1 00:01:42,270 --> 00:01:44,021 You work too hard. 2 00:01:45,606 --> 00:01:47,149 Where is everyone? 3 00:01:47,275 --> 00:01:48,693 They refused to come in. 4 00:01:50,069 --> 00:01:51,237 Why? 5 00:01:51,529 --> 00:01:53,322 It's Saturday. 6 00:01:55,741 --> 00:01:56,909 Why did you come in? 7 00:01:56,993 --> 00:01:58,077 I work too hard. 8 00:01:58,494 --> 00:01:59,787 It's boiling in here. 9 00:02:14,677 --> 00:02:17,138 Eight milliroentgen. A leak? 10 00:02:17,221 --> 00:02:18,222 No. 11 00:02:19,682 --> 00:02:22,018 It would've gone off before. It's coming from outside. 12 00:02:22,768 --> 00:02:23,853 The Americans? 13 00:03:04,602 --> 00:03:05,895 Iodine-131. 14 00:03:07,063 --> 00:03:10,316 It's not military. It's uranium decay, U-235. 15 00:03:11,067 --> 00:03:12,068 Reactor fuel? 16 00:03:15,196 --> 00:03:17,948 Ignalina. Maybe, uh, 240 kilometers away. 17 00:03:27,792 --> 00:03:30,753 Yes, this is Ulana Khomyuk with the Institute of Nuclear... 18 00:03:32,171 --> 00:03:33,172 Looking for... 19 00:03:38,427 --> 00:03:40,763 - All right, stay calm. - Don't tell me to stay calm. 20 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,103 They're at four. It's not them. 21 00:03:47,770 --> 00:03:48,771 Who's the next closest? 22 00:03:49,313 --> 00:03:51,899 It's Chernobyl, but that's not possible. They're 400 kilometers away. 23 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:54,318 That's too far for eight milliroentgen. 24 00:03:54,402 --> 00:03:55,611 They'd have to be split open. 25 00:03:56,404 --> 00:03:57,655 Maybe they know something. 26 00:04:06,122 --> 00:04:07,957 - Iodine. - Could it be a waste dump? 27 00:04:08,707 --> 00:04:09,708 No. 28 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:11,585 We'd be seeing other isotopes. 29 00:04:12,378 --> 00:04:13,963 Nuclear test? Uh... 30 00:04:14,839 --> 00:04:15,881 New kind of bomb? 31 00:04:15,965 --> 00:04:17,883 We'd have heard. That's what half our people work on here. 32 00:04:20,553 --> 00:04:24,640 Something with the space program like a satellite or... 33 00:04:27,184 --> 00:04:28,352 No one's answering the phone. 34 00:04:49,665 --> 00:04:51,083 Get everyone started on an IV. 35 00:04:51,167 --> 00:04:52,168 We don't have enough. 36 00:04:52,251 --> 00:04:54,086 - All the children, then. - But we don't have enough! 37 00:04:54,170 --> 00:04:55,212 As many as you can! 38 00:04:55,838 --> 00:04:58,340 - Where's the old man? - He's set up a burn ward in 16. 39 00:05:13,314 --> 00:05:14,523 What are you doing? What is that? 40 00:05:14,690 --> 00:05:17,026 Milk. It's milk. Much better than water. 41 00:05:17,109 --> 00:05:18,486 No, no, no. Stop. Stop! 42 00:05:18,569 --> 00:05:19,570 What are you doing? 43 00:05:19,653 --> 00:05:20,905 These are radiation burns! 44 00:05:20,988 --> 00:05:22,615 Their clothes are contaminated! 45 00:05:23,157 --> 00:05:24,658 Help me! 46 00:05:26,118 --> 00:05:27,119 Get it all off. 47 00:05:28,787 --> 00:05:30,498 We're taking it down to the basement. 48 00:05:33,667 --> 00:05:35,127 He was a firefighter from Chernobyl. 49 00:05:35,211 --> 00:05:36,629 Can you stop pushing, please? 50 00:05:40,925 --> 00:05:42,009 We have our orders! 51 00:05:42,510 --> 00:05:44,470 - Disperse! - Hey, there! Get him! 52 00:05:47,056 --> 00:05:48,641 Why are you keeping us out here? 53 00:06:45,531 --> 00:06:46,532 Professor Legasov? 54 00:06:47,491 --> 00:06:48,534 Oh, no, not yet. 55 00:06:49,118 --> 00:06:51,453 They're finishing up some other business. It'll be a few more minutes. 56 00:06:51,537 --> 00:06:52,580 Can I get you some tea? 57 00:06:52,663 --> 00:06:54,039 No, I'm fine. Thank you. 58 00:06:54,123 --> 00:06:55,958 Would you care to read Deputy Chairman Shcherbina's report 59 00:06:56,041 --> 00:06:57,042 while you're waiting? 60 00:06:57,126 --> 00:06:58,294 Certainly. Thank you. 61 00:07:58,437 --> 00:08:00,022 All right, Professor. They're ready. 62 00:08:01,815 --> 00:08:03,442 Professor Legasov? 63 00:08:28,926 --> 00:08:30,094 You have my support. 64 00:08:37,393 --> 00:08:39,311 Thank you all for your duty to this commission. 65 00:08:39,395 --> 00:08:42,398 We will begin with Deputy Chairman Shcherbina's briefing, 66 00:08:42,481 --> 00:08:45,943 and then, we will discuss next steps if necessary. 67 00:08:46,235 --> 00:08:48,112 Thank you, comrade General Secretary. 68 00:08:48,195 --> 00:08:52,533 I'm pleased to report that the situation in Chernobyl is stable. 69 00:08:52,616 --> 00:08:55,411 Military and civilian patrols have secured the region, 70 00:08:55,494 --> 00:08:57,371 and Colonel General Pikalov, 71 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:00,791 who commands troops specializing in chemical hazards, 72 00:09:00,874 --> 00:09:02,710 has been dispatched to the plant. 73 00:09:03,043 --> 00:09:04,378 In terms of radiation, 74 00:09:04,461 --> 00:09:08,674 plant director Bryukhanov reports no more than 3.6 roentgen. 75 00:09:09,091 --> 00:09:11,635 I'm told it's the equivalent of a chest X-ray. 76 00:09:11,719 --> 00:09:14,263 So if you're overdue for a check-up... 77 00:09:14,638 --> 00:09:16,724 - And foreign press? - Totally unaware. 78 00:09:17,433 --> 00:09:19,810 KGB First Deputy Chairman Charkov assures me 79 00:09:19,893 --> 00:09:22,563 that we have successfully protected our security interests. 80 00:09:23,147 --> 00:09:25,232 Good. Very good. 81 00:09:25,649 --> 00:09:27,985 Well, it seems like it's well in hand, so... 82 00:09:29,445 --> 00:09:31,905 If there's nothing else, meeting adjourned. 83 00:09:33,198 --> 00:09:34,199 No! 84 00:09:37,161 --> 00:09:38,162 Pardon me? 85 00:09:39,204 --> 00:09:40,873 Uh, we can't adjourn. 86 00:09:41,498 --> 00:09:43,834 This is Professor Legasov of the Kurchatov Institute. 87 00:09:44,251 --> 00:09:45,836 Professor, if you have any concerns, 88 00:09:45,919 --> 00:09:47,713 feel free to address them with me later. 89 00:09:47,796 --> 00:09:50,716 I can't. I am sorry. I'm so sorry. 90 00:09:51,675 --> 00:09:55,304 Page three, the section on casualties. Uh... 91 00:09:56,263 --> 00:09:59,183 "A fireman was severely burned on his hand 92 00:09:59,266 --> 00:10:01,602 "by a chunk of smooth, black mineral 93 00:10:01,685 --> 00:10:04,188 "on the ground, outside the reactor building." 94 00:10:04,271 --> 00:10:06,106 Smooth, black mineral, graphite. 95 00:10:06,190 --> 00:10:08,025 There's graphite on the ground. 96 00:10:10,986 --> 00:10:13,989 Well, there was a tank explosion. There's debris. 97 00:10:14,364 --> 00:10:15,532 Of what importance that could be... 98 00:10:15,616 --> 00:10:19,203 There's only one place in the entire facility where you will find graphite. 99 00:10:19,286 --> 00:10:20,370 Inside the core. 100 00:10:20,454 --> 00:10:22,122 If there's graphite on the ground outside, 101 00:10:22,206 --> 00:10:24,374 it means it wasn't a control system tank that exploded. 102 00:10:24,458 --> 00:10:26,752 It was the reactor core. It's open! 103 00:10:30,047 --> 00:10:31,048 Um... 104 00:10:31,757 --> 00:10:32,841 Comrade Shcherbina? 105 00:10:32,925 --> 00:10:34,885 Comrade General Secretary, I can assure you 106 00:10:34,968 --> 00:10:36,470 that Professor Legasov is mistaken. 107 00:10:37,054 --> 00:10:39,389 Bryukhanov reports that the reactor core is intact. 108 00:10:39,556 --> 00:10:41,975 - And as for the radiation... - Yes, 3.6 roentgen, 109 00:10:42,059 --> 00:10:44,520 which, by the way, is not the equivalent of one chest X-ray, 110 00:10:44,603 --> 00:10:46,897 but rather 400 chest X-rays. 111 00:10:46,980 --> 00:10:49,316 That number's been bothering me for a different reason, though. 112 00:10:49,817 --> 00:10:53,153 It's also the maximum reading on low-limit dosimeters. 113 00:10:53,237 --> 00:10:55,322 They gave us the number they had. 114 00:10:56,156 --> 00:10:58,951 I think the true number is much, much higher. 115 00:10:59,034 --> 00:11:01,620 If I'm right, this fireman was holding the equivalent 116 00:11:01,703 --> 00:11:04,164 of four million chest X-rays in his hand. 117 00:11:04,248 --> 00:11:06,542 Professor Legasov, there's no place for alarmist hysteria... 118 00:11:06,625 --> 00:11:08,085 It's not alarmist if it's a fact! 119 00:11:08,168 --> 00:11:10,546 Well, I don't hear any facts at all. 120 00:11:11,755 --> 00:11:14,383 All I hear is a man I don't know 121 00:11:14,466 --> 00:11:17,553 engaging in conjecture in direct contradiction 122 00:11:17,636 --> 00:11:19,638 to what has been reported by party officials. 123 00:11:19,972 --> 00:11:22,099 I'm, uh... I apologize. 124 00:11:23,183 --> 00:11:25,143 I didn't mean, uh... 125 00:11:25,811 --> 00:11:29,398 Please, may I express my concern 126 00:11:29,481 --> 00:11:32,901 as calmly and as respectfully as I... 127 00:11:32,985 --> 00:11:35,696 - Professor Legasov... - Boris. 128 00:11:36,655 --> 00:11:37,698 I will allow it. 129 00:11:47,416 --> 00:11:48,750 Um... 130 00:11:50,878 --> 00:11:52,629 An RBMK reactor 131 00:11:53,630 --> 00:11:57,259 uses uranium-235 as fuel. 132 00:11:58,427 --> 00:12:02,389 Every atom of U-235 is like a bullet 133 00:12:03,056 --> 00:12:05,183 traveling at nearly the speed of light, 134 00:12:05,434 --> 00:12:07,603 penetrating everything in its path, 135 00:12:07,686 --> 00:12:09,771 woods, metal, concrete, flesh. 136 00:12:11,189 --> 00:12:14,151 Every gram of U-235 holds 137 00:12:14,234 --> 00:12:17,195 over a billion trillion of these bullets. 138 00:12:17,279 --> 00:12:18,822 That's in one gram. 139 00:12:18,906 --> 00:12:21,909 Now, Chernobyl holds over three million grams, 140 00:12:21,992 --> 00:12:23,452 and right now, it is on fire. 141 00:12:24,912 --> 00:12:29,041 Winds will carry radioactive particles across the entire continent, 142 00:12:29,499 --> 00:12:31,084 rain will bring them down on us. 143 00:12:31,168 --> 00:12:34,296 That's three million billion trillion bullets 144 00:12:34,379 --> 00:12:37,841 in the... In the air we breathe, 145 00:12:38,258 --> 00:12:40,761 the water we drink, the food we eat. 146 00:12:43,347 --> 00:12:46,725 Most of these bullets will not stop firing for 100 years. 147 00:12:47,809 --> 00:12:50,812 Some of them, not for 50,000 years. 148 00:12:51,104 --> 00:12:53,815 Yes, and this concern 149 00:12:54,942 --> 00:12:58,445 stems entirely from the description of a rock? 150 00:13:03,158 --> 00:13:04,159 Yes. 151 00:13:06,828 --> 00:13:07,829 Hmm. 152 00:13:11,375 --> 00:13:12,376 Comrade Shcherbina... 153 00:13:14,044 --> 00:13:15,754 I want you to go to Chernobyl. 154 00:13:16,630 --> 00:13:18,590 You take a look at the reactor, you personally, 155 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:20,717 and you report directly back to me. 156 00:13:20,926 --> 00:13:23,178 A wise decision, comrade General Secretary... 157 00:13:23,261 --> 00:13:24,888 And take Professor Legasov with you. 158 00:13:26,598 --> 00:13:27,891 Uh... 159 00:13:28,225 --> 00:13:31,144 Forgive me, comrade General Secretary, but I... 160 00:13:31,228 --> 00:13:33,188 Do you know how a nuclear reactor works? 161 00:13:35,649 --> 00:13:36,984 - No. - No. 162 00:13:37,067 --> 00:13:39,027 Well, then how will you know what you're looking at? 163 00:13:40,404 --> 00:13:41,571 Meeting adjourned. 164 00:14:41,381 --> 00:14:42,966 How does a nuclear reactor work? 165 00:14:43,050 --> 00:14:45,302 - What? - It's a simple question. 166 00:14:47,304 --> 00:14:49,181 It's hardly a simple answer. 167 00:14:49,264 --> 00:14:52,517 Of course, you presume I'm too stupid to understand. 168 00:14:53,351 --> 00:14:56,646 So I'll restate. Tell me how a nuclear reactor works, 169 00:14:56,730 --> 00:14:59,274 or I'll have one of these soldiers throw you out of the helicopter. 170 00:15:09,785 --> 00:15:13,121 A nuclear reactor makes electricity with steam. 171 00:15:13,663 --> 00:15:16,583 The steam turns a turbine which generates electricity. 172 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:18,543 Where a typical power plant 173 00:15:19,086 --> 00:15:20,879 makes steam by burning coal, 174 00:15:21,254 --> 00:15:22,923 a nuclear plant... 175 00:15:28,470 --> 00:15:32,516 In a nuclear plant, we use something called fission. 176 00:15:34,142 --> 00:15:38,814 We take an unstable element like uranium-235, 177 00:15:39,564 --> 00:15:41,566 which has too many neutrons. 178 00:15:41,650 --> 00:15:43,568 - A neutron is, uh... - The bullet. 179 00:15:45,946 --> 00:15:47,614 Yes, the bullet. 180 00:15:48,740 --> 00:15:51,576 So, bullets are flying off of uranium. 181 00:15:51,660 --> 00:15:52,661 Now, 182 00:15:52,744 --> 00:15:57,374 if we put enough uranium atoms close together, 183 00:15:58,250 --> 00:16:01,670 the bullets from one atom will eventually strike another atom. 184 00:16:02,546 --> 00:16:05,590 The force of this impact splits that atom apart, 185 00:16:05,674 --> 00:16:08,760 releasing a tremendous amount of energy, fission. 186 00:16:09,136 --> 00:16:11,763 - And the graphite? - Ah... Yes. 187 00:16:12,097 --> 00:16:15,934 The neutrons are actually traveling so fast, we call this "flux." 188 00:16:16,309 --> 00:16:18,812 It's relatively unlikely that the uranium atoms 189 00:16:18,937 --> 00:16:20,188 will ever hit one another. 190 00:16:21,022 --> 00:16:25,694 In RBMK reactors, we surround the fuel rods with graphite 191 00:16:25,777 --> 00:16:29,948 to moderate, slow down, the neutron flux. 192 00:16:33,994 --> 00:16:35,036 Good. 193 00:16:35,996 --> 00:16:38,290 I know how a nuclear reactor works. 194 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:41,918 Now I don't need you. 195 00:17:01,771 --> 00:17:03,607 Can you help me? I need to find my husband. 196 00:17:03,690 --> 00:17:04,733 No. Not now. 197 00:17:09,196 --> 00:17:10,405 - Mikhail! - Lyudmilla. 198 00:17:10,488 --> 00:17:12,115 Take her. 199 00:17:12,449 --> 00:17:14,201 Take her away from here, please. 200 00:17:14,284 --> 00:17:16,953 Get away from them! You want to get sick? Go! 201 00:17:17,120 --> 00:17:18,413 Please take her, please take her. 202 00:17:18,496 --> 00:17:19,831 Please take her, please. 203 00:17:19,915 --> 00:17:22,042 Please! Please! 204 00:17:22,375 --> 00:17:23,960 Please take her! 205 00:17:28,048 --> 00:17:29,174 Um... 206 00:17:29,674 --> 00:17:32,260 Excuse me, I am Vasily Ignatenko's wife. 207 00:17:32,594 --> 00:17:34,846 He's a fireman. Ignatenko. 208 00:17:36,598 --> 00:17:39,267 Ignatenko, Sixth Paramilitary Fire and Rescue Unit. 209 00:17:39,351 --> 00:17:41,645 I need to find him. Please. 210 00:17:45,565 --> 00:17:47,025 Ignatenko... 211 00:17:47,108 --> 00:17:49,319 He's being transported by helicopter to Moscow. 212 00:17:49,819 --> 00:17:50,946 Hospital number six. 213 00:17:51,488 --> 00:17:53,573 Why, is he all right? Can I see him? 214 00:17:53,657 --> 00:17:55,033 You want to see him? Go to Moscow. 215 00:17:55,492 --> 00:17:57,160 But they're not letting us leave here. 216 00:18:00,163 --> 00:18:01,623 Tell them Major Burov allows it. 217 00:18:03,875 --> 00:18:05,377 When are they taking him? 218 00:18:06,253 --> 00:18:07,254 Now. 219 00:18:38,159 --> 00:18:39,577 We're approaching the power plant. 220 00:18:45,959 --> 00:18:47,168 What have they done? 221 00:18:48,962 --> 00:18:50,130 Can you see inside? 222 00:18:50,547 --> 00:18:51,756 I don't have to. 223 00:18:52,924 --> 00:18:55,760 Look. That's graphite on the roof. 224 00:18:55,844 --> 00:18:58,013 The whole building's been blown open. 225 00:18:58,096 --> 00:18:59,472 The core's exposed! 226 00:18:59,556 --> 00:19:01,433 I can't see how you can tell that from here. 227 00:19:01,516 --> 00:19:03,893 For God's sakes. Look at that glow! 228 00:19:04,519 --> 00:19:07,063 That's radiation ionizing the air! 229 00:19:07,272 --> 00:19:08,982 Well, if we can't see, we don't know. 230 00:19:09,232 --> 00:19:10,483 Get us directly over the building! 231 00:19:10,567 --> 00:19:11,985 - Boris... - Don't use my name! 232 00:19:12,068 --> 00:19:14,612 If we fly directly over an open reactor, we'll be dead within a week! 233 00:19:14,696 --> 00:19:15,739 Dead! 234 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:18,325 Sir? 235 00:19:18,408 --> 00:19:21,244 Get us over that building, or I'll have you shot! 236 00:19:25,749 --> 00:19:27,667 If you fly directly over that core, I promise you, 237 00:19:27,751 --> 00:19:29,461 by tomorrow morning, you'll be begging for that bullet. 238 00:20:18,134 --> 00:20:19,844 Perhaps if you came back another day. 239 00:20:25,141 --> 00:20:26,643 Just wonderful. 240 00:20:27,727 --> 00:20:29,312 Deputy Secretary Garanin. 241 00:20:30,522 --> 00:20:34,234 Ulana Khomyuk of the Byelorussian Institute for Nuclear Energy. 242 00:20:34,401 --> 00:20:35,402 What a pleasure. 243 00:20:35,819 --> 00:20:37,946 - Let me introduce... - I'm here about Chernobyl. 244 00:20:40,698 --> 00:20:41,908 Such a lovely time. 245 00:20:42,575 --> 00:20:44,828 - Visit again, soon. - I will. Thank you. 246 00:20:57,757 --> 00:21:00,510 I must tell you, this is why no one likes scientists. 247 00:21:01,302 --> 00:21:03,388 When we have a disease to cure, where are they? 248 00:21:03,721 --> 00:21:07,100 In a lab, noses in their books, and so Grandma dies. 249 00:21:07,725 --> 00:21:10,228 But when there isn't a problem, they're everywhere, spreading fear. 250 00:21:10,311 --> 00:21:11,729 I know about Chernobyl. 251 00:21:11,813 --> 00:21:12,981 Oh? 252 00:21:13,064 --> 00:21:15,900 I know that the core is either partially or completely exposed. 253 00:21:15,984 --> 00:21:18,319 - Whatever that means. - And that if you don't immediately 254 00:21:18,403 --> 00:21:21,114 issue iodine tablets and then evacuate this city, 255 00:21:21,197 --> 00:21:23,450 hundreds of thousands of people are going to get cancer, 256 00:21:23,867 --> 00:21:25,618 and God knows how many more will die. 257 00:21:26,161 --> 00:21:27,203 Yes, very good. 258 00:21:27,996 --> 00:21:30,123 There has been an accident at Chernobyl, 259 00:21:30,206 --> 00:21:32,000 but I've been assured there is no problem. 260 00:21:32,333 --> 00:21:33,835 I'm telling you that there is. 261 00:21:34,377 --> 00:21:36,004 I prefer my opinion to yours. 262 00:21:36,796 --> 00:21:38,590 I'm a nuclear physicist. 263 00:21:39,841 --> 00:21:42,844 Before you were Deputy Secretary, you worked in a shoe factory. 264 00:21:44,345 --> 00:21:46,973 Yes, I worked in a shoe factory. 265 00:21:48,808 --> 00:21:50,059 And now, I'm in charge. 266 00:21:53,188 --> 00:21:54,689 "To the workers of the world." 267 00:22:17,712 --> 00:22:22,425 Stable iodine will keep your thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine. 268 00:22:23,927 --> 00:22:26,012 Take one a day for as long as they last. 269 00:22:26,804 --> 00:22:27,931 And go east. 270 00:22:28,890 --> 00:22:30,517 Get as far from Minsk as you can. 271 00:23:04,801 --> 00:23:05,802 It's overkill. 272 00:23:06,344 --> 00:23:08,471 Pikalov's showing off to make us look bad. 273 00:23:08,555 --> 00:23:10,598 It doesn't matter how it looks. 274 00:23:11,391 --> 00:23:13,184 Shcherbina is a pure bureaucrat, 275 00:23:13,768 --> 00:23:15,770 as stupid as he is pigheaded. 276 00:23:16,312 --> 00:23:18,273 We'll tell him the truth in the simplest terms possible. 277 00:23:18,356 --> 00:23:19,566 We'll be fine. 278 00:23:23,111 --> 00:23:24,112 Pikalov! 279 00:23:50,513 --> 00:23:53,182 Comrade Shcherbina, Chief Engineer Fomin, 280 00:23:53,266 --> 00:23:56,477 Colonel General Pikalov and I are honored at your arrival. 281 00:23:56,561 --> 00:23:57,895 Deeply, deeply honored. 282 00:23:58,187 --> 00:24:01,149 Naturally, we regret the circumstances of your visit, 283 00:24:01,232 --> 00:24:03,276 but, as you can see, we are making excellent progress 284 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:04,944 in containing the damage. 285 00:24:05,028 --> 00:24:10,033 We have begun our own inquiry into the cause of the accident, 286 00:24:10,116 --> 00:24:13,161 and I have a list of individuals 287 00:24:13,244 --> 00:24:15,496 who we believe are accountable. 288 00:24:38,394 --> 00:24:39,812 Professor Legasov, I understand 289 00:24:39,896 --> 00:24:42,190 you've been saying dangerous things. 290 00:24:42,273 --> 00:24:43,650 Very dangerous things. 291 00:24:44,025 --> 00:24:45,943 Apparently, our reactor core exploded. 292 00:24:47,028 --> 00:24:50,907 Please, tell me how an RBMK reactor core explodes. 293 00:24:53,284 --> 00:24:55,328 I'm not prepared to explain it at this time. 294 00:24:56,079 --> 00:24:58,456 As I presumed, he has no answer. 295 00:24:58,539 --> 00:25:00,833 It's disgraceful, really. 296 00:25:01,709 --> 00:25:04,295 To spread disinformation at a time like this. 297 00:25:10,802 --> 00:25:13,137 Why did I see graphite on the roof? 298 00:25:14,097 --> 00:25:15,723 Graphite is only found in the core, 299 00:25:15,807 --> 00:25:18,726 where it's used as a neutron flux moderator. 300 00:25:19,227 --> 00:25:20,269 Correct? 301 00:25:21,604 --> 00:25:25,149 Fomin, why did the Deputy Chairman see graphite on the roof? 302 00:25:26,234 --> 00:25:27,610 Well, that can't be. 303 00:25:28,986 --> 00:25:31,656 Comrade Shcherbina, my apologies, but graphite... 304 00:25:31,864 --> 00:25:32,907 That's not possible. 305 00:25:33,074 --> 00:25:35,159 Perhaps you saw burnt concrete. 306 00:25:35,243 --> 00:25:36,577 Now there you made a mistake, 307 00:25:37,203 --> 00:25:39,622 because I may not know much about nuclear reactors, 308 00:25:40,081 --> 00:25:41,374 but I know a lot about concrete. 309 00:25:42,333 --> 00:25:44,711 - Comrade, I assure you... - I understand. 310 00:25:45,586 --> 00:25:47,255 You think Legasov is wrong? 311 00:25:48,506 --> 00:25:49,716 How shall we prove it? 312 00:25:51,718 --> 00:25:53,886 Our high-range dosimeter just arrived. 313 00:25:55,012 --> 00:25:57,223 We could cover one of our trucks with lead shielding, 314 00:25:58,057 --> 00:25:59,684 mount the dosimeter on the front. 315 00:26:06,232 --> 00:26:08,901 Have one of your men get as close to the fire as he can. 316 00:26:09,569 --> 00:26:11,237 Give him every bit of protection you have. 317 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:14,824 But understand that even with lead shielding, it may not be enough. 318 00:26:17,326 --> 00:26:18,494 Then I'll do it myself. 319 00:26:23,958 --> 00:26:24,959 Good. 320 00:28:23,703 --> 00:28:24,745 He's back. 321 00:28:54,483 --> 00:28:55,651 It's not three roentgen. 322 00:28:56,485 --> 00:28:57,486 It's 15,000. 323 00:28:58,863 --> 00:29:00,156 Comrade Shcherbina... 324 00:29:01,324 --> 00:29:02,825 What does that number mean? 325 00:29:02,909 --> 00:29:04,827 It means the core is open. 326 00:29:05,536 --> 00:29:07,663 It means the fire we're watching with our own eyes 327 00:29:07,747 --> 00:29:09,290 is giving off nearly twice the radiation 328 00:29:09,373 --> 00:29:11,125 released by the bomb in Hiroshima. 329 00:29:11,208 --> 00:29:13,044 And that's every single hour. 330 00:29:13,127 --> 00:29:16,088 Hour after hour, 20 hours since the explosion, 331 00:29:16,172 --> 00:29:17,798 so 40 bombs' worth by now. 332 00:29:18,049 --> 00:29:19,216 Forty-eight more tomorrow. 333 00:29:19,508 --> 00:29:22,053 And it will not stop. Not in a week, not in a month. 334 00:29:22,136 --> 00:29:23,679 It will burn and spread its poison 335 00:29:23,763 --> 00:29:25,848 until the entire continent is dead. 336 00:29:29,685 --> 00:29:31,896 Please escort Comrades Bryukhanov and Fomin 337 00:29:31,979 --> 00:29:33,522 to the local party headquarters. 338 00:29:34,357 --> 00:29:35,816 - Thank you for your service. - Comrade... 339 00:29:35,900 --> 00:29:37,068 You're excused. 340 00:29:37,944 --> 00:29:39,570 Dyatlov was in charge. 341 00:29:41,197 --> 00:29:42,490 It was Dyatlov! 342 00:29:42,949 --> 00:29:45,534 - Tell me how to put it out. - We'll use helicopters. 343 00:29:45,785 --> 00:29:47,370 We'll drop water on it like a forest fire. 344 00:29:47,453 --> 00:29:50,164 No, no, no. You don't understand. This isn't a fire. 345 00:29:51,082 --> 00:29:55,002 This is a fissioning reactor core burning at over 2,000 degrees. 346 00:29:55,086 --> 00:29:56,796 The heat will instantly vaporize the water... 347 00:29:56,879 --> 00:29:58,089 How do we put it out? 348 00:30:01,342 --> 00:30:03,344 You are dealing with something 349 00:30:03,427 --> 00:30:07,348 that has never occurred on this planet before. 350 00:30:09,850 --> 00:30:10,851 Boron. 351 00:30:12,395 --> 00:30:13,854 Boron and sand. 352 00:30:14,772 --> 00:30:17,316 Well, that'll create problems of its own, 353 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:19,110 but I don't see any other way. 354 00:30:19,860 --> 00:30:21,654 Of course, it's going to take thousands of drops, 355 00:30:21,737 --> 00:30:24,323 because you can't fly the helicopters directly over the core, 356 00:30:24,407 --> 00:30:25,992 so most of it is going to miss. 357 00:30:26,075 --> 00:30:28,244 - How much sand and boron? - Well, I can't be... 358 00:30:28,327 --> 00:30:31,664 - For God's sake, roughly! - Five thousand tons. 359 00:30:32,456 --> 00:30:35,209 And obviously, we're going to need to evacuate an enormous area... 360 00:30:35,292 --> 00:30:36,919 Never mind that. Focus on the fire. 361 00:30:37,003 --> 00:30:39,046 I am focusing on the fire. 362 00:30:39,672 --> 00:30:43,050 The wind, it's carrying all that smoke. 363 00:30:44,093 --> 00:30:45,636 All that radiation. 364 00:30:46,053 --> 00:30:48,889 At least evacuate Pripyat. It's three kilometers away. 365 00:30:48,973 --> 00:30:51,017 - That's my decision to make. - Then make it. 366 00:30:51,100 --> 00:30:53,811 - I've been told not to. - Is it or is not your decision? 367 00:30:53,894 --> 00:30:55,062 I'm in charge here! 368 00:30:55,688 --> 00:30:57,314 This will go much easier if you talk to me 369 00:30:57,398 --> 00:30:58,691 about the things you do understand 370 00:30:58,774 --> 00:31:00,860 and not about the things you do not understand. 371 00:31:05,364 --> 00:31:06,657 Where are you going? 372 00:31:06,741 --> 00:31:09,952 I'm going to get you 5,000 tons of sand and boron. 373 00:31:18,419 --> 00:31:19,670 There's a hotel. 374 00:32:16,393 --> 00:32:17,645 I'd prefer one of those. 375 00:32:26,445 --> 00:32:28,030 Superstitious? 376 00:32:37,123 --> 00:32:38,833 Moscow? 377 00:32:42,336 --> 00:32:44,213 Are you here because of the fire? 378 00:32:49,093 --> 00:32:51,512 Anything we should be worried about? 379 00:32:56,767 --> 00:32:57,810 No. 380 00:34:03,334 --> 00:34:05,920 We're in position. Approaching drop. 381 00:34:07,254 --> 00:34:08,589 Clear to proceed. 382 00:34:10,549 --> 00:34:13,761 Copy. We'll go one by one in rotation. 383 00:34:18,933 --> 00:34:20,726 Remind them about the perimeter. 384 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:26,607 They cannot fly directly over the fire. 385 00:34:26,690 --> 00:34:29,109 A minimum of a ten-meter perimeter. 386 00:34:29,193 --> 00:34:30,402 Ten-meterperimeter. Copy. 387 00:34:30,736 --> 00:34:34,281 Lead One, perpre-flight, maintain minimum ten-meterperimeter. 388 00:34:34,823 --> 00:34:35,866 Copy that. 389 00:34:35,950 --> 00:34:39,453 Forty meters, 35, 30... 390 00:34:43,457 --> 00:34:44,458 No, no, no. 391 00:34:44,541 --> 00:34:46,293 They're too close. 392 00:34:46,377 --> 00:34:48,128 If they can't get over the fire, how are they supposed... 393 00:34:48,212 --> 00:34:49,755 The wind will have to carry it. 394 00:34:49,838 --> 00:34:52,466 Tell them, they cannot go over the core. 395 00:34:55,094 --> 00:34:56,303 Lead One is too close. 396 00:34:56,387 --> 00:34:58,806 I repeat, they are too close. 397 00:34:58,889 --> 00:35:00,140 Copy. 398 00:35:00,975 --> 00:35:03,102 Lead One, you are inside the perimeter. 399 00:35:03,936 --> 00:35:07,189 Did not copy. Signal's breaking up. 400 00:35:08,983 --> 00:35:10,025 Lead One? 401 00:35:11,485 --> 00:35:12,486 Do you copy? 402 00:35:13,445 --> 00:35:14,822 Lead One, do you copy? 403 00:35:15,823 --> 00:35:17,700 Lead One, come in. 404 00:35:17,783 --> 00:35:19,535 Do you copy, Lead One? 405 00:35:19,618 --> 00:35:20,786 Lead One! 406 00:35:39,346 --> 00:35:41,473 Sir? What do I tell the others? 407 00:35:44,184 --> 00:35:46,103 Is there any other way, Legasov? 408 00:35:54,695 --> 00:35:55,863 Send the next one in. 409 00:35:58,073 --> 00:35:59,658 Tell them to approach from the west. 410 00:36:00,826 --> 00:36:03,912 Lead Two, approach from the west. 411 00:36:25,225 --> 00:36:27,186 Kurchatov Institute Laboratory Four. 412 00:36:27,936 --> 00:36:31,648 Marina Gruzinskaya, it's Ulana Khomyuk from Minsk. 413 00:36:34,193 --> 00:36:35,194 Oh, yes. 414 00:36:35,277 --> 00:36:37,821 How nice of you to phone. It's been too long. 415 00:36:37,905 --> 00:36:39,031 It has. 416 00:36:39,114 --> 00:36:41,742 I was actually calling about our friend. 417 00:36:41,825 --> 00:36:44,078 - You know, the one in the country. - Oh, yes, of course. 418 00:36:44,161 --> 00:36:47,706 I wanted to see how he's doing. It's so hot there right now. 419 00:36:47,790 --> 00:36:50,250 Yes, it's extremely hot, 420 00:36:50,334 --> 00:36:51,835 but his nephews are flying down, 421 00:36:51,919 --> 00:36:53,837 and they always bring cool weather. 422 00:36:53,921 --> 00:36:55,339 Oh, which nephews? 423 00:36:56,507 --> 00:36:59,760 Simka, who's 14, and little Boris, who's five. 424 00:37:00,302 --> 00:37:01,678 Well, that's wonderful. 425 00:37:01,762 --> 00:37:03,639 Though children can make you even hotter 426 00:37:03,722 --> 00:37:05,307 when they're crawling all over you. 427 00:37:05,391 --> 00:37:06,642 Maybe I should visit them. 428 00:37:06,725 --> 00:37:08,852 No, they don't want visitors. 429 00:37:08,936 --> 00:37:11,021 I'm sorry, um, I have to get back to work. 430 00:37:11,105 --> 00:37:13,023 It's very busy right now. Goodbye. 431 00:37:16,402 --> 00:37:18,737 They're dropping sand and boron on the fire. 432 00:37:19,947 --> 00:37:21,031 It's what I would do. 433 00:37:23,158 --> 00:37:24,993 Yes, I'm sure it is. 434 00:37:47,349 --> 00:37:48,559 Where are you going? 435 00:37:49,643 --> 00:37:50,644 Chernobyl. 436 00:37:58,986 --> 00:38:01,822 It's been smooth. Twenty drops. 437 00:38:07,494 --> 00:38:09,079 What? 438 00:38:11,665 --> 00:38:15,335 There are 50,000 people in this city. 439 00:38:16,628 --> 00:38:19,923 Professor Ilyin, who's also on the commission, 440 00:38:20,007 --> 00:38:22,843 says the radiation isn't high enough to evacuate. 441 00:38:22,926 --> 00:38:25,095 Ilyin isn't a physicist. 442 00:38:25,179 --> 00:38:27,681 Well, he's a medical doctor. If he says it's safe, it's safe. 443 00:38:27,764 --> 00:38:30,267 - Not if they stay here. - We're staying here. 444 00:38:30,350 --> 00:38:33,687 Yes, we are, and we'll be dead in five years. 445 00:38:42,529 --> 00:38:44,907 I'm sorry, I... 446 00:38:44,990 --> 00:38:46,575 I'm sorry. 447 00:39:25,030 --> 00:39:27,115 Shcherbina. 448 00:39:37,543 --> 00:39:38,794 Thank you. 449 00:39:45,467 --> 00:39:49,263 A nuclear plant in Sweden has detected radiation 450 00:39:49,346 --> 00:39:52,391 and identified it as a byproduct of our fuel. 451 00:39:53,517 --> 00:39:55,894 The Americans took satellite photos. 452 00:39:57,271 --> 00:40:00,440 The reactor building, the smoke, the fire. 453 00:40:02,985 --> 00:40:04,695 The whole world knows. 454 00:40:11,702 --> 00:40:13,787 The wind has been blowing toward Germany. 455 00:40:15,747 --> 00:40:18,083 They're not letting children play outside 456 00:40:20,127 --> 00:40:21,587 in Frankfurt. 457 00:40:33,348 --> 00:40:34,391 Want a smoke? 458 00:40:50,782 --> 00:40:53,327 There has been a nuclear accident in the Soviet Union 459 00:40:53,410 --> 00:40:55,203 and the Soviets have admitted that it happened. 460 00:40:55,287 --> 00:40:56,663 The Soviet version is this, 461 00:40:56,788 --> 00:40:58,290 One of the atomic reactors 462 00:40:58,373 --> 00:41:01,627 at the Chernobyl Atomic Power Plant near the city of Kiev was damaged, 463 00:41:01,710 --> 00:41:03,545 and there is speculation in Moscow 464 00:41:03,629 --> 00:41:06,048 that people were injured and may have died. 465 00:41:06,131 --> 00:41:09,051 The Soviets may have been fairly quick to acknowledge the accident 466 00:41:09,134 --> 00:41:12,471 because evidence in the form of mild nuclear radiation 467 00:41:12,554 --> 00:41:16,016 had already reached beyond the Soviet borders to Scandinavia. 468 00:45:31,187 --> 00:45:34,107 I said turn around. This is a restricted zone. 469 00:45:34,190 --> 00:45:36,484 I'm from the Byelorussian Institute for Nuclear Energy. 470 00:45:36,568 --> 00:45:38,111 Do you have permission? 471 00:45:38,194 --> 00:45:40,697 Listen to me, I need to speak to someone urgently. 472 00:45:40,780 --> 00:45:41,990 Turn around right now, 473 00:45:42,073 --> 00:45:43,116 or I'll arrest you. 474 00:45:43,199 --> 00:45:47,037 If you arrest me, you should take me to the highest possible authority. 475 00:45:51,625 --> 00:45:54,169 We have to start a radiological survey. 476 00:45:54,252 --> 00:45:57,923 Sector by sector, on foot, dosimeters in hand. 477 00:45:59,883 --> 00:46:01,259 Are you all right? 478 00:46:04,054 --> 00:46:05,388 Of course. 479 00:46:06,848 --> 00:46:11,019 Comrades... The guards arrested this woman at the south checkpoint. 480 00:46:11,102 --> 00:46:12,687 I'd have put her in a cell... 481 00:46:12,771 --> 00:46:15,106 But he thought you should know that I know. 482 00:46:15,190 --> 00:46:17,150 I know that your reactor core is exposed. 483 00:46:17,233 --> 00:46:19,986 I know the graphite's on fire, the fuel is melting, 484 00:46:20,070 --> 00:46:22,197 and you're dropping sand and boron on it, 485 00:46:22,280 --> 00:46:25,200 which you probably thought was smart, but you've made a mistake. 486 00:46:25,283 --> 00:46:28,620 Ulana Yuriyvna Khomyuk, Chief Physicist, 487 00:46:28,703 --> 00:46:30,914 Byelorussian Institute for Nuclear Energy. 488 00:46:30,997 --> 00:46:34,417 And you are Valery Alexeyevich Legasov? 489 00:46:34,501 --> 00:46:36,836 Smothering the core will put the fire out, 490 00:46:36,920 --> 00:46:39,798 but the temperature will eventually increase... 491 00:46:39,881 --> 00:46:41,424 Believe me, I'm perfectly aware. 492 00:46:41,508 --> 00:46:43,551 But I estimate at least a month 493 00:46:43,635 --> 00:46:45,470 before it melts through the lower concrete pad, 494 00:46:45,553 --> 00:46:46,680 - which gives us time... - No. 495 00:46:46,763 --> 00:46:49,140 You don't have a month. You have approximately two days. 496 00:46:50,266 --> 00:46:51,434 Yes, 497 00:46:51,518 --> 00:46:53,520 the fuel would take a month 498 00:46:53,603 --> 00:46:55,605 to reach the concrete pad here. 499 00:46:56,064 --> 00:46:57,065 But first... 500 00:46:58,483 --> 00:47:01,695 it's going to burn through the biological shield here by Tuesday. 501 00:47:01,778 --> 00:47:03,238 And when it does, 502 00:47:03,321 --> 00:47:06,241 it's going to hit these tanks, bubbler pools, reservoirs... 503 00:47:06,324 --> 00:47:09,202 Reservoirs for the ECS. I understand your concern, 504 00:47:09,285 --> 00:47:11,413 but I confirmed it with plant personnel. 505 00:47:11,496 --> 00:47:13,790 - The tanks are nearly empty. - No, they were nearly empty. 506 00:47:15,041 --> 00:47:17,877 Each of these points here, here, 507 00:47:17,961 --> 00:47:20,588 and here all drain to the bubbler pools. 508 00:47:20,672 --> 00:47:23,341 I'm guessing that every pipe in the building ruptured. 509 00:47:23,425 --> 00:47:26,469 And then there are those fire engines that I saw on the way in. 510 00:47:26,553 --> 00:47:28,638 The fire hoses are still connected. 511 00:47:29,389 --> 00:47:32,100 They've been gushing water into the structure this whole time. 512 00:47:32,183 --> 00:47:33,476 The tanks are full. 513 00:47:34,978 --> 00:47:37,313 The tanks are full. 514 00:47:40,775 --> 00:47:43,486 From the Council of Ministers of the USSR. 515 00:47:43,820 --> 00:47:48,283 An accident has occurred at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station. 516 00:47:48,366 --> 00:47:51,578 One of the nuclear reactors has been damaged. 517 00:47:51,661 --> 00:47:55,331 Measures are being taken to address the consequences of the accident. 518 00:47:55,415 --> 00:47:58,043 Victims are receiving assistance. 519 00:47:58,126 --> 00:48:00,795 A government commission has been formed. 520 00:48:17,187 --> 00:48:21,399 I have 10 minutes, then I'm back on the phone 521 00:48:21,483 --> 00:48:24,402 apologizing to our friends, 522 00:48:24,486 --> 00:48:26,863 apologizing to our enemies. 523 00:48:27,947 --> 00:48:31,201 Our power comes from the perception of our power. 524 00:48:31,868 --> 00:48:34,913 Do you understand the damage this has done? 525 00:48:34,996 --> 00:48:37,040 Do you understand what's at stake? 526 00:48:39,375 --> 00:48:40,627 Boris. 527 00:48:43,171 --> 00:48:47,092 Professor Legasov will deliver our briefing. 528 00:48:49,302 --> 00:48:50,845 There is some good news. 529 00:48:50,929 --> 00:48:53,640 The air drops are working to douse the fire. 530 00:48:53,723 --> 00:48:57,519 There's been a reduction in radionuclide emissions, 531 00:48:57,602 --> 00:49:01,689 but the fire will not be extinguished for at least another two weeks. 532 00:49:04,234 --> 00:49:07,570 There is also an additional problem. 533 00:49:08,655 --> 00:49:10,490 Nuclear fuel doesn't turn cold 534 00:49:10,573 --> 00:49:13,284 simply because it is not on fire. 535 00:49:13,368 --> 00:49:14,661 In fact, the temperature will likely rise 536 00:49:14,744 --> 00:49:17,664 as a result of the blanket of sand we've dropped. 537 00:49:17,747 --> 00:49:20,583 The uranium will melt the sand, 538 00:49:20,667 --> 00:49:22,544 creating a kind of lava 539 00:49:22,627 --> 00:49:25,755 which will begin to melt down through the shield below. 540 00:49:25,839 --> 00:49:27,507 You have made lava? 541 00:49:29,717 --> 00:49:31,678 I anticipated this. 542 00:49:33,721 --> 00:49:38,143 I believed there was time to reinforce this lower concrete pad 543 00:49:38,226 --> 00:49:41,354 before the lava reached the Earth and contaminated the groundwater. 544 00:49:41,437 --> 00:49:44,566 But as it turned out, I was worried about the wrong thing. 545 00:49:44,649 --> 00:49:46,359 Uh... 546 00:49:46,442 --> 00:49:49,988 It was my understanding that these large water tanks 547 00:49:50,071 --> 00:49:52,782 under the reactor were essentially empty. 548 00:49:52,866 --> 00:49:55,952 This is Ulana Khomyuk of the Byelorussian Institute. 549 00:49:56,035 --> 00:49:58,204 Thanks to her insight, we are now aware 550 00:49:58,288 --> 00:50:01,749 that the tanks are, in fact, full. 551 00:50:01,833 --> 00:50:05,378 Of water. Why is that a problem, Professor? 552 00:50:09,716 --> 00:50:11,509 When the lava enters these tanks, 553 00:50:11,593 --> 00:50:14,012 it will instantly superheat and vaporize 554 00:50:14,095 --> 00:50:17,765 approximately 7,000 cubic meters of water, 555 00:50:17,849 --> 00:50:21,227 causing a significant thermal explosion. 556 00:50:21,936 --> 00:50:23,563 How significant? 557 00:50:23,646 --> 00:50:27,400 We estimate between two and four megatons. 558 00:50:27,859 --> 00:50:30,445 Everything within a 30-kilometer radius 559 00:50:30,528 --> 00:50:32,447 will be completely destroyed, 560 00:50:32,530 --> 00:50:35,909 including the three remaining reactors at Chernobyl. 561 00:50:35,992 --> 00:50:39,370 The entirety of the radioactive material in all of the cores 562 00:50:39,454 --> 00:50:42,665 will be ejected at force 563 00:50:42,749 --> 00:50:44,792 and dispersed by a massive shock wave, 564 00:50:46,002 --> 00:50:48,129 which will extend 565 00:50:48,213 --> 00:50:51,049 approximately 200 kilometers 566 00:50:51,132 --> 00:50:54,177 and likely be fatal to the entire population of Kiev 567 00:50:54,260 --> 00:50:56,054 as well as a portion of Minsk. 568 00:50:56,638 --> 00:50:59,474 The release of radiation will be severe 569 00:50:59,557 --> 00:51:01,100 and will impact 570 00:51:01,184 --> 00:51:05,438 all of Soviet Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, 571 00:51:05,521 --> 00:51:09,943 Byelorussia, as well as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, 572 00:51:10,026 --> 00:51:12,320 Romania, and most of East Germany. 573 00:51:16,199 --> 00:51:18,993 What do you mean "impact?" 574 00:51:19,994 --> 00:51:22,580 For much of the area, a nearly permanent disruption 575 00:51:22,664 --> 00:51:24,374 of the food and water supply, 576 00:51:25,458 --> 00:51:28,294 a steep increase in the rates of cancer and birth defects. 577 00:51:28,378 --> 00:51:30,880 I don't know how many deaths there will be, but many. 578 00:51:31,798 --> 00:51:33,633 For Byelorussia and the Ukraine, 579 00:51:33,716 --> 00:51:36,386 "impact" means completely uninhabitable 580 00:51:36,469 --> 00:51:38,972 for a minimum of 100 years. 581 00:51:43,476 --> 00:51:46,813 There are more than 50 million people 582 00:51:46,896 --> 00:51:49,607 living in Byelorussia and Ukraine. 583 00:51:49,691 --> 00:51:51,651 Sixty, yes. 584 00:51:55,989 --> 00:51:57,740 And how long before this happens? 585 00:51:58,241 --> 00:52:00,618 Approximately 48 to 72 hours. 586 00:52:05,373 --> 00:52:07,625 But we may have a solution. 587 00:52:07,709 --> 00:52:09,669 We can pump the water from the tanks. 588 00:52:09,752 --> 00:52:12,922 Unfortunately, the tanks are sealed shut by a sluice gate, 589 00:52:13,006 --> 00:52:14,632 and the gate can only be opened 590 00:52:14,716 --> 00:52:16,676 manually from within the duct system itself. 591 00:52:16,759 --> 00:52:20,054 So, we need to find three plant workers 592 00:52:20,138 --> 00:52:22,557 who know the facility well enough to enter the basement, 593 00:52:22,640 --> 00:52:27,478 here, find their way through all these duct ways, 594 00:52:27,562 --> 00:52:29,939 get to the sluice gate valve here, 595 00:52:30,023 --> 00:52:34,277 and give us the access we need to pump out the tanks. 596 00:52:34,610 --> 00:52:37,238 Of course, we will need your permission. 597 00:52:37,530 --> 00:52:39,365 My permission for what? 598 00:52:39,449 --> 00:52:42,035 Uh, the water in these ducts, 599 00:52:42,118 --> 00:52:44,912 the level of radioactive contamination... 600 00:52:44,996 --> 00:52:46,789 They'll likely be dead in a week. 601 00:52:49,125 --> 00:52:52,670 We're asking for your permission to kill three men. 602 00:53:00,803 --> 00:53:02,472 Well... 603 00:53:02,555 --> 00:53:05,725 Comrade Legasov, 604 00:53:05,808 --> 00:53:08,478 all victories inevitably come at a cost. 605 00:54:34,105 --> 00:54:37,150 And open the sluice gate valve, here. 606 00:54:37,942 --> 00:54:41,946 The valve will be difficult to operate, so we'll need three men 607 00:54:42,029 --> 00:54:45,616 who will need to know the basement layout. 608 00:54:45,700 --> 00:54:49,495 And, of course, any volunteers will be rewarded. 609 00:54:49,996 --> 00:54:53,332 A yearly stipend of 400 rubles. 610 00:55:00,298 --> 00:55:05,052 And, uh, for those of you working in reactors one and two, promotions. 611 00:55:05,136 --> 00:55:08,931 Why are reactors one and two still operating at all? 612 00:55:09,474 --> 00:55:12,768 My friend was a security guard that night, and, uh, she's now dying. 613 00:55:13,352 --> 00:55:15,605 And we've all heard about the firemen. 614 00:55:15,688 --> 00:55:19,650 And now you want us to swim underneath a burning reactor? 615 00:55:20,318 --> 00:55:22,361 Do you even know how contaminated it is? 616 00:55:24,697 --> 00:55:26,532 I don't have an exact number. 617 00:55:26,616 --> 00:55:29,827 You don't need an exact number to know if it will kill us. 618 00:55:29,911 --> 00:55:31,162 But you can't even tell us that. 619 00:55:33,289 --> 00:55:35,625 Why should we do this? For what, 400 rubles? 620 00:55:39,253 --> 00:55:41,380 You'll do it because it must be done. 621 00:55:46,552 --> 00:55:49,096 You'll do it because nobody else can. 622 00:55:52,225 --> 00:55:55,811 And if you don't, millions will die. 623 00:55:57,063 --> 00:55:59,398 If you tell me that's not enough, I won't believe you. 624 00:56:01,234 --> 00:56:05,363 This is what has always set our people apart. 625 00:56:05,446 --> 00:56:08,366 A thousand years of sacrifice in our veins. 626 00:56:09,408 --> 00:56:11,869 And every generation must know its own suffering. 627 00:56:12,912 --> 00:56:15,998 I spit on the people who did this, 628 00:56:16,082 --> 00:56:18,000 and I curse the price I have to pay. 629 00:56:21,128 --> 00:56:25,091 But I'm making my peace with it, now you make yours. 630 00:56:25,633 --> 00:56:27,301 And go into that water. 631 00:56:29,845 --> 00:56:31,681 Because it must be done. 632 00:56:48,823 --> 00:56:50,283 Ananenko. 633 00:56:54,620 --> 00:56:56,080 Bezpalov. 634 00:57:01,043 --> 00:57:02,712 Baranov.