logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2022
9m 8s

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In April 1986 a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, in the USSR, causing the worst nuclear accident ever. Sergii Mirnyi was in charge of a monitoring unit which measured radiation levels in the 30 km exclusion zone around the plant.

(Photo: The Chernobyl plant shortly after the explosion in 1986. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Apr 2025
The Cu Chi tunnels of the Vietnam War
During the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese VietCong guerrillas built a vast network of tunnels in the south of the country as part of the insurgency against the South Vietnamese government and their American allies. The tunnel network was a key base and shelter for the North Vietna ... Show More
9m 43s
Today
Toy Story: the first digitally-animated feature film
<p>Released in 1995, this buddy movie about a cowboy doll and a toy astronaut was the first to use entirely computer-generated images. </p><p>The story, about a group of toys who come alive when humans are not around, appealed to audiences around the world.</p><p>In 2017, animato ... Show More
10m 47s
Nov 21
How the Bosnian war ended
<p>The Dayton Peace Accords were signed on the 21 November 1995, ending the three-and-a-half-year war in Bosnia. </p><p>The war was part of the break-up of Yugoslavia; it is estimated that 100,000 people were killed. </p><p>In 2010, Lucy Williamson spoke to Milan Milutinović who ... Show More
10m 12s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2022
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster - Part 1
NOTE: IN THE PORTION WHERE I EXPLAIN NUCLEAR FISSION, I MIX UP NUCLEI AND NEUTRON! I realised this post editing but I think it generally makes sense, but when I explain how the nuclei is hit, I say it releases a nuclei, it actually releases a neutron, the neutron then hits the ne ... Show More
45m 36s
Jul 2022
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster - Part 2
Welcome to When It Goes Wrong, the podcast about disasters, accidents and when things fall apart. On this episode I discuss the  the 1986 Chernobyl Disaster in which the reactor number 4 of the Chernobyl Power Plant suffered a full meltdown and explosion resulting in the worst nu ... Show More
41m 43s
Mar 2022
Ukrainian history special
<p>To mark the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a special edition on episodes from Ukrainian history. </p><p>In April 1986 a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine. Sergii Mirnyi monitored radiation levels in the exclusion zone around the plant. How t ... Show More
50m 17s
May 2022
Chernobyl
In 1986, the Chernobyl power plant became the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history. Poisonous radiation caused over 100,000 casualties, and cost billions of dollars to clean up. Even now, the exclusion zone is one of the most polluted and heavily-patrolled regions in the ... Show More
59m 45s
Jul 2023
Secrets of Chernobyl
In April 1988, a top Soviet scientist, Valery Legasov, died by suicide. Before his death, he recorded a series of chilling deathbed confessions concerning one of the world's deadliest disasters: the Chernobyl nuclear explosion. Over four hours, Legasov confessed terrifying truths ... Show More
43m 34s
May 2021
Qu’est-ce que la zone d’exclusion de Tchernobyl ?
Qu’est-ce que la zone d’exclusion de Tchernobyl ? Merci d’avoir posé la question !   Il y a 35 ans se produisait la pire catastrophe nucléaire de l’Histoire. Le 26 avril 1986, le réacteur numéro 4 de la centrale nucléaire de Tchernobyl a explosé. À la suite de cet accident, une z ... Show More
4m 39s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami