HBO’s Chernobyl miniseries, written and executive-produced by Craig Mazin, dug deep into the government-fueled coverup in Russia and has captivated audiences. It’s not an enjoyable watch — it’s excruciating at times, actually — but it’s illuminating to behold and a bold example of how important it is to expose the truth against all odds. Well, it should come as no surprise that the propaganda-pushing Russian government isn’t a fan of this television event starring Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgård, and given that they heavily sponsor much of the media in that country, there’s plenty of prominent backlash in that country’s airwaves.
The Moscow Times has gathered up many shady remarks about “bears and accordions” in reference to HBO’s show, and it seems like the Kremlin is really steamed that this story is being told by a U.S.-based TV channel. And since Putin’s a big fan of dictating history, he reportedly wants a Russian network to produce a Chernobyl-style incarnation in which the CIA is held responsible for the nuclear catastrophe:
Still, an attempt will be made to put an entirely different spin on those events. Russia’s NTV channel has already announced that it is shooting its own “Chernobyl” series based on the premise that the CIA sent an agent to the Chernobyl zone to carry out acts of sabotage.
This should (not) go over splendidly, but fortunately, if this Russian version of Chernobyl happens, no one will take it seriously at this point. Maybe they’ll run it on Sputnik, and the conspiracy theorists will love it, but otherwise, this will hopefully just be noise. Yes, the series is bleak and at times depressing, but any Kremlin-sponsored efforts will only further prove what Chernobyl illustrated: that the U.S.-based TV stations were all over the nuclear disaster as it happened, must to the Kremlin’s disgust. Russia succeeded at writing the wrong version of history then, but now, folks will notice when they try to rewrite it again. By the way, if you haven’t watched HBO’s miniseries and are learning toward carving out some room for the experience, it’s worth the time investment.
(Via Moscow Times)
