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Russian TV Series Blames CIA for Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

Jamie Dettmer

   A pro-Kremlin Russian TV network is planning to air a mini-series about
   Chernobyl, one suggesting a CIA saboteur was behind the 1986 Soviet-era
   nuclear disaster in Ukraine, which left up to a million people exposed
   to radiation.

   The Kremlin was angered by the recent, highly acclaimed HBO five-part
   mini-series on Chernobyl, which lauded the self-sacrificing bravery of
   those who battled to contain the fire and mitigate the effects of a
   reactor meltdown, but also detailed Soviet-era mismanagement, the
   delayed response and the denial for years by Soviet officials of a
   design fault.

   The officials at the time tried to place the blame for the deadly
   explosion solely on the mishandling of a test by a handful of
   incompetent plant managers.

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