10 Most Terrifying Moments From HBO's Chernobyl

Sitnikov on the roof is perhaps the first time we realise the true scale of the disaster, and the utter helplessness of the men stranded in the plant when the reactor went up in flames.

This entry is essentially a catch-all moment for every breakneck speed scene in the first episode as we see the workers in the bowels of the plant trapped within the radioactive nightmare.

Sitnikov is slightly protected from the most immediate effects of the disaster, running the switchboard in the control room.

However, as the internal investigation gets underway, he’s hauled into the executive office to describe what has happened. He tells him all he knows, but it’s not enough.

With Dyatlov and the rest still refusing to believe what has now been confirmed, poor Sitnikov is sent to roof. He is not as stubborn as the rest; he’s more than willing to believe that the men were telling the truth, and that reactor four has indeed exploded.

However, he dutifully goes to the roof anyway, and confirms what he already knew, condemning himself to death from radiation exposure.