The Atoms for Peace program was adopted in Russia to help the Soviet Union overtake the West’s nuclear power superiority. Instead, it resulted in the creation of a radioactive cloud that terrified the entire world.

What led to the catastrophe at Chernobyl in April 1986 is a complex question: strict authoritarian policies, impossible deadlines, a lack of money and materials, pervasive bureaucracy and political corruption all played their part in the largest nuclear catastrophe in history.

This graphic and harrowing account of the disaster follows the dozens of human stories cruelly affected by the tragedy. From the engineers and firefighters to doctors and soldiers, the children and families in the surrounding towns and villages to the animals in the forests – they all make up the story of Chernobyl, a mosaic of victims who paid the price for distant politicians’ ambitions and arrogance.