --> 00:53:08,645
In a remote part of The Zone,
Nikolai has special knowledge
678
00:53:08,670 --> 00:53:12,054
of something that was once
classified at the highest level.
679
00:53:15,209 --> 00:53:20,153
We are off to see something secret,
remains of the Cold War.
680
00:53:20,178 --> 00:53:21,943
It's truly amazing.
681
00:53:23,249 --> 00:53:26,943
I'm going to a site that, at the
time of the Chernobyl disaster,
682
00:53:26,968 --> 00:53:30,204
was marked on Soviet maps
as a children's camp.
683
00:53:31,379 --> 00:53:32,354
Wow.
684
00:53:34,459 --> 00:53:36,434
It had quite a climbing frame.
685
00:53:37,819 --> 00:53:39,794
You guys don't do things by halves.
686
00:53:39,819 --> 00:53:43,264
This is an amazing feat
of Soviet engineering.
687
00:53:43,289 --> 00:53:46,714
The scale of this place.
I feel dwarfed by it.
688
00:53:46,739 --> 00:53:49,073
It's like a 50-storey building.
689
00:53:52,489 --> 00:53:54,224
So what exactly is this?
690
00:53:54,249 --> 00:53:58,434
During the Cold War, this was
able to detect incoming missiles
691
00:53:58,459 --> 00:54:00,464
in case of a nuclear strike.
692
00:54:00,489 --> 00:54:04,104
Purpose of this was to give
a seven-minute warning
693
00:54:04,129 --> 00:54:06,304
to the Soviet authorities.
694
00:54:06,329 --> 00:54:09,864
And this was a technology available
only in Soviet Union.
695
00:54:09,889 --> 00:54:13,023
50 Americans didn't have
anything like this.
696
00:54:13,048 --> 00:54:16,224
The huge radar receiver
was built around the same time
697
00:54:16,249 --> 00:54:17,714
as the power plant,
698
00:54:17,739 --> 00:54:22,304
helping to conceal from the
Americans the 14,000 tonnes of steel
699
00:54:22,329 --> 00:54:25,823
that needed to be brought
on site for its construction.
700
00:54:25,848 --> 00:54:30,434
It stands 150 metres high
and nearly a kilometre wide.
701
00:54:30,459 --> 00:54:32,943
So how did this actually work?
Radio waves?
702
00:54:32,968 --> 00:54:37,184
Yes, and the radio geeks in the
'80s, with their radio scanners,
703
00:54:37,209 --> 00:54:39,544
could hear a sound
of the radar station.
704
00:54:39,569 --> 00:54:41,304
MECHANICAL CLICKING
705
00:54:41,329 --> 00:54:43,784
Some people were calling it
a Russian woodpecker
706
00:54:43,809 --> 00:54:46,104
because it sounded
a bit like woodpecker
707
00:54:46,129 --> 00:54:48,434
and it was clearly
coming from Russia,
708
00:54:48,459 --> 00:54:50,073
so that's why Russian woodpecker.
709
00:54:50,098 --> 00:54:53,744
If you were picking that up,
if you were a ham radio operator
710
00:54:53,769 --> 00:54:57,784
in America, I can see how you'd
start thinking, "What is this?"
711
00:54:57,809 --> 00:55:01,714
Did the Americans know about this?
When did they first see it?
712
00:55:01,739 --> 00:55:03,184
After the meltdown.
713
00:55:03,209 --> 00:55:06,143
When all the spy satellites
had turned their eyes here,
714
00:55:06,168 --> 00:55:08,714
they suddenly discovered
this massive frame
715
00:55:08,739 --> 00:55:10,714
in the middle of nowhere.
716
00:55:10,739 --> 00:55:12,664
That was quite a surprise.
717
00:55:12,689 --> 00:55:18,273
Because of its size and weird look
there are many conspiracy theories,
718
00:55:18,298 --> 00:55:22,023
so some people believe that
this was a mind controller,
719
00:55:22,048 --> 00:55:26,634
like a brain scorcher of the
Soviet Union that was operating
720
00:55:26,659 --> 00:55:30,174
radio waves to control
and change human behaviour.
721
00:55:30,199 --> 00:55:34,073
I'm trying to imagine the people who
thought it could control your mind.
722
00:55:34,098 --> 00:55:37,893
I feel I need a vodka now. You do.
Has it affected me?
723
00:55:37,918 --> 00:55:39,304
THEY LAUGH
724
00:55:39,329 --> 00:55:42,994
We're 100% sure
it's not operating now
725
00:55:43,019 --> 00:55:47,143
and we can sleep tight tonight.
We are not zombies yet.
726
00:55:53,918 --> 00:55:56,744
The radar network
is another example of the Soviets
727
00:55:56,769 --> 00:55:58,714
looking the wrong way.
728
00:55:58,739 --> 00:56:01,943
While they scanned the horizon
for the incoming threat,
729
00:56:01,968 --> 00:56:04,784
it was actually the failure of
their own nuclear technology nearby
730
00:56:04,809 --> 00:56:08,063
that ultimately led to
the disaster they all feared.
731
00:56:12,809 --> 00:56:15,744
Now, there's just one
truly extraordinary place
732
00:56:15,769 --> 00:56:17,584
I'm yet to visit.
733
00:56:17,609 --> 00:56:22,454
Somewhere that very few will
ever get the opportunity to see.
734
00:56:22,479 --> 00:56:27,143
Tomorrow I'm going directly beneath
the vast Chernobyl Radiation Shield,
735
00:56:27,168 --> 00:56:29,504
getting as close as is possible
736
00:56:29,529 --> 00:56:33,063
to get to the very epicentre
of the explosion.
737
00:56:49,277 --> 00:56:52,382
I'm returning to the Chernobyl
Power Plant to gain access
738
00:56:52,407 --> 00:56:56,072
to something off limits
to almost all outsiders.
739
00:56:56,097 --> 00:56:59,113
Deep inside the enormous steel arch,
740
00:56:59,138 --> 00:57:03,072
known as the New Safe Confinement,
is the entombed remains
741
00:57:03,097 --> 00:57:08,043
of the ruined reactor itself,
the very epicentre of the explosion.
742
00:57:08,068 --> 00:57:10,223
After months of discussions
743
00:57:10,248 --> 00:57:13,223
I've been granted
just a few minutes inside.
744
00:57:19,217 --> 00:57:23,192
This is pretty special to be
allowed to go into there.
745
00:57:23,217 --> 00:57:26,272
That's why there's lots of people
keeping an eye on me,
746
00:57:26,297 --> 00:57:31,303
lots of paperwork, it's taken a long
time to get these permissions.
747
00:57:32,578 --> 00:57:34,322
Directly underneath the arch,
748
00:57:34,347 --> 00:57:37,913
radiation levels are even higher
than Control Room Number 4.
749
00:57:37,938 --> 00:57:40,043
It's kind of like going to war.
750
00:57:41,528 --> 00:57:45,683
I think we're about to head into
the final area.
751
00:57:57,778 --> 00:58:00,142
Wow. Oh, my goodness.
752
00:58:04,708 --> 00:58:08,333
This... This is unbelievable.
I mean, I can't...
753
00:58:08,358 --> 00:58:11,993
I can't quite believe
I'm actually in here.
754
00:58:15,147 --> 00:58:18,943
Behind the scaffold is the crumbling
concrete sarcophagus
755
00:58:18,968 --> 00:58:23,013
that was hastily erected
to entomb the blown apart reactor.
756
00:58:23,038 --> 00:58:26,052
If you can hear that beeping,
that was everyone's dosimeters
757
00:58:26,077 --> 00:58:29,172
from outside going off,
cos it's off the scale in here.
758
00:58:29,197 --> 00:58:32,663
We're up to 85, almost 90.
759
00:58:35,508 --> 00:58:39,473
Over time and exposed to the
elements, the concrete sarcophagus
760
00:58:39,498 --> 00:58:43,943
has deteriorated
and is teetering on collapse.
761
00:58:43,968 --> 00:58:47,333
The entire structure will be
painstakingly disassembled,
762
00:58:47,358 --> 00:58:50,613
its still hot
radioactive core removed
763
00:58:50,638 --> 00:58:53,483
and placed in special storage
facilities.
764
00:58:53,508 --> 00:58:57,813
So when the workers eventually
start to dismantle this,
765
00:58:57,838 --> 00:59:03,052
how long can each worker
spend doing their job?
766
00:59:12,868 --> 00:59:14,733
It will all be robotics? Yeah.
767
00:59:15,968 --> 00:59:19,372
Very slowly
everything will be picked apart.
768
00:59:19,397 --> 00:59:23,252
This is modern day liquidators.
This is history repeating itself.
769
00:59:23,277 --> 00:59:26,122
All those men that were sweeping
the debris off the roof,
770
00:59:26,147 --> 00:59:27,943
it's going to happen again.
771
00:59:27,968 --> 00:59:31,943
Spearheaded by the European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development,
772
00:59:31,968 --> 00:59:37,693
over 40 countries came together
to fund the £13 billion arch.
773
00:59:37,718 --> 00:59:39,533
For at least the next century,
774
00:59:39,558 --> 00:59:43,223
this extraordinary feat of
mega engineering will protect
775
00:59:43,248 --> 00:59:46,172
and enable the radioactive ruins
of reactor 4
776
00:59:46,197 --> 00:59:49,333
to eventually be made safe.
777
00:59:49,358 --> 00:59:52,813
Trying to explain to you now
my emotions, it's really weird,
778
00:59:52,838 --> 00:59:56,333
because I feel
surprisingly emotional
779
00:59:56,358 --> 00:59:59,683
to see what is arguably
780
00:59:59,708 --> 01:00:02,433
a wretched, terrible place.
781
01:00:04,097 --> 01:00:06,262
But what I see
coming in here is hope
782
01:00:06,287 --> 01:00:10,693
and that's what I love cos this is
the hope of what technology can do.
783
01:00:10,718 --> 01:00:14,693
This is the hope of what people
collaborating, multi nations came
784
01:00:14,718 --> 01:00:19,302
together to create this dome and
protect it for another 100 years
785
01:00:19,327 --> 01:00:24,302
and isn't that incredible that over
the next couple of decades, robots,
786
01:00:24,327 --> 01:00:27,623
you know, AI, artificial
intelligence, that so many people
787
01:00:27,648 --> 01:00:29,843
think could ruin the world,
788
01:00:29,868 --> 01:00:33,743
could actually help save it
and preserve it.
789
01:00:36,248 --> 01:00:41,023
So my emotions right now are
of great pride for this country,
790
01:00:41,048 --> 01:00:44,023
for everyone who worked on it
791
01:00:44,048 --> 01:00:47,333
and showing what humanity can do.
792
01:00:49,928 --> 01:00:53,873
BEEPING
793
01:00:53,898 --> 01:00:56,153
Got about 30 seconds left in here.
794
01:00:56,178 --> 01:00:58,763
You can hear everyone's
dosimeters going off.
795
01:01:00,018 --> 01:01:03,943
Whoo, gosh.
Chris, we have to get out.
796
01:01:03,968 --> 01:01:06,382
Chris, we've gotta go. Yeah.
797
01:01:08,568 --> 01:01:10,052
Our time is up.
798
01:01:13,287 --> 01:01:17,432
Everything is checked for
contamination but we're all clear.
799
01:01:23,718 --> 01:01:27,603
The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is
still a long way from being a safe,
800
01:01:27,628 --> 01:01:32,763
habitable environment but slowly
green shoots are emerging.
801
01:01:32,788 --> 01:01:35,843
The wider Zone itself has become
a giant laboratory
802
01:01:35,868 --> 01:01:39,072
where scientists and
conservationists can now
803
01:01:39,097 --> 01:01:42,522
safely study the effects
of radiation and what happens
804
01:01:42,547 --> 01:01:45,353
to nature when humans disappear.
805
01:01:46,708 --> 01:01:49,483
What is this we're going into now?
806
01:01:57,547 --> 01:02:02,123
Biologist Marina Shkvyria has been
studying wildlife in The Zone.
807
01:02:03,268 --> 01:02:07,883
So, all of this here has grown
since this was all abandoned?
808
01:02:18,068 --> 01:02:20,483
What's interesting is
when I look at my dosimeter,
809
01:02:20,508 --> 01:02:23,322
it's a little bit higher in here,
perhaps, and I know that
810
01:02:23,347 --> 01:02:25,763
if I go down towards the moss,
811
01:02:25,788 --> 01:02:30,803
it goes up quite a lot and yet
nature has flourished here.
812
01:03:02,118 --> 01:03:05,402
Marina and other scientists
believe that without hunting,
813
01:03:05,427 --> 01:03:08,442
farming and the destruction
of natural habitats,
814
01:03:08,467 --> 01:03:12,272
The Zone is becoming
an unlikely wildlife sanctuary.
815
01:03:15,268 --> 01:03:17,522
We're tracking wolves.
816
01:03:21,758 --> 01:03:23,553
Have you found anything, Marina?
817
01:03:23,578 --> 01:03:26,553
Yeah. You can see tracks, yeah?
818
01:03:26,578 --> 01:03:29,163
This one? Oh, yes, I've got it.
819
01:03:29,188 --> 01:03:31,402
How many wolves do you think
have come through here?
820
01:03:40,018 --> 01:03:44,442
There are plenty of wolf tracks but
in an area the size of Luxembourg,
821
01:03:44,467 --> 01:03:47,402
seeing them was always going to be
a long shot.
822
01:03:51,297 --> 01:03:55,013
Luckily, Marina and her team have
caught glimpses of the wildlife
823
01:03:55,038 --> 01:03:57,603
that live in The Zone
on remote cameras.
824
01:04:01,347 --> 01:04:02,723
So, this is from a drone?
825
01:04:04,748 --> 01:04:07,603
That's a beautiful shot.
Wow, look at that,
826
01:04:07,628 --> 01:04:09,723
galloping off across the landscape.
827
01:04:10,988 --> 01:04:12,522
How beautiful is that?
828
01:04:14,467 --> 01:04:17,373
Marina, how did these horses
get here in the first place?
829
01:04:17,398 --> 01:04:18,943
Were they introduced?
830
01:04:39,038 --> 01:04:41,783
Ancl wolves!
Look at that. Incredible.
831
01:04:44,567 --> 01:04:48,723
Just amazing to see the array
of animals on those camera traps.
832
01:04:48,748 --> 01:04:51,803
Moose, deer, wolves, lynx.
833
01:04:51,828 --> 01:04:53,723
There's even bears.
834
01:04:53,748 --> 01:04:59,113
So many animals living in this
extraordinary Exclusion Zone.
835
01:05:13,828 --> 01:05:17,243
The planet faces
unprecedented challenges -
836
01:05:17,268 --> 01:05:20,392
many of them, like Chernobyl,
of our own making.
837
01:05:22,318 --> 01:05:24,293
I came here looking for hope.
838
01:05:25,958 --> 01:05:29,163
What I've discovered here
in Chernobyl is that this is
839
01:05:29,188 --> 01:05:32,723
supposed to be a radioactive
wasteland for tens,
840
01:05:32,748 --> 01:05:35,572
maybe hundreds
of thousands of years...
841
01:05:37,388 --> 01:05:39,493
...and yet nature's reclaiming it.
842
01:05:45,238 --> 01:05:46,683
I mean, look at this.
843
01:05:46,708 --> 01:05:50,163
This, for me, is really exciting
part of the Chernobyl story
844
01:05:50,188 --> 01:05:53,572
cos it's the accidental hope
that came from it.
845
01:05:53,597 --> 01:05:57,392
Some people are calling this
the European Amazon.
846
01:05:57,417 --> 01:06:01,933
This is almost the greatest,
accidental rewilding project
847
01:06:01,958 --> 01:06:08,883
in the world because where there was
wretchedness and disaster
848
01:06:08,908 --> 01:06:13,392
has come this extraordinary
return to the wild.
849
01:06:31,547 --> 01:06:34,522
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