MIGHTY MOVIES
Anna Sous

Nobel laureate says HBO series has 'completely changed perception' of Chernobyl

Belarus's Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich rolled her eyes when the creators of Chernobyl approached her for permission to use material from her book "Voices From Chernobyl" for the hit HBO miniseries.

"I told my agent, 'Galya, they're going to make another film...' I was far from convinced. The only thing that convinced me, maybe, was the fee," Alexievich explained in a recent interview with RFE/RL's Belarusian Service.

However, the five-part miniseries about the tragic accident at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant has raked in rave reviews from critics and viewers alike, and Alexievich is no exception.

"It really impressed me. It is a very strong film. There is something there in the aesthetics that touches the modern consciousness. There is a dose of fear. There is reasoning. There is beauty. That is something that has always worried me about evil, when it's not out in the open, when so much is confusing."

Keep reading... Show less
MIGHTY TACTICAL
Ryan Pickrell

Here's why China and Russia can't beat US stealth fighters

China and Russia say their radars and detection systems can see US stealth fighters, but Western experts expect American fifth-generation fighters like Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter to dominate for decades.

US rivals have been fielding tougher anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities, including modern, next-level air defenses, designed to weaken the penetrating power of advanced US air assets, especially American stealth fighters and bombers.

The reality is that US fifth-generation fighters are large pieces of metal. They are not invisible, and they can be seen at certain points on the electromagnetic spectrum. Russia and China have both developed capabilities that could allow them to detect a stealthy US aircraft. Still, stealth fighters remain an invaluable part of the US arsenal.

Keep reading... Show less
MIGHTY HISTORY

The spy who gave nukes to the USSR applied for a veteran's pension

In 1999, a U.S. Army World War II veteran applied for his Social Security pension. There would have been nothing out of the ordinary for any other vet down on his luck. He knew that any veteran of WWII was able to apply at the Social Security office for special benefits for Army vets during that war. Later that year, 1999, he received a notification by mail, with just one line:

"We are writing to tell you that you do not qualify for retirement benefits."
Keep reading... Show less
MIGHTY TRENDING
Ryan Pickrell

Naval expert says Russians are to blame for near-collision at sea

When the US Navy accused Russia of "unsafe and unprofessional" behavior at sea after a dangerous close encounter between a Russian destroyer and a US cruiser June 7, 2019, Russia quickly released a statement countering the US version of events.

Each side blamed the other for the run-in — which was close enough for US sailors to spot sunbathers topside on the Russian ship. But an expert who viewed the US Navy's images concluded the Russians were to blame for the near-collision and were "operating in a dangerous and reckless fashion."

The US Navy says the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Chancellorsville and the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov nearly collided when the Russian ship sailed as close as 50 feet off the US Navy vessel while it was recovering a helicopter in the Philippine Sea. Russia claims that the USS Chancellorsville put itself on a collision course with the Russian ship in the East China Sea, where the two warships came within 50 meters (150 feet) of one another.

Keep reading... Show less
MIGHTY TRENDING
Ryan Pickrell

Russian admiral says there's nothing weird about sunbathing sailors

When a Russian destroyer came close to colliding with a US Navy warship on June 7, 2019, Russian sailors were spotted sunbathing on the deck. A retired Russian admiral says there's nothing weird about that.

Russian Admiral Valentin Selivanov, a military analyst who previously served as the chief of staff of the Russian Navy, told Russian media on June 10, 2019, that there's nothing wrong with relaxing topside when you're not at war. "There is a time for war, and a time for sunbathing," the admiral explained.

On June 7, 2019, the US Navy accused the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov of taking a run at the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Chancellorsville in the Philippine Sea. The two ships narrowly missed one another as the Russian destroyer came within 100 feet of the US warship.

Keep reading... Show less
MIGHTY TRENDING

Russia may be abandoning the world's worst dictator in Venezuela

Nicolas Maduro is the world's worst dictator in the world's worst dictatorship. To be clear, he's not the worst in that he's particularly repressive to his citizens or running concentration camps. He's the worst in terms of how he came to power and how he holds on to it. He rose in power thanks to Hugo Chavez' cult of personality while he and his party managed the rapid decline of what was one of South America's most vibrant economies.

For a while, it looked like the Kremlin might have been propping up his regime, but now it looks like Moscow might be abandoning him.

Keep reading... Show less
MIGHTY MOVIES
Bill Bostock

Russia is making a rival to HBO's 'Chernobyl'

Russia is working on its own TV show about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster — but this version focuses on a conspiracy theory that a CIA agent sabotaged the reactor.

The Russian show, whose release date is not yet known, comes at the heels of HBO's successful miniseries, "Chernobyl."

The HBO show attributes the 1986 nuclear disaster to a combination of reckless decisions made by senior plant staff and Soviet state censorship, which resulted in the government hiding dangerous problems at the plant from the public, as well as other scientists and plant staff.

Keep reading... Show less
MIGHTY TRENDING
Ryan Pickrell

During showdown with US Navy, Russian sailors were caught... sunbathing?

A Russian destroyer and a US Navy cruiser nearly collided at sea on June 7, 2019. Videos released by the Navy appear to show Russian sailors sunbathing shirtless on the back of their warship during this close encounter.

The Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov engaged in "unsafe and unprofessional" behavior by sailing dangerously close to the US Navy Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Chancellorsville, the US 7th Fleet said in a statement accompanied by photos and videos of the incident.

The Russians accused the American vessel of acting improperly, arguing that the USS Chancellorsville abruptly changed course and cut across the path of the destroyer.

Keep reading... Show less
MIGHTY TRENDING
Ryan Pickrell

Watch how close this Russian destroyer came to hitting US warship

The US Navy caught a Russian destroyer on video nearly colliding with a US warship in a dangerous close encounter at sea.

The Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov closed with the US Navy Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville on June 7, 2019, putting the sailors on board at risk, the US 7th Fleet said in a statement.

The US Navy says the Russian vessel engaged in "unsafe and unprofessional" conduct at sea. Specifically, it "maneuvered from behind and to the right of Chancellorsville, accelerated, and closed to an unsafe distance of approximately 50-100 feet."

Keep reading... Show less