A competent and fearlessly truthful account of a tragedy that occurred more than three years ago—one that continues to worry millions of people. Perhaps for the first time we have such complete, first-hand evidence—free of omissions and departmental “diplomacy.” The author is an atomic specialist who once worked at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and knows it well; he personally knows all the main participants in the events. By his position, he attended many important meetings on atomic construction. Immediately after the accident, Medvedev was sent to Chernobyl and had the chance to learn a great deal from the fresh trail, to see things with his own eyes.