🕷️ Crawler Inspector

 [Skip to main content](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/07/chernobyl-hbo-russian-tv-remake#maincontent)[Skip to navigation](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/07/chernobyl-hbo-russian-tv-remake#navigation) Close dialogue 1/1 Next image Previous image Toggle caption [Skip to navigation](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/07/chernobyl-hbo-russian-tv-remake#navigation) [Print subscriptions](https://support.theguardian.com/subscribe?REFPVID=mnie8629s7gxhyuzsd60&INTCMP=undefined&acquisitionData=%7B%22source%22%3A%22GUARDIAN_WEB%22%2C%22componentId%22%3A%22PrintSubscriptionsHeaderLink%22%2C%22componentType%22%3A%22ACQUISITIONS_HEADER%22%2C%22referrerPageviewId%22%3A%22mnie8629s7gxhyuzsd60%22%2C%22referrerUrl%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2019%2Fjun%2F07%2Fchernobyl-hbo-russian-tv-remake%22%7D) [Search jobs](https://jobs.theguardian.com/) [Sign in](https://profile.theguardian.com/signin?INTCMP=DOTCOM_NEWHEADER_SIGNIN&ABCMP=ab-sign-in&componentEventParams=componentType%3Didentityauthentication%26componentId%3Dguardian_signin_header) UK - [UK edition](https://www.theguardian.com/preference/edition/uk) - [US edition](https://www.theguardian.com/preference/edition/us) - [Australia edition](https://www.theguardian.com/preference/edition/au) - [Europe edition](https://www.theguardian.com/preference/edition/eur) - [International edition](https://www.theguardian.com/preference/edition/int) [The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/) - [News](https://www.theguardian.com/) - [Opinion](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree) - [Sport](https://www.theguardian.com/sport) - [Culture](https://www.theguardian.com/culture) - [Lifestyle](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle) Show more Hide expanded menu - News - [View all News](https://www.theguardian.com/) - [UK news](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news) - [US politics](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/us-politics) - [World news](https://www.theguardian.com/world) - [Climate crisis](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-crisis) - [Middle East](https://www.theguardian.com/world/middleeast) - [Ukraine](https://www.theguardian.com/world/ukraine) - [Football](https://www.theguardian.com/football) - [Newsletters](https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters) - [Business](https://www.theguardian.com/business) - [Environment](https://www.theguardian.com/environment) - [UK politics](https://www.theguardian.com/politics) - [Science](https://www.theguardian.com/science) - [Tech](https://www.theguardian.com/technology) - [Global development](https://www.theguardian.com/global-development) - [Obituaries](https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries) - Opinion - [View all Opinion](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree) - [The Guardian view](https://www.theguardian.com/profile/editorial) - [Columnists](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/columnists) - [Cartoons](https://www.theguardian.com/tone/cartoons) - [Opinion videos](https://www.theguardian.com/type/video+tone/comment) - [Letters](https://www.theguardian.com/tone/letters) - Sport - [View all Sport](https://www.theguardian.com/sport) - [Football](https://www.theguardian.com/football) - [Cricket](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/cricket) - [Rugby union](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/rugby-union) - [Tennis](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/tennis) - [Cycling](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/cycling) - [F1](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/formulaone) - [Golf](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/golf) - [Boxing](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/boxing) - [Rugby league](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/rugbyleague) - [Racing](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/horse-racing) - [US sports](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/us-sport) - Culture - [View all Culture](https://www.theguardian.com/culture) - [Film](https://www.theguardian.com/film) - [Music](https://www.theguardian.com/music) - [TV & radio](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio) - [Books](https://www.theguardian.com/books) - [Art & design](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign) - [Stage](https://www.theguardian.com/stage) - [Games](https://www.theguardian.com/games) - [Classical](https://www.theguardian.com/music/classicalmusicandopera) - Lifestyle - [View all Lifestyle](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle) - [The Filter](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/thefilter) - [Fashion](https://www.theguardian.com/fashion) - [Food](https://www.theguardian.com/food) - [Recipes](https://www.theguardian.com/tone/recipes) - [Travel](https://www.theguardian.com/travel) - [Health & fitness](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/health-and-wellbeing) - [Women](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/women) - [Men](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/men) - [Love & sex](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/love-and-sex) - [Beauty](https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/beauty) - [Home & garden](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/home-and-garden) - [Money](https://www.theguardian.com/money) - [Cars](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/motoring) - [Support us](https://support.theguardian.com/?INTCMP=side_menu_support&acquisitionData=%7B%22source%22:%22GUARDIAN_WEB%22,%22componentType%22:%22ACQUISITIONS_HEADER%22,%22componentId%22:%22side_menu_support%22%7D) - [Print subscriptions](https://support.theguardian.com/subscribe?REFPVID=mnie8629s7gxhyuzsd60&INTCMP=undefined&acquisitionData=%7B%22source%22%3A%22GUARDIAN_WEB%22%2C%22componentId%22%3A%22PrintSubscriptionsHeaderLink%22%2C%22componentType%22%3A%22ACQUISITIONS_HEADER%22%2C%22referrerPageviewId%22%3A%22mnie8629s7gxhyuzsd60%22%2C%22referrerUrl%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2019%2Fjun%2F07%2Fchernobyl-hbo-russian-tv-remake%22%7D) - - [Search jobs](https://jobs.theguardian.com/) - [Hire with Guardian Jobs](https://recruiters.theguardian.com/?utm_source=gdnwb&utm_medium=navbar&utm_campaign=Guardian_Navbar_Recruiters&CMP_TU=trdmkt&CMP_BUNIT=jobs) - [Holidays](https://holidays.theguardian.com/?INTCMP=holidays_uk_web_newheader) - [Live events](https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-live-events?INTCMP=live_uk_header_dropdown) - [About Us](https://www.theguardian.com/about) - [Digital Archive](https://theguardian.newspapers.com/) - [Guardian Print Shop](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/series/gnm-print-sales) - [Patrons](https://patrons.theguardian.com/?INTCMP=header_patrons) - [Guardian Licensing](https://licensing.theguardian.com/) - [The Guardian app](https://app.adjust.com/16xt6hai) - [Video](https://www.theguardian.com/video) - [Podcasts](https://www.theguardian.com/podcasts) - [Pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/inpictures) - [Newsletters](https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters) - [Today's paper](https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian) - [Inside the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/insidetheguardian) - [Guardian Weekly](https://www.theguardian.com/weekly?INTCMP=gdnwb_mawns_editorial_gweekly_GW_TopNav_UK) - [Crosswords](https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords) - [Wordiply](https://www.wordiply.com/) - [Corrections](https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/series/corrections-and-clarifications) - [Tips](https://www.theguardian.com/tips) - - [Search jobs](https://jobs.theguardian.com/) - [Hire with Guardian Jobs](https://recruiters.theguardian.com/?utm_source=gdnwb&utm_medium=navbar&utm_campaign=Guardian_Navbar_Recruiters&CMP_TU=trdmkt&CMP_BUNIT=jobs) - [Holidays](https://holidays.theguardian.com/?INTCMP=holidays_uk_web_newheader) - [Live events](https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-live-events?INTCMP=live_uk_header_dropdown) - [About Us](https://www.theguardian.com/about) - [Digital Archive](https://theguardian.newspapers.com/) - [Guardian Print Shop](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/series/gnm-print-sales) - [Patrons](https://patrons.theguardian.com/?INTCMP=header_patrons) - [Guardian Licensing](https://licensing.theguardian.com/) - [World](https://www.theguardian.com/world) - [Europe](https://www.theguardian.com/world/europe-news) - [US news](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news) - [Americas](https://www.theguardian.com/world/americas) - [Asia](https://www.theguardian.com/world/asia) - [Australia](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news) - [Middle East](https://www.theguardian.com/world/middleeast) - [Africa](https://www.theguardian.com/world/africa) - [Inequality](https://www.theguardian.com/inequality) - [Global development](https://www.theguardian.com/global-development)  The HBO series Chernobyl has transfixed viewers around the world. Photograph: HBO/Liam Daniel/Sky Atlantic [View image in fullscreen](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/07/chernobyl-hbo-russian-tv-remake#img-1) The HBO series Chernobyl has transfixed viewers around the world. Photograph: HBO/Liam Daniel/Sky Atlantic [Russia](https://www.theguardian.com/world/russia) This article is more than **6 years old** # Russian TV to air its own patriotic retelling of Chernobyl story This article is more than 6 years old Russian version will revolve around role of a CIA agent before the nuclear accident [Andrew Roth](https://www.theguardian.com/profile/roth-andrew) in Moscow Fri 7 Jun 2019 12.24 BST Last modified on Fri 7 Jun 2019 21.40 BST Share [Prefer the Guardian on Google](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=theguardian.com) Russian state TV is set to air its own drama about the deadly 1986 Chernobyl disaster – but unlike the HBO series, which has transfixed viewers around the world, this version will claim that a CIA spy was present for the worst nuclear accident in history. Chernobyl, which will air on Russia’s NTV channel, appears to fulfil a demand from tabloid columnists and state TV news for a more patriotic retelling of the story. [Chernobyl: horrifying, masterly television that sears on to your brain Read more](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/may/29/chernobyl-horrifying-masterful-television-that-sears-on-to-your-brain) Craig Mazin, the creator of the [HBO](https://www.theguardian.com/media/hbo) series, famously obsessed over minor details such as shoelaces and telephones, and adopted first-hand accounts of survivors to authentically recreate the Soviet Union of the 1980s. NTV’s Chernobyl, filmed in Belarus, takes far more liberties. A description of the show says that the plot revolves around a CIA agent dispatched to Pripyat to gather intelligence on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the Russian counterintelligence agent sent to track him down. If it sounds like fiction, that’s because it is. But the director, Alexey Muradov, said the show “will tell viewers about what really happened back then”. “There is a theory that the Americans had infiltrated the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and many historians do not deny that on the day of the explosion an agent of the enemy’s intelligence services was present at the station,” Muradov [told the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda](https://www.kp.ru/daily/26883/3927378/), which said the show “proposes an alternative view on the tragedy in Pripyat”. State-run television and Russian tabloids have accused the HBO series of bias by papering over the heroic acts of Soviet emergency workers, the so-called “liquidators”. [Chernobyl now: 'I was not afraid of radiation' – a photo essay Read more](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/07/chernobyl-now-i-was-not-afraid-of-radiation-a-photo-essay) “Chernobyl did not show the most important part – our victory,” ran one headline in Komsomolskaya Pravda, the country’s most popular daily. Another article by the prominent war correspondent Dmitry Steshin in the same paper claimed the show was filmed in order to sabotage overseas sales of nuclear energy technology by the Russian state company Rosatom. Russia fetes its military veterans like few other countries do, but far less attention is paid to the Chernobyl liquidators. Ilya Shepelin, a Russian journalist, [wrote in the Moscow Times](https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/06/04/putins-media-struggle-to-deal-with-hbos-chernobyl-a65866) that “the fact that an American, not a Russian, TV channel tells us about our own heroes is a source of shame that the pro-Kremlin media apparently cannot live down”. Explore more on these topics - [Russia](https://www.theguardian.com/world/russia) - [Chornobyl nuclear disaster](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/chernobyl-nuclear-disaster) - [HBO](https://www.theguardian.com/media/hbo) - [Television industry](https://www.theguardian.com/media/television) - [Television](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/television) - [US television industry](https://www.theguardian.com/media/ustelevision) - [news](https://www.theguardian.com/tone/news) Share [Reuse this content](https://syndication.theguardian.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2019%2Fjun%2F07%2Fchernobyl-hbo-russian-tv-remake&type=article&internalpagecode=world/2019/jun/07/chernobyl-hbo-russian-tv-remake "Reuse this content") ### Most viewed - [ Trump warns Tehran ‘more to follow’ after strike destroys Iran’s largest bridge](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/02/trump-warns-tehran-more-to-follow-after-strike-destroys-irans-largest-bridge) - [ Top US army officer steps down after Hegseth reportedly demanded removal](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/02/randy-george-pete-hegseth-us-army) - [ Alleged maple syrup scam in Quebec uncovered by Canadian broadcaster](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/02/maple-syrup-scam-quebec-canada) - [ President of Wisconsin’s largest mosque detained by US immigration agents](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/02/wisconsin-mosque-president-detained-us-immigration) - [ ‘Not up to standard’: Macron criticises Trump after comments about his marriage](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/02/macron-criticises-trump-after-comments-about-his-marriage) ## Related stories ## Related stories -  ### Robert Duvall, Apocalypse Now and Godfather star, dies aged 95 16 Feb 2026 -  ### ‘They were hooligans’: Chernobyl locals reeling after Russian invasion 13 Apr 2022 -  ### Nicole Kidman and Idris Elba lead HBO series to help people sleep 17 Jul 2020 -  ### Netflix faces crunch year as Disney, Apple and more vie for streaming crown 5 Jan 2020 -  ### The 50 best TV shows of 2019: No 3 – Chernobyl 17 Dec 2019 [390 390 comments](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/dec/17/best-tv-shows-2019-no-3-chernobyl#comments) -  ### Chernobyl writer urges Instagram tourists to 'respect' nuclear site 12 Jun 2019 -  ### 'A horrible way to die': how Chernobyl recreated a nuclear meltdown 4 Jun 2019 [750 750 comments](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jun/04/one-day-your-skin-just-slips-off-how-chernobyl-restaged-nuclear-disaster#comments) -  ### HBO and Sky ponder how to fill Game of Thrones gap 21 May 2019 ## More from News ## More from News -  ### DoctorsStreeting hits out at BMA ‘delusion’ as talks to avert resident doctors’ strike fail 12h ago -  ### Assisted dyingCPS considering 13 suspected cases of assisted dying in England and Wales 8h ago -  ### PoliticsStarmer must call energy summit akin to 2008 crisis response, Labour MP says 11h ago -  ### USTrump fires Pam Bondi, a loyalist and ally, as attorney general 9h ago -  ### UKUK flag-raising group leader arrested on suspicion of causing ‘alarm and distress’ 6h ago -  ### FilmFederal judge throws out most of Blake Lively’s claims against Justin Baldoni 7h ago -  ### LondonSadiq Khan warns of ‘zero-tolerance approach’ to any repeat of Clapham disorder 10h ago -  ### ComedyLouis CK to headline Hollywood Bowl for Netflix festival 9h ago -  ### SpaceArtemis II astronauts rocket towards the moon after breaking free of Earth’s orbit 3h ago ## Most viewed ## Most viewed - [Most viewed Across the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/07/tabs-popular-0) - [Most viewed in World news](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/07/tabs-popular-1) ### Most viewed Across the\&nbsp;Guardian 1. [Kuwait’s military says its air defences working to intercept missiles – as it happened](https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/apr/02/middle-east-crisis-live-trump-prime-time-address-white-house-iran-war-israel-strait-hormuz) 2. [‘A litany of lies’: Trump’s rambling primetime Iran address sparks backlash](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/02/trump-iran-war-address-backlash) 3. [UK flag-raising group leader arrested on suspicion of causing ‘alarm and distress’](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/02/uk-flag-raising-group-leader-arrested-alarm-distress-raise-the-colours) 4. [Top US army officer steps down after Hegseth reportedly demanded removal](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/02/randy-george-pete-hegseth-us-army) 5. [To a world at a loss as to how to handle Trump, I say this: the only answer may be to wait him out](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/02/donald-trump-iran-us-constitution-world-response) 6. [My husband doesn’t want to give up his mistress. Should I settle for half his heart?](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/apr/02/relationships-husband-affair-mistress-settle) 7. [‘You have to be serious’: Macron criticises Trump’s mixed messages about Nato and Iran](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/02/you-have-to-be-serious-macron-criticises-trumps-mixed-messages-about-nato-and-iran) 8. [Federal judge throws out most of Blake Lively’s claims against Justin Baldoni](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/apr/02/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-sexual-harassment-claims) 9. [‘Not up to standard’: Macron criticises Trump after comments about his marriage](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/02/macron-criticises-trump-after-comments-about-his-marriage) 10. [Trump fires Pam Bondi, a loyalist and ally, as attorney general](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/02/trump-pam-bondi-attorney-general) ### Most viewed in World news 1. [Trump warns Tehran ‘more to follow’ after strike destroys Iran’s largest bridge](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/02/trump-warns-tehran-more-to-follow-after-strike-destroys-irans-largest-bridge) 2. [Kuwait’s military says its air defences working to intercept missiles – as it happened](https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/apr/02/middle-east-crisis-live-trump-prime-time-address-white-house-iran-war-israel-strait-hormuz) 3. [‘Not up to standard’: Macron criticises Trump after comments about his marriage](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/02/macron-criticises-trump-after-comments-about-his-marriage) 4. [Alleged maple syrup scam in Quebec uncovered by Canadian broadcaster](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/02/maple-syrup-scam-quebec-canada) 5. [Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy offers expertise on keeping waterways open amid Middle East conflict](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/03/ukraine-war-briefing-zelenskyy-expertise-waterways-open-middle-east-conflict) 6. [‘You have to be serious’: Macron criticises Trump’s mixed messages about Nato and Iran](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/02/you-have-to-be-serious-macron-criticises-trumps-mixed-messages-about-nato-and-iran) 7. [‘Weak and pathetic’: why is the EU not using its leverage to stop Israel?](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/02/why-eu-not-using-leverage-israel-lebanon-gaza) 8. [Coalition of countries discuss ‘every possible measure’ to pressure Iran into reopening strait of Hormuz](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/02/coalition-countries-ships-strait-of-hormuz-yvette-cooper) 9. [‘Payment expected within seven days’: New Zealand doctor invoices US embassy for rising petrol costs](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/02/new-zealand-doctor-invoices-us-embassy-fuel-prices-iran-war) 10. [‘I will not yield’: Taiwan convulsed by 17-year prison sentence for populist opposition figure](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/03/taiwan-opposition-ko-wen-je-17-year-prison-sentence) - [World](https://www.theguardian.com/world) - [Europe](https://www.theguardian.com/world/europe-news) - [US news](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news) - [Americas](https://www.theguardian.com/world/americas) - [Asia](https://www.theguardian.com/world/asia) - [Australia](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news) - [Middle East](https://www.theguardian.com/world/middleeast) - [Africa](https://www.theguardian.com/world/africa) - [Inequality](https://www.theguardian.com/inequality) - [Global development](https://www.theguardian.com/global-development) - [News](https://www.theguardian.com/) - [Opinion](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree) - [Sport](https://www.theguardian.com/sport) - [Culture](https://www.theguardian.com/culture) - [Lifestyle](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle) Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning [Sign up for our email](https://www.theguardian.com/global/2022/sep/20/sign-up-for-the-first-edition-newsletter-our-free-news-email) - [About us](https://www.theguardian.com/about) - [Help](https://manage.theguardian.com/help-centre) - [Complaints & corrections](https://www.theguardian.com/info/complaints-and-corrections) - [Contact us](https://www.theguardian.com/help/contact-us) - [Tip us off](https://www.theguardian.com/tips) - [SecureDrop](https://www.theguardian.com/securedrop) - [Privacy policy](https://www.theguardian.com/info/privacy) - [Cookie policy](https://www.theguardian.com/info/cookies) - [Modern Slavery Act](https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2025/09/05/Modern_Slavery_Statement_2025.pdf) - [Tax strategy](https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2025/09/05/Tax_strategy_for_the_year_ended_31_March_2025.pdf) - [Terms & conditions](https://www.theguardian.com/help/terms-of-service) - [All topics](https://www.theguardian.com/index/subjects/a) - [All writers](https://www.theguardian.com/index/contributors) - [Newsletters](https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?INTCMP=DOTCOM_FOOTER_NEWSLETTER_UK) - [Digital newspaper archive](https://theguardian.newspapers.com/) - [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/theguardian.com) - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/theguardian) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/guardian) - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/theguardian) - [Threads](https://www.threads.com/@guardian) - [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@guardian) - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGuardian) - [Advertise with us](https://advertising.theguardian.com/) - [Guardian Labs](https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-labs) - [Search jobs](https://jobs.theguardian.com/) - [Patrons](https://patrons.theguardian.com/?INTCMP=footer_patrons) - [Work with us](https://workwithus.theguardian.com/) - [Accessibility settings](https://www.theguardian.com/help/accessibility-help) Support the Guardian Available for everyone, funded by readers [Support us](https://support.theguardian.com/?INTCMP=footer_support&acquisitionData=%7B%22source%22:%22GUARDIAN_WEB%22,%22componentType%22:%22ACQUISITIONS_FOOTER%22,%22componentId%22:%22footer_support%22%7D) [Back to top](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/07/chernobyl-hbo-russian-tv-remake#top) © 2026 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr)

Russian state TV is set to air its own drama about the deadly 1986 Chernobyl disaster – but unlike the HBO series, which has transfixed viewers around the world, this version will claim that a CIA spy was present for the worst nuclear accident in history. Chernobyl, which will air on Russia’s NTV channel, appears to fulfil a demand from tabloid columnists and state TV news for a more patriotic retelling of the story. Craig Mazin, the creator of the [HBO](https://www.theguardian.com/media/hbo) series, famously obsessed over minor details such as shoelaces and telephones, and adopted first-hand accounts of survivors to authentically recreate the Soviet Union of the 1980s. NTV’s Chernobyl, filmed in Belarus, takes far more liberties. A description of the show says that the plot revolves around a CIA agent dispatched to Pripyat to gather intelligence on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the Russian counterintelligence agent sent to track him down. If it sounds like fiction, that’s because it is. But the director, Alexey Muradov, said the show “will tell viewers about what really happened back then”. “There is a theory that the Americans had infiltrated the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and many historians do not deny that on the day of the explosion an agent of the enemy’s intelligence services was present at the station,” Muradov [told the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda](https://www.kp.ru/daily/26883/3927378/), which said the show “proposes an alternative view on the tragedy in Pripyat”. State-run television and Russian tabloids have accused the HBO series of bias by papering over the heroic acts of Soviet emergency workers, the so-called “liquidators”. “Chernobyl did not show the most important part – our victory,” ran one headline in Komsomolskaya Pravda, the country’s most popular daily. Another article by the prominent war correspondent Dmitry Steshin in the same paper claimed the show was filmed in order to sabotage overseas sales of nuclear energy technology by the Russian state company Rosatom. Russia fetes its military veterans like few other countries do, but far less attention is paid to the Chernobyl liquidators. Ilya Shepelin, a Russian journalist, [wrote in the Moscow Times](https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/06/04/putins-media-struggle-to-deal-with-hbos-chernobyl-a65866) that “the fact that an American, not a Russian, TV channel tells us about our own heroes is a source of shame that the pro-Kremlin media apparently cannot live down”.