/r/chernobyl
A subreddit to discuss the Chernobyl Disaster that happened on the night of April 26, 1986, and the Exclusion Zone that isolates the city of Pripyat from the rest of the world.
A subreddit dedicated to the Chernobyl disaster: "The Chernobyl disaster (Ukrainian: Чорнобильська катастрофа, Chornobylska Katastrofa – Chornobyl Catastrophe) was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine (then officially Ukrainian SSR), which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities of the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive contamination into the atmosphere, which spread over much of Western USSR and Europe. It is widely considered to have been the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, and is one of only two classified as a level 7 event 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."
Subjects considered on topic for this subbreddit include the disaster itself, liquidation efforts, the Exclusion Zone (including the Jupiter factor and Duga radar), the sarcophagus, New Safe Confinement, as well as the pre-disaster history of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant and the city of Pripyat.
Posts about other RBMK reactors or other nuclear disasters (like the Fukushima evacuation zone) are allowed if they relate to Chernobyl and should be tagged with [Peripheral Interest]
Posts to discuss the HBO Chernobyl miniseries are on topic only if they are relating the show to real world events in some way, and should be tagged with [HBO Miniseries]
Self promotion of art, drawings, graphics design or models (both computer and physical) are permitted if they are about Chernobyl and should be tagged with [User Creation]
Topics which advocate for, promote, encourage, or seek advice on illegal activity are strictly prohibited. This includes how-to posts about trespassing in the Zone as well as photos and videos which are explicitly from illegal trespassing.
Discussions about the Current Ukraine/Russia Conflict
Posts and Comments are prohibited if they take sides in the current tensions between Ukraine and Russia, or push any side's justification for war or advocate support for any party in the geopolitical situation. Posts and comments about how the conflict impacts the Zone and what effect a war might have are permitted as they are about the future of the Zone.
This subreddit is about Chernobyl, so as long as the post is about that, it is permissible. But there are plenty of places to discuss the geopolitics of Ukraine/Russia/EU/NATO/etc, so we will be removing comments and posts which make any statement about who might be write or wrong.
/r/chernobyl
108,726 Subscribers
What Is This Y-Shaped Structure Next To The Plant For?
02:33 UTC
what was akimov's and toptunov's paths to get to the valves?
i wanna know what was the path them and the others took to get to the valves. was it a long or short walk? how did they manage to make their way back if they were already sick and tired from radiation?
00:14 UTC
Why did they do the test if they knew it was dangerous?
In the HBO series, Akimov is depicted as a hero while Dyatlov is depicted as a bad guy. Akimov practically refused to go through the test because he knew how dangerous it was. But Dyatlov threatened Akimov and Tuptunov to get them fired if they didn't go through the test.
But in real life (from what I've read in this subreddit) Dyatlov wasn't a bad guy at all. So if Dyatlov wasn't a bad guy, and he didn't threaten the other workers, then why did they go through with the test if they knew it was dangerous?
I know about the AZ5-button, and I know they didn't know about the button being extremely dangerous in the wrong circumstances, but still. Even without knowing about the AZ5-button, they still knew that the test was dangerous. So why didn't they just cancel the test and continue another day when it was safe? Today there is a saying "Better to be safe than sorry".
23:50 UTC
The 'Bridge of Death': how high were radiation levels on the night of the Chernobyl explosion?
20:25 UTC
How bad would it have been, if the Leningrad NPP had “the accident“ in 1975?
Let’s assume, the whole reactor had a power surge, not only parts of it and this caused the entire reactor to explode and burn up.
What would be the consequences for the people living nearby and in the rest of Europe?
What would have been the USSRs reaction under Brezhnev?
18:59 UTC
Popular Mechanics clickbait title Chernobyl dogs experiencing Rapid Evolution is misleading.
Many many people have sent us a copy of the Popular Mechanics Article about the Dogs of Chernobyl are experiencing rapid evolution. Beware of clickbait titles and read the article carefully.
This article was actually first published days after our paper was published in March of 2023 (to which the article is referring to). It has since been republished with a different date 3 times to gain more views.
14:05 UTC
What would’ve happened if Stalin or Putin were president at the time and not Gorbachev? 😭
12:53 UTC
Do you think the Chernobyl accident contributed to global warming?
If so, by how much? Was there any study on this? What were some other long term global effects of the incident?
22:52 UTC
Are there people that actually stay in the zone like the game stalker
21:47 UTC
Forgotten Victims Episode 1 : Oleksandr Vasilyovich Novyk
Oleksandr Vasilyovich Novik was born on 11 August 1961 in the village of Horodyshche, Rivne oblast. He came from a modest family. His mother, Olga Romanovna Novik (née Guzech, 1931), was a housewife. After his compulsory schooling, he left to study at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 1980. During his studies, he met his first and only love: Irina Robertovna. Thanks to his degree, he got a job at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. He started work at the plant on 1 August 1980, but soon had to leave to do his military service with the motorised troops on the tanks. In 1983, his daughter Viktoriya was born. After 5 years' military service, he returned to his work, having missed the small town of Pripyat. He returned in mid-December 1985. On 1 February he was appointed MOTO (МОТО = машиніст-обхідник турбінного обладнання - turbine equipment operator) on the 4th turbine group (part of TTs-2). At the time of the accident, he was near TG-7. He first tried to phone the control room but the lines were cut. He then went with his boss, the СМЦ (СМЦ = старший мастер цех - senior foreman of the shop) Kostantin Grigoryovich Perchuk and his colleague the Старший МОТО (Старший МОТО : Senior MOTO), Vershynin, Vladimir Mikhaylovich Tormozin and Yuriy Vladimirovich Korneev (МОТОs) manually turned the oil valves (with the circuits switched off). He was then rushed in a serious condition to MSCh-126, where he was later flown to Moscow. He accepted BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant), which restored his health, but he died of an infection on 26 July 1986, 2 months after the disaster, knowing that his chances of survival were low. The autopsy determined the cause of death to be Graft Versus Host Disease. His family now live in Moscow.
Vichnaya Pamyat.
Photo credit : Successful_Half9115
17:40 UTC
How bad was the level radiation at Pripyat on the day everyone was evacuated?
We
17:28 UTC
Buoys in Chernobyl Reactor – What Were They Really For? | Chornobyl Uncharted Ep10
Those strange, conical objects you might have seen in photos from the core of Reactor 4. Few people know that these devices, known as Buoys, played a critical role in understanding the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster.
Installed in the summer of 1986, these rugged devices formed a network of detectors, providing the first continuous data about the destroyed reactor’s radiation, temperature, and thermal flux. Their deployment was a high-stakes mission, carried out in one of the most dangerous places on Earth. Every step—from their innovative design to their precise placement—was a feat of bravery and ingenuity. Their data revealed a critical truth that shaped the decisions to come.
15:11 UTC
Does anyone have a map of Pripyat?
Looking for a highly detailed map of Pripyat. I am working on a game project with my friend and i need an accurate map to build off of. We want to be faithful to the city and its layout of unique POI’s. help is greatly appreciated!
03:45 UTC
Liquidator medals
Does anyone have an actual accounting of all of the Liquidator Medals/Badges from the Soviet, Ukrainian, and Russian Governments? I don't just mean the 4 main ones, but I also want the Anniversary Medals and such. If someone has done this with photos and titles in English/Russian/Ukrainian ETC I would love a copy.
19:25 UTC
Signs underground
Hello! I was wondering if anyone could tell me what sorta of signs they’d have in the corridors in the power plant underground. I can’t seem to find any apart from outside radioactive general symbol signage. Anyone have pictures ??? Thanks
23:41 UTC
Chernobyl decontamination process after the incident
21:46 UTC
How radioactive is the Elephant’s Foot today?
At the time in 1986 the Elephants foot was the most radioactive object at Chernobyl post disaster along with the fireman’s clothing in the basement of the hospital and obviously the core itself,
But it got me thinking, if I were to stand near it for say 30 minutes approximately how bad of a dose would i receive considering it’s been decades since the explosion.?
16:33 UTC
Since the reactor 4 ruins are being dismantled under the NSC what will happen to buildings 1, 2 and 3?
16:17 UTC
Photo of inside the NCE
I took this picture of a photo that was on the wall inside the visitors centre. Sadly, I didn’t get the chance to capture who these men are, or the name of the photographer that took it, our guide only gave us a few minutes inside so I was kind of snapping everything I could. I’ve not seen this image before, so thought you’d all find it interesting just for sheer scale of the NCE. Again, Kudos to whoever took the original photo.
15:13 UTC
New Project: 1:1 Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant Replica (Using original floorplans)
After many failed attempts and scrapped projects, I am finally commited to one project. This time I am building in Minecraft version 1.17.1 and the most biblically accurate as I can with all my gathered knowledge over the many years i am interested in this topic. Currently I completed the VSRO block and now i will be building units 4 and 3. Hope you enjoyed what you saw, goodbye from 🇨🇿!
14:07 UTC
What was the hiring process like for Chernobyl workers back in the USSR?
And how does it compare today?
13:11 UTC
Does anyone have videos of legasov's tapes but in english?
So legasov before he died recorded 5 tapes, I want to listen to them but to all shock i dont speak any russian... So i found the "The Legasov Tapes" blog with english translations and i have no problem reading them but id rather listen to them as a kind of podcast. I also found the series from Aenigmaticus but that series isnt finished... So does anyone know where to listen to legasovs tapes in english?
22:05 UTC
An image of cars being cleaned of any radiation before exiting
20:47 UTC
Related to CHNPP?
I want some RBMK-5000 videos but to no avail So if you guys have some can you please come forward with it? It’s really addictive
15:08 UTC