# Please explain the Chernobyl disaster? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 5, 2022, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-the-chernobyl-disaster/962359 "2022-04-05T23:44:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 48
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-the-chernobyl-disaster/962359/48 "2023-03-26T18:33:05Z")
I watched the HBO series with a woman who was about 80km from Chernobyl when the explosion occured. She was 15yo, with her Komosol (sp, effectively ‘Young Communist’) group camping, drinking vodka, when the sky to the north lit up with a dark red color. It stayed that way all night, so the guide headed back to town, found out what happened, went back to the group and got them out of there, back to the town- and promptly quit her job, something you just _did not do_ in Soviet Russia. Inna knew it was serious when the decision was made not to punish the guide, instead giving her another job. She can’t speak to the science of the show, but she definitely has opinions as to the accuracy of how Soviet _life_ was portrayed: > [@Series you've recently watched, are now watching or have given up on](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/2296): > > Chernobyl, HBOmax. Had the pleasure of watching this with someone who lived through the events in question and her reactions were fascinating. What they got right: Look and feel of the Soviet Union (set design) was almost perfect. Some minor issues - a scene has girls playing while wearing a traditional religious uniform (kinda like a scene where kids are playing in their Communion outfits), but otherwise, “wow”. The people. They all looked right and they had the properly beat-down look abou… --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-the-chernobyl-disaster/962359)._