CHERNOBYL

The Kremlin's Silence

The Kremlin receives reports about the accident but chooses the familiar Soviet approach: keep quiet. At several locations in Europe, radioactivity levels begin rising on the morning of April 28. At the Forsmark nuclear plant in Sweden, they initially suspect their own leak. It soon becomes clear the radiation is coming from outside. Reports of elevated radioactivity also arrive from Finland. Wind direction indicates something has happened in the Soviet Union. On the evening of April 28, the Soviets finally admit that an accident has occurred at Chernobyl, and the world experiences its worst nuclear disaster to date.