The Soviet Union Attempted A Cover-Up Of The Disaster

The fifth fact about the disaster at the chernobyl nuclear plant is the Soviet Union attempted to cover up the disaster. The Soviet authorities kept their own populace in the dark for a long time after the Chernobyl reactor melted down. They didn't even inform their own populace, and they didn't warn neighboring countries to prevent the radiation from spreading. The cover-up began to break apart on April 28, 1986, when Swedish air sensors detected high levels of radiation in the atmosphere that appeared to have originated in the Soviet Union. When challenged about the radiation, the Soviets confirmed that two people had died in an accident at Chernobyl. They also claimed that the situation had been brought under control.

The authorities did not grasp the depth of the situation until the 6th of May, when they closed schools in Kiev, Ukraine's capital, which is only 65 miles from the incident site. They eventually advised locals to stay inside their houses to avoid being exposed to radiation. It took years to piece together a complete narrative of the occurrence.