Area of ​​operations - Chernobyl

The documentary film "Area of ​​Operations - Chernobyl", filmed in 1987 by the film studio of the USSR Ministry of Defense, is a unique historical evidence of the first steps to eliminate the consequences of one of the largest man-made disasters of the 1986th century - the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The film immerses the viewer in the reality of the spring and summer of XNUMX, when thousands of military personnel and specialists were mobilized to eliminate the consequences of the radiation release.

The film focuses on the actions of chemical troops and other units of the Ministry of Defense, which had to not only enter the exclusion zone, but also organize large-scale decontamination, radiation reconnaissance, and technical cleanup of the territory. Through the camera lens, we see people in protective suits washing the asphalt, decontaminating contaminated equipment, working to cover the destroyed reactor, and performing many other dangerous tasks.

One of the film's main assets is its rare and authentic video footage shot directly at the scene of the events. Thanks to this, "Area of ​​Operations - Chernobyl" has become not only a chronicle, but also a kind of visual report on the courage and dedication of the liquidation participants. Many episodes are accompanied by a voice-over explaining the essence of the operations and work methods used in conditions of high radiation background.

The film pays special attention to the equipment used in the exclusion zone. The viewer can see unique engineering solutions and specially modified machines designed to work in extreme conditions. It also shows the medical and sanitary measures taken to protect personnel from radiation contamination.

The film "Area of ​​Operations - Chernobyl" is perceived today not only as a document of the era, but also as a reminder of the price that humanity pays for mistakes in handling nuclear energy. This powerful and honest work leaves a deep impression, allowing not only to learn more about the liquidation of the consequences of Chernobyl, but also to pay tribute to all those who participated in these tragic and heroic events.

Comments

[sidorov]

People have to pay not for mistakes, but for sins that lead to crimes.

Because, strangely enough, they do not understand and cannot grasp in their brains that breaking the law or even instructions is a crime. And not a mistake at all. And the people's troubles come from sins, not from mistakes.

We need to make another film about the trial of the guilty.

[Krasnoyarsk]

Quote: sidorov

We need to make another film about the trial of the guilty.

So they were judged. Their actions that led to the catastrophe were not intentional. An experiment was conducted.
They didn’t agree with me, but every feat has its culprit.
Although, as for the feat, I don’t know. We were doing our duty. A summons from the military registration and enlistment office arrived. And that’s it, we had to go. Did we know where we were going? We knew. Did we understand? Of course we understood. What could we do? We had to. And that’s it.

[Azim77]

Quote: Krasnoyarsk

An experiment was conducted.

The guilty ones are not those who conducted the experiment, but those who gave the assignment. Another place had to be found for such experiments. Nuclear weapons are tested at special testing sites, far from populated areas. The fact that the nuclear reaction at the NPP was called "peaceful" did not make the experiments much safer, they also had to be carried out far away. At a test facility, no matter how expensive it was. So that later they could really "peacefully" operate it, without experiments in populated areas.

[Krasnoyarsk]

Quote: Azim77

Nuclear weapons tests are carried out at special testing sites, far from populated areas.

At the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, they conducted an experiment not on the topic of nuclear weapons. But on the topic of chain reaction controllability under various conditions. At least, that's what I understood from the lectures on the topic of the disaster.

[Doctor]

At the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, they conducted an experiment not on the topic of nuclear weapons. But on the topic of chain reaction controllability under various conditions. At least, that's what I understood from the lectures on the topic of the disaster.

You must be joking. Or the "lecturers" were joking)).
No one in their right mind would allow experiments on “controllability of a chain reaction under various conditions” to be conducted at a regular industrial nuclear power plant.

The essence of the "experiment" is as simple as 3 kopecks.

The reactor was stopped for PLANNED repairs. Naturally, when stopped, the heating of water and the formation of steam, which turns the blades of the turbogenerators, stop.
When the reactor was shut down, they simply decided to measure how long the turbine flywheel would rotate by inertia and generate current.
In case of any emergency with electricity at the station, to know how much time they will have and whether it will be enough to turn on the reserve diesel engines.

That is the experiment was carried out not on a reactor, but on a turbogenerator. One of 8. In the neighboring building. By a team of turbine operators together with representatives of the Kharkov turbine plant.
It was called like this:
"Work program turbogenerator No. 8 of the Chernobyl NPP in joint rundown modes with the load of its own needs."

And it was held for the 4th time. And before that, in 1982, 1984, 1985, when other reactors were shut down, the 3rd, etc.

But this time the stars aligned differently. With the reactor, not with the experiment.

[Evgeny64]

Regarding the feat, this is absolutely spot on! We have always been taught that if someone performs a feat, it means that someone miscalculated something. Simply put, every feat is someone's... miscalculation This applies to both military and civilians.

[Doctor]

We need to make another film about the trial of the guilty.

The guilty were not tried.
The scapegoats, as always...

Result of the State Commission report:


"Defects in the design of the RBMK-1000 reactor, which was used at the 4th unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, predetermined the severe (catastrophic) consequences of the Chernobyl accident. The reason The Chernobyl disaster is a choice developers RBMK 1000 reactor concept, which, as it turned out, safety issues were not taken into account sufficiently, which resulted in physical and thermal-hydraulic characteristics of the reactor core that contradict the principles of creating dynamically stable safe systems. In accordance with the chosen concept, a reactor control and protection system that does not meet safety goals was designed. Physical and thermal-hydraulic characteristics of the reactor core that are unsatisfactory from a safety point of view were aggravated by errors made in the design of the control system.
The design, engineering and, accordingly, operational documentation did not indicate the possible consequences of operating a reactor with existing dangerous characteristics. The developers of the project at the highest level constantly asserted that the RBMK was the safest reactor, which dulled the sense of danger among personnel in relation to the control object, i.e., the reactor installation, required by the safety culture concept.
The developers of RBMK-1000 knew about such a dangerous property of the reactor they had created as the possibility of nuclear instability, but they were unable to quantitatively assess the possible consequences of its manifestation and protected themselves with regulatory restrictions, which, as practice has shown, turned out to be a very weak protection. This approach has nothing in common with safety culture. "

[Anton Yu]

Nonsense. The peculiarities of the RBMK-1000 became known after the accident at the Leningrad NPP. The Chernobyl NPP was not part of the Ministry of Medium Machine Building, like other stations, but was subordinate to the Ministry of Energy of the Ukrainian SSR. The station's personnel were poorly qualified and many of the station's employees did not have the necessary education. And the shutdown of all protection systems during the experiment is a complete disaster.

[Doctor]

Nonsense. The peculiarities of the RBMK-1000 became known after the accident at the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was not part of the Ministry of Medium Machine Building, like other stations, but was subordinate to the Ministry of Energy of the Ukrainian SSR.

It did. But no measures were taken. All NPPs with RBMK-100, except Leningrad - Ministry of Energy.

The station's staff was poorly trained and many station employees did not have the necessary education.

Checked. Conclusion:

"The works of the psychological industry research laboratory "Prognoz" of the USSR Ministry of Atomic Energy [66, 67, 68] obtained the results of the analysis of the personal and socio-psychological characteristics of the personnel of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant before and after the accident, which showed that the personal data of the operational personnel of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant did not have such differences from the data of the personnel of other stations that could have been the direct cause of the accident. And in general, the team of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 is characterized as quite ordinary, mature, formed, consisting of qualified specialists - at a level recognized in the country as satisfactory. The team was no better, but also no worse than the teams of other nuclear power plants."

And disabling all protection systems during the experiment is a complete disaster.

The State Commission checked. Conclusions:

"The Commission does not confirm the accusations of blocking the steam pressure protection in the BS, presented to the personnel in official materials."

"The Commission does not support the charges brought against the personnel regarding the withdrawal of protection to shut down the reactor when the recovery system of both turbines was closed."

"The personnel, in accordance with paragraph 2.15 of the work program [43], closed the manual valves of the SAOR, thereby disconnecting it from the MCC, as stated in the program, "in order to avoid the release of water into the MCC through all three subsystems of the SAOR."
However, the shutdown of the SACS did not affect the occurrence and development of the accident, since the chronology of the main events preceding the accident and the chronology of the development of the accident itself showed that no signals for the automatic activation of the SACS were recorded.

"Operations with setting values ​​and disabling technological protections and
blockings were not the cause of the accident, did not affect its scale. These actions had no relation to the emergency protection of the reactor itself (by power level, by its growth rate), which were not put out of operation by the personnel."

[Anton Yu]

Another Ukrainian rave.

[Doctor]

Another Ukrainian nonsense.

What Ukrainian, I see them everywhere.

This is the Report of the USSR State Industrial Supervision Commission of 1991 "On the causes and circumstances of the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on April 26, 1986."

http://molphys.ustu.ru/ЯдерныеРеакторыМатериалы/Литература/Авария%20на%20ЧАЭС/О%20причинах%20и%20обстоятельствах%20аварии%20на%204%20блоке%20ЧАЭС.pdf

[Vladimir Vladimirovich Vorontsov]

❝ 26 April - International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day ❞ —

— “Lord Jesus Christ, our God! Look upon all those who suffered from the Chernobyl disaster, do not let them be left homeless and without hope for the Future Life, grant them courage and faith in Your all-powerful help. Protect, Lord, future generations from serious illnesses and deformities, defend babies in their mothers’ wombs. And to all the incurably ill, departing from this world in mortal anguish, grant forgiveness and remission of sins and transgressions, and send Your Angels to receive their souls. Cleanse, Lord, with Your right hand the earth, air and water from the destructive consequences of the disaster that has occurred. Protect us through the prayers of our Most Pure Lady, the Mother of God, and all the saints.
Amen » © ...

[vovochkarzhevsky]

I wasn't among the liquidators. I was in Afghanistan. But many of my classmates were.
And the fact that the media is now lying that they didn't know what the threat was, is not true. They knew perfectly well, the outlook and education of Soviet people was higher than now.

[Maxim G]

Of course they knew.
For example, in the USSR documentaries about atomic energy were released.

I remember a film where the atom was compared to fire, that it can warm, but it can also burn.

[vovochkarzhevsky]

Of course they knew.
For example, in the USSR documentaries about atomic energy were released.

I remember a film where the atom was compared to fire, that it can warm, but it can also burn.

And about radiation sickness too. What makes it disgusting to listen to Russian propaganda when they try to present that the firefighters knew nothing and were used blindly.

[Maxim G]

And also on civil defense, there were classes with respirators, protective suits, dosimeters, time measurements, etc. right at school).

[Krasnoyarsk]

Quote: vovochkarzhevsky

Russian propaganda when they try to present that the firefighters knew nothing and were used blindly.

It's all nonsense. Everyone understood it perfectly, not necessarily that they knew all the nuances, but everyone knew perfectly well what the consequences would be. No one hid anything from them. Everyone understood that they had to do their duty. Words cannot explain it. It was probably an intuitive feeling that - it was NECESSARY. And they went and did what had to be done. Each in their place.

[vovochkarzhevsky]

It's all nonsense. Everyone understood it perfectly, not necessarily that they knew all the nuances, but everyone knew perfectly well what the consequences would be. No one hid anything from them. Everyone understood that they had to do their duty. Words cannot explain it. It was probably an intuitive feeling that - it was NECESSARY. And they went and did what had to be done. Each in their place.

Naturally, they understood and consciously sacrificed themselves. You should read carefully what is being discussed before you get indignant. It is propaganda today that distorts everything.

[Maxim G]

They understood, both those who went there and those who came later, at 12 o'clock, and not at 8)

[Cartographer]

Quote: vovochkarzhevsky

Of course they knew.
For example, in the USSR documentaries about atomic energy were released.

I remember a film where the atom was compared to fire, that it can warm, but it can also burn.

And about radiation sickness too. What makes it disgusting to listen to Russian propaganda when they try to present that the firefighters knew nothing and were used blindly.

They knew about radiation sickness, but they didn’t know the extent of the damage to the reactor or the radiation background.

[vovochkarzhevsky]

They knew about radiation sickness, but they didn’t know the extent of the damage to the reactor or the radiation background.

Who told you this? Seeing the active zone of the reactor, you don't have to be a prophet to understand what the background is there.

[vovochkarzhevsky]

Just a video.

[tank64rus]

Everyone knew or guessed. I myself worked on the liquidation of the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant for six months from July 27.071986, 5.01 to January 1987, 4. I went to Block 800 with volunteers. Everyone went voluntarily. True, young people and childless people were not taken to the reactor, this was the decision of the fighters themselves. It is interesting that the anniversary was stubbornly ignored by TV channels with rare exceptions. After all, XNUMX thousand people took part in the liquidation.

[Krasnoyarsk]

Quote: tank64rus

It is true that young people and childless people were not taken to the reactor; this was the decision of the fighters themselves.

I don't know when this decision was made, but it was a government decision. This decision removed all conscripts from the zone. "Partisans" were only called up by those who already had children.

[Minato2020]

Much has been written on this topic on the Internet.
For example -


APRIL 26, 1986

The reactor runaway that occurred on the night of April 26 was fundamentally impossible with normal fuel content. That is, if the fuel reactor had complied with regulations, such a reactor runaway would never have happened, and it would not have exploded.
Fuel of additional emergency composition, from nuclear submarines with large production of plutonium-239, was deliberately introduced into the active zone.
Information about this was openly published by nuclear physicist Nikolai Kravchuk. Nikolai Kravchuk graduated from the Department of Atomic Nucleus Theory of the Faculty of Atomic Nucleus Physics at Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov and the conclusions were reviewed by professor, doctor of technical sciences I.A. Kravets and doctor of physical and mathematical sciences V.A. Vyshinsky.

From April 1 to April 23, 1986, "the state of the reactor core changed significantly. Such changes did not occur by chance, but were the result of well-planned, pre-implemented actions," says Kravchuk: "The fourth block contained the maximum amount of radioactive materials up to 1500 Mci.
At the time of the tests, the reactor was in an extremely unstable state with power fluctuations. In addition, some reactor cells contained more highly enriched nuclear submarine fuel (plutonium-239).
A small part of the reactor core exploded as a result of the insertion of graphite rods to stop the reactor. Instead of decreasing the area of ​​activity, there was a sharp increase in activity at the initial stage of insertion of rods with abnormal fuel into the reactor, which was the technical cause of the explosion of the nuclear reactor.
The very fact of loading non-standard active elements created the conditions for the explosion of the station, and the shutdown of the reactor after the experiment became the trigger for the explosion. The emergency protection (AP) became the accelerating device.

Nikolai Checherov, who spent 20 years researching the reactor's interiors, from 1986 to 2005, gave an interview in which he said that he and other researchers were able to see almost all of the rooms in the fourth block of the Central Hall and the entire space underneath the reactor...