Chernobyl

Valery Legasov: 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 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 . 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 ten 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. Legasov: 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,

Chernobyl (miniseries), CC BY-SA 4.0

Aleksandr Akimov: Comrade Dyatlov? Comrade Dyatlov?! Anatoly Dyatlov: What just happened? Leonid Toptunov: I don't know. Vyacheslav Brazhnik: There's a fire in the turbine hall. Dyatlov: The turbine hall... The control system tank. Hydrogen. [addressing Akimov] You and Toptunov, you morons blew the tank. Toptunov: No, that's not-- Dyatlov: This is an emergency, everyone stay calm. Our first priority is to-- Valeriy Perevozchenko: It exploded! Dyatlov: We know. Akimov, are we cooling the reactor core? Akimov: We shut it down, but the control rods are still... They're not all the way in, I disengaged the clutch -- Dyatlov: Alright, I'll disconnect the servos from the standby console. [to two other engineers] You two, get the backup pumps running, we need water moving through the core, that is all that matters! Perevozchenko: There is no core! It exploded, the core exploded! Dyatlov: He's in shock, get him out of here. Perevozchenko: The lid is off. The stack is burning, I saw it. Dyatlov

Chernobyl (miniseries), CC BY-SA 4.0

Viktor Bryukhanov: [dryly] I take it the safety test was a failure. Anatoly Dyatlov: We have the situation under control. Nikolai Fomin: Under control? It doesn't look like it's under control. Bryukhanov: Shut up, Fomin. [to Dyatlov] 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. Dyatlov: No one can blame you for this, Director Bryukhanov Bryukhanov: Of course no one can blame me for this. How can I be responsible? I was sleeping. Tell me what happened. Quickly. Dyatlov: 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 and setting the roof on fire. Fomin: The tank is quite large, yes. It's the only logical explanation. Of course, Deputy Chief Engineer Dyatlov was d

Chernobyl (miniseries), CC BY-SA 4.0

Anatoly Dyatlov: I dropped the rods from the other panel. Aleksandr Akimov: They're still up. Dyatlov: What? Akimov: 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. Dyatlov: What about the pumps? Leonid Toptunov: I can't get through to Khodemchuk, the lines are down. Dyatlov: Fuck the phones and fuck Khodemchuk. Are the pumps on or not? Akimov: Stolyarchuk? Boris Stolyarchuk: My control panel's not working. I tried calling for the electricians-- Dyatlov: 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! Dyatlov: What does the dosimeter say? Akimov: Ah, 3.6 roentgen, but that's as high as the meter-- Dyatlov: 3.6. Not great, not terrible. Akimov: [quietly, to Toptunov] We did everything right.

Chernobyl (miniseries), CC BY-SA 4.0

Dyatlov: What's wrong with you? How'd you get that number from feedwater leaking from a blown tank? Anatoly Sitnikov: You don't. Dyatlov: Then what the fuck are you talking about? Sitnikov: I... [clears throat] I walked around the exterior of building 4. I think there's graphite on the ground in the rubble. Dyatlov: You didn't see graphite. Sitnikov: I did. Dyatlov: You didn't. YOU DIDN'T! Because it's NOT THERE! Nikolai Fomin: What, are you suggesting the core... what? Exploded? Sitnikov: [almost a whisper] Yes. Fomin: 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. Sitnikov: I can't. Fomin: Are you stupid? Sitnikov: No. Fomin: Then why can't you? Sitnikov: I... [stammers] I don't see how it could explode. [Fomin looks satisfied] But it did. Dyatlov: [pounds the table, swaying on his feet] Enough! I'll go up to the vent block roof. From there, you can look right down into reactor buildin

Chernobyl (miniseries), CC BY-SA 4.0

Zharkov: I wonder how many of you know the name of this place. We all call it "Chernobyl", of course. What is its real name? Viktor Bryukhanov: The Vladimir I. Lenin Nuclear Power Station. Zharkov: Exactly. Vladimir I. Lenin. [points to the image of Lenin on the nearby wall] And how proud he would be of you all tonight. Especially you, young man, 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

Chernobyl (miniseries), CC BY-SA 4.0