A surplus of nuclear energy surged into the reactor, which then exploded and instantly killed every last worker in the immediate vicinity and exposed an immeasurable number of others to deadly levels of radiation, even as far as in Sweden. Some workers were sent to respond to the disaster and were ordered to encase the reactor in concrete. In the following weeks, tens of thousands of Soviet citizens from around the Glorious Union arrived in the area to try to help clear the accident up. The government, on the other hand, offered no warning or advice of any kind about the danger from the radiation, leading to a huge spread of illnesses, birth defects and severe deformities. All involved were struck with severe symptoms of radiation poisoning, specifically from fallout and gamma rays, which can kill one in a matter of days.
The Soviet Union basically tried to cover the whole thing up, making only a vague announcement about the explosion after two entire days of agony and horror for the nearby population had passed. What is extremely shocking is how the world only became aware of the situation of the accident once a radioactive cloud drifted into Sweden, and was then sourced back to Chernobyl by Swedish scientists.5 Just six years later, the once Glorious Soviet Union ceased to exist. It was once a place where the citizens were generally satisfied with and trusting of their government, however this satisfaction and trust blinded people to issues such as public safety and "political transparency." As some contradictions became more visible, the Soviet people became more and more angered by the propaganda of government-controlled media. It was common to hear the Russian people say: "You could find truth anywhere except in Pravda and the news anywhere except in Izvestia."5 This was then pushed to extremes by the "war on propaganda," which was carried out by none other than the USSR's enemy, The West.
