Disaster at Chernobyl (English subs)

The Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities of the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere, which spread over much of the western USSR and Europe.

The Chernobyl disaster is the worst nuclear power plant accident in history in terms of cost and resulting deaths, and is one of only two classified as a level 7 event (the maximum classification) on the International Nuclear Event Scale (the other being the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011). The battle to contain the contamination and avert a greater catastrophe ultimately involved over 500,000 workers and cost an estimated 18 billion rubles. During the accident itself 31 people died, and long-term effects such as cancers and deformities are still being accounted for.

Chernobyl Disaster Documentary
From the meltdown to the coverup and the aftermath...
Quite a story

Many people have forgotten about Chernobyl, even though it has been mentioned in the light of Japan's Fukushima nightmare. Yes that is still ongoing, again little heard about it in the mainstream news. But this is about Chernobyl and the 500,000 Russian soldiers, miners and workers who worked BY HAND to remove the radioactive waste...

Two documentaries... one the accident, the cleanup and the aftermath, the second a revisit, into the tomb that sealed it, to see the current status. The sarcophagus that entombs it has gone 25 years past its designed limit and a new cover is needed, something that will outlast the Pyramids of Egypt

See the story presented by the news reporter who was literally in the air above it when it happened... and he had no idea the danger he was in.

Imagine moving by hand, with simple lead plated tied with ropes as your shielding, pieces of radioactive core material so hot it destroyed robots and a man could only be there 45 seconds at a time.

This incident ended the cold war. The Russians decided that dropping a bomb on someone just was to scary

This was the first I heard about the radioactive  cloud covering that much of Europe as well and the French denial.

At the end of the movie they briefly show the "Woodpecker" antenna array. That was near Chernobyl but they didn't cover the connection. Very odd that. Perhaps they meant that that project was also effected because they called it Chernobyl 2 in the video. Maybe it was close enough to be contaminated too, or they just shut it down. "Woodpecker' was not nuclear that I know of, unless they powered the antennas with a reactor...

More homework now

Russian Woodpecker
Duga radar array, Chenobyl, Ukraine
51°18'20.17"N, 30°04'02.60"E

"The Russian Woodpecker"  Duga Radar Array, Chenobyl, Ukraine

Inside Chernobyl's Sarcophagus - Russian scientists visit the inside and make some amazing discoveries as they risk their lives. Ed note: For the first time Western camera crews were allowed in (though reluctantly)

This episode won an Emmy. It covers the sarcophagus built to contain the remains of the destroyed reactor and the work of the Russian scientists, staff and soldiers who risked and continue to risk their lives in the clean-up operation.

"This file was digitized from a VHS recording of the program. The picture quality is fair, however, the sound track has some occasional static, especially towards the beginning.

I think this is the 1996 updated version of the original 1991 program and includes an extra 10 minutes of interviews with several of the original scientists. It is shorter than the 60 minutes described on the BBC website and may have been edited."