“We are dealing with something that has never occurred on this planet”
My husband and son just returned from Chernobyl last week – very taken with the 2 day tour and all the haunting sights. We all watched this series together this week. If you have not seen it yet – please do.
Among my friends, I have one of the first men who detected and reported the heightened radiation level in Sweden. He still remembers the chills along his spine in that moment. And I remember well when we all got the information from media. (The reindeer up north were forbidden food for many years after…) In February the same year, Olof Palme was murdered…Was this the beginning of the end of the world?
On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, Soviet Union suffered a massive explosion that released radioactive material across Belarus, Russia and Ukraine and as far as Scandinavia and western Europe. Chernobyl dramatizes the story of the 1986 accident, one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history, and the sacrifices made to save Europe from the unimaginable disaster.
The number of lives lost are estimated to somewhere between 4000 and 93000. The official number from Russia is 31.
It recieved a total of 10 Emmy Awards. Brilliant acting and as we all know – reality is more chilling than fiction. You cannot stop watching…despite the horrible scenes.
Craig Mazin and Johan Renck have created a masterpiece, in large part on the recollections of Pripyat locals, as told by Belarusian Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich in her book Voices from Chernobyl. Material also from the scientist Valery Legasov (superbly played by Jared Harris), the deputy director of the Kuchatov Institute brought in to aid cleanup efforts.
Watch it.
Contemplate the future, and the cost of lies.
Leya 
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Chernobyl was such an interesting, tragedy. It has created such beauty from it’s silence in the abandoned city. I often wonder what would happen if the people left, Chernobyl shows us a small picture of that. I wonder how much sickness escapes still.
I wonder too – but my son and husband went there this autumn, and they had many questions answered.
This is an incredible series, I agree. However, it gave me the feeling to NEVER EVER visit the site. How about you? Did you not join them on purpose or were you just busy?
Well, someone must take care of the dogs…but the main reason is I remember the disaster clearly. The chills down my spine, the aching hole in my chest. Like you I NEVER EVER wanted to visit the site.
I thought so. 🙂
I remember this time – surely a warning to us all!
Yes, we were all really chocked.
I have read and watched documentaries about it, the most horrible stories were those of the fire fighters who were sent in batches for days to pump out the radioactive water. I have heard a lot about the series from a lot of people now, will watch 🙂
Please do. Good for us all to keep in mind.
terrible disaster -informative post Thank you Friend Christine
Thank you for reading this, dear Anjum!
I will definitely watch this! I remember my sister in Germany stockpiling frozen vegetables right after this disaster. The Washington Post had a really good article with frightening photographs recently. You might find it interesting!
I will try to find it – thank you!
Chernobyl, the series really shook me. To think we came so close to a global catastrophe and everyone from humans to the lesser known animals suffered. This series was an eye opener and deserves all the lavish praise it can get.
I agree. And even if we thought we knew how bad it was, we did not know about how close to a global catastrophe.
Contemplate the future, indeed…
…hope we have one
Indeed
I watched it too
I watched all it