All language subtitles for Chernobyl.S01E01.1.23.45.2160p.DTS-HD.MA.5.1.DV.HEVC.REMUX-FraMeSToR

What is the cost of lies?

It's not that we'll mistake them
for the truth.

The real danger is that
if we hear enough lies,

then we no longer recognize
the truth at all.

What can we do then?

What else is left but to abandon
even the hope of truth

and content ourselves instead
with stories?

In these stories,
it doesn't matter who the heroes are.

All we want to know is, who is to blame?

In this story, it was Anatoly Dyatlov.
He was the best choice.

An arrogant, unpleasant man,
he ran the room that night.

He gave the orders.

And no friends.

Or, at least, not important ones.

And now, Dyatlov will spend the next
10 years in a prison labor camp.

Of course, that sentence
is doubly unfair.

There were far greater criminals
than him at work.

And as for what Dyatlov did do...

The man doesn't deserve prison.

He deserves death.

But instead, ten years
for "criminal mismanagement."

What does that mean?

No one knows.

It doesn't matter.

What does matter is that, to them,

justice was done.

Because, you see, to them,

a just world is a sane world.

There was nothing sane about Chernobyl.

What happened there, what happened after,

even the good we did, all of it...

All of it...

Madness.

Well, I've given you everything I know.

They'll deny it, of course.

They always do.

I know you'll try your best.

Lyudmilla?

Comrade Dyatlov!

Comrade Dyatlov! Comrade Dyatlov!

Comrade Dyatlov! Comrade Dyatlov!

What just happened?

I don't know.

There's a fire in the turbine hall.

The turbine hall?

The control system tank. Hydrogen.

You and Toptunov,
you morons blew the tank.

- No, that's not...
- This is an emergency.

Everyone stay calm.
Our first priority is...

- It's exploded!
- We know.

Akimov, are we cooling the reactor core?

We shut it down,
but the control rods are still active.

They're not all the way in.
I disengaged...

All right. Try and disconnect
the servos from the standby console.

You two, get the backup pumps running.

We need water moving through the core.

- That is all that matters.
- There is no core.

It exploded! The core exploded.

He's in shock. Get him out of here.

The lid is off.

The stack is burning. I saw it.

You're confused.
RBMK reactor cores don't explode.

- Akimov...
- Sasha.

Don't worry, we did everything right.
Something strange has happened.

- Do you taste metal?
- Akimov!

Comrade Perevozchenko, what you're
saying is physically impossible.

The core can't explode.
It has to be the tank.

We're wasting time. Let's go.

Get the hydrogen out of the generators
and pump water into the core.

What about the fire?

Call the fire brigade.

You're not on call tonight.

They're bringing everybody in,
military and civil.

Pripyat, Polesskoe, Kiev.

This is a big one.

But it doesn't look right, the color.

Pravik says he thinks they're shining
floodlights or something.

And what if there are chemicals?

"Chemicals"?

The problem's the roof.

It's covered in tar,

so it's gonna burn all night,
and it'll stink like hell.

That's it. That's the worst of it.

Go back to bed.

- Is it war?
- Where's the dosimeter?

Here. Here.

Are they bombing?

What the fuck is this?
It's 3.6 roentgen.

That's as high as it goes.
The good one's locked in a safe.

I don't have a key.

Valera... Your face.

Come on.

I'm going to find Khodemchuk
in the pump room.

You, here.

Get Shashenok. He's in 604. Go.

We need to get everyone out!

Shit.

Hey! We need to get
to the reactor hall.

- The lift's destroyed.
- Up two flights and across.

- Right.
- Why are you going there?

Have you seen Khodemchuk?

- No. Where's Viktor?
- Still in the pump room.

Stay here. I'll come back.

Viktor!

Viktor.

Viktor.

Oh!

Viktor, I'm gonna get you out of here.

Can you stand?

Khodemchuk...

Where?

Get Khodemchuk.

I dropped the control rods
from the other panel.

- They're still up.
- What?

They're still only a third
of the way in. I don't know why.

I already sent the trainees down

to the reactor hall
to lower them by hand.

- What about the pumps?
- I can't get through to Khodemchuk.

- The lines are down.
- Fuck the phones and fuck Khodemchuk.

- Are the pumps on or not?
- Stolyarchuk?

My control panel's not working.
I tried calling for the electricians.

I don't give a shit about the panel!
I need water in my reactor core!

Get down there
and make sure those pumps are on.

Now!

What does the dosimeter say?

Uh, 3.6 roentgen, but that's as high
as the meter...

Three point six.
Not great, not terrible.

We did everything right.

You, connect those hooks!

Get the pumps going!

Yeah, over here!
I'm right with you!

We're working
bottom to top. Go in fast.

Vasily...

- Hey, Vasily, what's this?
- I don't know, Misha.

Don't fuck around with it.
Hook these up. Come on.

Do you taste metal?

- Yeah, what is that?
- I don't know.

The valves, Misha.
The valves! Let's go.

The valves! Come on!

What do you need?

We need to get into the reactor hall

to lower the control rods,
but the door's jammed.

I don't think there are control rods.

I don't think there's a core.

No, you're... You're mistaken.

Akimov said.

Let's go.

No!

Ignatenko, get on his hose!

It's all right. Breathe.

Misha.

All right, all right.
Easy, Misha.

Are you sure?

Akimov...

Move.

Come on! Go! Go!

Go! Go fast, go!

Let's go!

Let's go!

Hey!

Hey!

Lyudmilla! Do you want
to come with us?

Come where?

We're going to the railroad bridge
to get a better look.

It's not like anyone
can sleep with all the sirens.

I don't think you should go.
It could be dangerous.

What do you mean, "dangerous"?

It's a fire.
It's over there, we're over here.

- Mikhail.
- What?

Oh. Sorry.

- Is Vasily...
- Yeah.

Did he say it was bad?

No. No, he said it was just the roof.

Well, he's never gotten hurt before.
None of the boys have.

He'll be fine.

Get some rest.

The tank, it's big enough.

This kind of explosion,
the control tank on 71,

it's 100 cubic meters.

One hundred and ten.

Hundred and ten.
It could do this, definitely.

It's gone.

I looked right into it.

I looked into the core.

Did you lower the control rods or not?

Take him to the infirmary.

Toptunov, take him!

Where's Kudryavstev?

He fell.

- I need a medic! Anyone!
- He's delusional.

- His face...
- Ruptured condenser lines.

The feedwater is mildly contaminated.
He'll be fine. I've seen worse.

Do we still have
a phone line to the outside?

Akimov?

Call in the day shift.

But if the...

We have to keep water flowing
into the core.

We need electricians,
mechanics, we need bodies.

How many times do I have to say it?

I'm going to
the Administration Building now

to call Bryukhanov and Fomin.

They're gonna want a full report.

Now, I don't know if I can
make things better for you...

But I can certainly make them worse.

Call in the day shift, Comrade Akimov.

Yes, Comrade Dyatlov.

You're doing fine.

Raise her up.

That one, maybe an hour.
This one, not until morning.

How's it downstairs, Doctor?

Quiet.

Always is.

Nothing at this hour but babies.

Do you know I once went
two days without sleep?

Ten women went into labor
at the same time.

- Did I ever tell you that story?
- Yes.

Well, I won't need you
in here for a while.

If you want,
get some rest in the break room.

They haven't brought
anyone in from the fire.

What fire?

The power plant.

Oh.
Well, then it mustn't be too bad.

Do we stock iodine?

- Hmm?
- Iodine.

You mean disinfectant?

No, pills. Does the hospital
stock iodine pills?

Iodine pills?
Why would we have iodine pills?

Hello?

Hello?

Who else knows this?

Have you called Fomin?

Of course, I want you to call him.
If I'm up, he's up.

Whatever the cause, the important
thing is that neither you nor I...

I take it the safety test was a failure.

- We have the situation under control.
- "Under control"?

It doesn't look like it's under control.

Shut up, Fomin.

I have to tell the Central Committee
about this. Do you realize that?

I have to get on the phone
and tell Maryin,

or, God forbid, Frolyshev,
that my power plant is on fire.

No one can blame you for this,
Director Bryukhanov.

Of course no one can blame me for this.

How can I be responsible?
I was sleeping.

Tell me what happened, quickly.

We ran the test exactly as
Chief Engineer Fomin approved.

Unit Shift Chief Akimov
and Engineer Toptunov

encountered technical difficulties,

Leading to an accumulation of hydrogen
in the control system tank.

It regrettably ignited,

damaging the plant,
setting the roof on fire.

The tank is quite large.

It's the only logical explanation.

Of course, Deputy Chief Engineer Dyatlov

was directly supervising the test,
so he would know best.

A hydrogen tank, fire...

- Reactor?
- We're taking measures to ensure

a steady flow of water through the core.

- What about radiation?
- Obviously, down here it's nothing,

but in the reactor building,
I'm being told, 3.6 roentgen per hour.

Well, that's not great,
but it's not horrifying.

Not at all.

From the feedwater, I assume.

Mmm-hmm.

We'll have to limit shifts to
six hours at a time, but otherwise...

The dosimetrists
should be checking regularly.

Have them use
the good meter from the safe.

Right.

I'll call Maryin.

Have them wake up the local
Executive Committee.

There'll be orders coming down.

Here.

Sure? Okay.

What do you think makes the colors?

Oh.

- It's the fuel, for sure.
- "It's the fuel, for sure."

What do you know about it?
You clean floors at a train station.

My friend, Yuri,
works at the power plant.

He says it runs cold.

No gas, no fire. Just atoms.

Yuri says the only thing is,
you can't walk right up to the fuel.

If you do, a glass of vodka
an hour for four hours.

Isn't Yuri a plumber?

At the nuclear power plant, yeah.

Well, it is beautiful.

Yeah.

Do you have a cigarette?

Do you need help?

It's over.

We've done all we can from the perimeter.

We need to start making
our way to the roof.

Vasily!

You've gotta put it out.

That's enough, comrades.
We're pushing ahead.

Come on, boys.

Vasily, it's just past, straight up.

All the way up, all the way in.

Come on!

Yeah. Going in now.

What about the auxiliary?

The pumps are gone, electrical's gone.

The core?

I didn't go in there, and I won't.

I think it's time we faced...

No, we have to get water into the core.

Otherwise, there'll be a meltdown.

We have to open the valves.

- Sasha...
- What do you want, Boris?

If it's true, then we're dead.
A million people are dead.

Is that what you need to hear?

We have to open the valves.

- By hand.
- By hand?

The number of valves,
the amount of time to turn them,

you're talking about hours in there!

- Then help us.
- Help you do what?

Pump water into a ditch?
There's nothing there!

Leonid, I'm begging you.

Watch the panel while we're gone.

It's not working.

Just watch it.

I guess we know why
they called us in early.

Is anyone saying what happened?

They were running
the safety test on the turbines,

blew the control system tank.

It doesn't make sense to me either.

What about sabotage?

A bomb?

Sitnikov!

Bryukhanov wants us to use
the good dosimeter,

but it's in the safe,
and we can't find the key.

It's in Building Two. Hasn't...

Follow me.

Gentlemen, welcome.

Please, uh, find a seat.
Plenty of room.

I apologize for the lateness of the hour.

Rest assured,
we are all very safe down here.

We built this shelter
to withstand a nuclear attack

by the Americans,
so, I think we'll be fine.

Um, as you can see,
we have experienced an accident.

A large control tank malfunctioned,

damaging reactor Building Four
and starting a fire.

Now, I have spoken directly
to Deputy Secretary Maryin.

Maryin spoke to Deputy Chief Frolyshev,

Frolyshev to Central Committee
member Dolgikh,

and Dolgikh to
General Secretary Gorbachev.

Now...

Because the Central Committee
has the greatest respect

for the work of the Pripyat
Executive Committee,

they have asked me to brief you
on matters as they stand, so...

First, the accident...

It's well under control.

And second, because the efforts
of the Soviet nuclear industry

are considered key State secrets,
it is important

that we ensure that this incident
has no adverse consequences.

Now, to prevent a panic,

the Central Committee have ordered

a detachment of military police
to Pripyat.

How large of a detachment?

Between 2,000 and 4,000 men.

What's really going on here?

How dangerous is this?

There's mild radiation,
but it's limited to the plant itself.

- No, it isn't.
- Excuse me?

You saw men outside vomiting.

You saw men with burns.

There's more radiation
than they're saying.

We have wives here, we have children.

I say we evacuate the town.

Gentlemen...

Please... Please! My wife is here.

Do you think I would keep her
in Pripyat if it wasn't safe?

Bryukhanov, the air is glowing.

The Cherenkov effect.

Completely normal phenomenon.
It can happen with minimal radiation.

I wonder how many of you
know the name of this place.

We all call it "Chernobyl," of course.

What is its real name?

The Vladimir I. Lenin
Nuclear Power Station.

Exactly.

Vladimir I. Lenin.

And how proud he would be
of you all tonight.

Especially you, young man,

and the passion you have for the people.

For is that not the sole purpose
of the apparatus of the State?

Sometimes, we forget.

Sometimes, we fall prey to fear.

But our faith in Soviet socialism

will always be rewarded.

Now, the State tells us
the situation here is not dangerous.

Have faith, comrades.

The State tells us
it wants to prevent a panic.

Listen well.

It's true, when the people see
the police, they will be afraid.

But it is my experience

that when the people ask questions

that are not
in their own best interest...

They should simply be told
to keep their minds on their labor,

and leave matters of the State

to the State.

We seal off the city.

No one leaves.

And cut the phone lines.

Contain the spread of misinformation.

That is how we keep the people

from undermining the fruits
of their own labor.

Yes, comrades.

We will all be rewarded
for what we do here tonight.

This is our moment to shine.

Thank you.

Comrade Sitnikov to see
the Chief Engineer.

Well?

I sent my dosimetrists
into the reactor building.

The large dosimeter from the safe,

the one with
the 1,000-roentgen capacity...

What was the number?

There was none.

The meter burned out
the second it was turned on.

It's typical.

See, this is what Moscow does.

Sends us shit equipment,
then wonders why things go wrong.

We found another dosimeter,
from the military fire department.

It only goes to 200 roentgen,
but it's better than the small ones.

And?

It maxed out.

Two-hundred roentgen.

What game are you playing?

No, I...

I asked him.
He took multiple measurements.

He's my best man.

It's another faulty meter.
You're wasting our time.

I checked the meter against the control.

What's wrong with you?
How'd you get that number

from feedwater leaking from a blown tank?

You don't.

Then what the fuck are you talking about?

I...

I walked around the exterior
of Building Four.

I think there's graphite
on the ground in the rubble.

You didn't see graphite.

- I did.
- You didn't.

You didn't! Because it's not there!

What?

Are you suggesting the core...

What, exploded?

Yes.

Sitnikov.

You're a nuclear engineer. So am I.

So please tell me how
an RBMK reactor core explodes.

Not a meltdown, an explosion.

I'd love to know.

I can't.

Are you stupid?

No.

Then why can't you?

I...

I don't see how it could explode...

But it did.

Enough!

I'll go up to the vent block roof.

From there, you can look right
down into reactor Building Four.

I'll see it with my own...

My own eyes.

I apologize.

Guards! Guards!

Get him to a medic, or the hospital!
Whatever he needs!

The feedwater.
Been around it all night.

You go, then.

What?

Go to the vent block roof
and report back what you see.

No.

No, I won't do that.

Of course you will.

You'll be fine.

You'll see.

Come on.

Okay.

Let's begin.

Leonid.

Leonid.

It's all the way, okay?

All the way open.

I'm sorry.

There's nothing to be sorry for.

I told you. We did nothing wrong.

But we did.

Get everyone in the infirmary up there.

Hello?

- Valery Legasov?
- Yes.

You are the Legasov who is
the First Deputy Director

of the Kurchatov Institute
of Atomic Energy?

- I am. Who am I speaking...
- This is Boris Shcherbina,

Deputy Chairman of
the Council of Ministers

and head of the Bureau
for Fuel and Energy.

There's been an accident
at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

How bad is it?

No, no need to panic.
There was a fire.

It's mostly put out.
The system control tank exploded.

"Control system tank."

And the core?

We've ordered them
to continuously pump water.

Yes, I see. Any contamination?

It's mild. The plant manager,
Bryukhanov, is reporting

3.6 roentgen per hour.

That's actually significant.
You should evacuate the...

You're an expert on
RBMK reactors, correct?

- Yes. I've studied...
- General Secretary Gorbachev

has appointed a committee
to manage the accident.

You're on it.

We'll convene at 2:00 this afternoon.

That late? Forgive me,
but don't you think,

given the amount of radiation,
that it would be...

Legasov, you're on this committee
to answer direct questions

about the function of an RBMK reactor,

if they should happen to arise.
Nothing else,

certainly not policy.
Do you understand?

Yes, of course. I didn't mean to...