What you didn't know about the greatest nuclear disaster of our time
About Chernobyl without censorship. This rough outline describes what happened at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986. The author introduces the reader to the genesis of Soviet nuclear research, the design of the two main types of reactors used in the USSR, their advantages and faults. It also outlines the construction of the nuclear power plant near Chernobyl, associated with problems and the famous Soviet furore.
The main part of the book focuses on the events that led to the explosion of reactor no. 4. The book illustrates the confusion of the technical staff at the plant, who were unable to find out what actually happened, and the very inflexible response from local and national authorities. The efforts of the firefighters to contain the fire at the exploded Unit 4 are described, as well as their often tragic fates.
In the book, the author reveals the shortcomings of the Soviet way of handling this event, the efforts of Soviet authorities at all levels to conceal the Chernobyl explosion, not only from abroad, but especially from their own citizens. The book demonstrates that this effort at secrecy is ultimately crowned by unintended and, for the USSR, essentially fatal developments in the radioactivity-affected republics.
