The Big Problem With the HBO Chernobyl Miniseries: Vichnaya Pamyat - We Did Everything Right

The HBO mini-series on Chernobyl stands out as one of the biggest successes in recent TV show-making. Surely that cannot possibly have anything to do with Soviet propaganda crafted by people the show’s creator Craig Mazin refers to as “masters of weaponized narration”. Episode Five of the mini-series is its gripping and chilling climax. Its title is Eternal Memory. Memory is a funny thing, particularly when it’s eternal. In the coming videos we will explore some of the key things episode five misremembers twisting the memory of Chernobyl and of the people involved.

[alexandervoytov]

I'd like to make some comments about this video post because I used to be an employee of Kurchatov IAE that time, specifically I used to work under Legasov leadership. 1. No questions about Soviet KGB and Soviet DOD connections with Kurchatov IAE. KGB abd DOD were our main customers and noone, including top Kurchatov IAE scientists can go against KGB and DOD. That was a reality of the USSR and I have no comments about that. Everything what this post says about KGB influence and no any option to confront KGB are true statements. The country build such way. No comments about that. 2. The USSR as a country that time had been built with 2, IMHO, major points: 2.1. How things really work; 2.2. How things work was represented in eyes of upper management. For instance, Academic Alexandrov was scientific advisor of the ChPP, he was in charge ChPP design and all scientific questions about such kind reactors functionalities should be addressed to him. My next statement is my IMHO, my personal opinion: Legasov wasn't a reactor engineering design core team member. He was a frontman to create an impression about leading positions of Soviet engineering and Science. One more time, it is my IMHO, I don't have any evidance in my statment that Legasov was hired to impressed the World. His job was based on some science which is required some time to adopt to create an opinion how thing are going well despite of disaster. This point based on my personal experience to report about successfull/unsuccessfull research projects that time. I don't believe Legasov used to have a goal to lie about any engineering disaster, including ChPP disaster. He was hired to explain to the World everyting isn't so bad. We work on that. Everything is under control now. The TCG says Legasov was a Soviet science mafia representative, may be a high rank representative. May be. I don't like to confront because I don't have any facts about that but I have my personal impression to work for Soviet science that time. My personal impression about that time was about the way to report about your status. You could fail in every engineering topic, but you could get a budget to continue your research because of proper report to proper people and to use right vocabulary about your status. Legasov cryed "Victory! Victory!" when he went back to Kurchatov IAE after his international report about the ChPP accident. It is very important word for me. He get focused on impression he used to create vs to dicuss engineering problems. We call that PR today. IMHO, Legasov made a pioneering PR job at Soviet time about nuclear engineering. IMHO, it wasn't what people expected. They expected an advanced engineering report about reactor accident from chemist who wasn't in charge of reactor design. They got what they wanted. Legasov explained the excident. To hear him properly, people should do some homework about known to that time facts about 2 explosions, long blue lights over reactor, some estimation of radiation if core would be distroyed and disributed around in pieces etc. People didn't do their homework and expected to hear all true from Legasov. Legasov managed human minds brilliantly. I don't blame him. I used to live in same country that time and I knew what people should do to survive and to build a career that time. I'm tried to survive, Legasov used to build a career. I don't blame anyone. I have a problem about Dytlov, Akimov and shift personel. Their motivation should be very different. They fight for their own life. I was at same boat that time at Kurchatov IAE. I used to make measurements from fluorine chemical reactions. I used to have an isolated gas mask handy and a chemical protection suite. These guys should be not in scenario to execute all managers commands but kind of advanced understanding what was going on was required. For this reason, I cannot accept Dytlov's words he didn't know how accidend happened if he was confident in shift personell activites. I cannot accept that.Akimov vs Dytlov conflict at test time should be resolved much early on a reactor simulator. Overall conclusion: 1. I don't blame anyone from top management team, like Legasov. His official titel was Top Reactor Expert, but in reality he was a chemist with very good skills to affect people. 2. I blame Alexandrov and reactor manufacturer because they didn't advertised publicly about reactor design and safety issues. I undersand, such details would be very difficult to publish at their time. But somehow, it isn't honest to hide problems from public. They should make their safety concerns publicly much early! 3. Control engineers look like didn't know ALL details about reactor functionality. And that is strange to me.

[Iamthelolrus]

Im sad this is the last part. I really thought that by the time you pointed out everything they got wrong, your video would be longer than the Hbo series itself.

[williamkane]

I was wondering when you were going to upload again, and predicted it would be on Sunday... looking forward to watching this, thanks mate.

[maksphoto]

Bravo, my friend. This is eye-opening.

[farnazseif]

Wake up homies, that chernobyl guy posted!

[quietdignityandgrace]

You know when you have a great channel when 5 Copy Cats pop up overnight to ride your success.

[TheAlchaemist]

According to Russian operations manual, ANY problem is always due to "someone smoking in the wrong place". That is something that can actually happen sometimes, but in general, the responsibility goes way up and is accumulative.

[joeb]

Can't stop re watching until there's a new one let's

[markusw]

A few corrections on some of the text shown.

13:36 for "integration in the control room" the text at 13:39 is intended
13:39 for "what the operators saw and knew" the paragraph on page 64 of INSAG-7 that you can find by searching for "did not know" in the document is intended
13:40 for "why and how much it mattered to the disaster" the intention was to highlight the consequence in the table of alleged violations claiming that the emergency protection system became merely ineffective
In general, the things discussed here have been covered before in multiple videos in this series on the ORM or the positive scram effect (parts 2, 3, and 6).
15:38 top paragraph on page 77 of INSAG-7 for this
15:46 There's another paragraph on page 36 for this as well.

[TheMrRatzz]

I love these videos. What got me here was the HBO series. And in a way, it was a good thing the mini series happened, so we can all learn the actual truth as opposed to the story from the drama.

However, i often find myself wanting to know the actual truth, but being overwhelmed by the "science" as it is presented here and elsewhere.

So the irony is, I am still refering to the drama for my view because I am unable to comprehend the science. And that is very much a me problem, but um sure im not totally alone!

[PeteC-up]

Many thanks for the upload, watched and liked 👍

[henriknilsson]

Excellent mini series! Excellent content as always. You have spoiled us.

[KaDaJxClonE]

Love your insight and dedication to this issue!

[cefalloid]

Yes, for example, pulling out way too many control rods was planned and desired "doing everything right".

[Argosh]

It's all pretty much part of the russia science stronk, western science bad memes...

[tenpotkan]

What are your sources on the control rods coming in from the bottom? All I could find is that some rods were inserted from the bottom while most went in from the top.

[AtomGradNPP]

Lets goooo, more awesome videos!!! 🫶🏼

[SimonJackson]

The control system was inserting control rods, no? I think it might have been expecting a neutron Vorterra soliton.

[alexandernorton]

7th video about something wrong in this episode

[Dragosteaa]

Medvedev looks like a grumpy Zelenskyy with a bowl cut 😂