A wildly popular series about nuclear exercises involving Belarusians was filmed in Russia. Here's what's wrong with "Half-Life"

The story of "Half-Life" begins during perestroika, when Orenburg journalist Nadezhda Keller attends her father's funeral, with whom she had long lost contact. At the funeral, Nadezhda notices something strange: many people in that region died young. And locals have a theory why this is so — they link the event to secret exercises that took place in the Soviet Union 30 years earlier.

Then, on September 14, 1954, large-scale exercises with real nuclear weapons were held at the Totskoye range. A nuclear bomb twice as powerful as the one Americans had previously dropped on Hiroshima was released on the range, they waited half an hour and then commenced ground exercises at the site of the nuclear explosion.

Павялічыць

45 thousand soldiers took part in the exercises, and the core of that group was the Brest garrison. It is understood that soldiers from other Soviet republics also served in Belarus at that time, but Belarusians were definitely at the Totskoye range, because among the public recollections of participants, there are also recollections from Belarusians.

From the first frames, "Half-Life" shows how, according to the creators, one should view those events. According to the textual prologue shown at the beginning of the series, as of 1954, the nuclear arms race was escalating: the USA had already conducted exercises with nuclear weapons and developed plans to strike Soviet cities.

Павялічыць

Further in that prologue, it is stated that the Soviet Union was forced to react, and therefore held the Totskoye exercises. 45 thousand participants "brilliantly coped with the task," and further, "the country is fully prepared for nuclear war and repelling the threat of attack." At the end of the prologue, the creators dedicate the series to the "feat and memory" of the exercise participants.

Streaming service Okko released a documentary about those events before the premiere of "Half-Life," where it further imposes a jingoistic-patriotic interpretation of the Totskoye exercises. Here is an excerpt from its announcement:

"Under the command of Marshal of Victory Georgy Zhukov, an atomic bomb with a power of about 40 kilotons was detonated. This was a symmetrical response to the aggressive military policy of the USA, according to which the Pentagon developed a plan to strike 300 nuclear bombs on cities of the USSR in case of escalation."

Павялічыць

Such a plan, which is mentioned, did indeed exist. But an interesting detail: the Dropshot plan, which is being discussed, was withdrawn long before the Totskoye exercises. And in general, it envisioned defensive actions, not an attack on the USSR.

Is it possible, however, nowadays to release propaganda without a shred of truthful information? The creators of "Half-Life" present the actions of the Soviet authorities as the only possible ones, but cannot remain silent about the danger of the Totskoye exercises — it's no coincidence that before the exercises, the main heroine's father seeks ways to move his family as far away as possible.

A telling moment — the heroine's father discusses his plan to leave in a conversation with another character. In response, he is almost shamed — as if to say, "we are teachers, how can we abandon our students?"

Павялічыць

Only two episodes of "Half-Life" have been released so far, and it is still unclear what will prevail in that series — propaganda or a story of resistance to the system. The series itself is currently receiving praise: at its societal premiere, it was called the main series of the year. Okko itself writes the same about the project, meaning the creators are placing big bets on "Half-Life." This is also indicated by the star-studded cast, as the main roles feature famous Russian actors: Anna Mikhalkova, Filipp Yankovsky, and Yevgeny Stychkin.

As for the creators, they know how to make ambiguous stories. Screenwriter Oleg Malovichko, for example, prepared the script for "Likhiye" — a project about criminal Russian gangs in the 90s, and the production was handled by the production company "Sreda" — you've probably heard of their "Outsource." It seems, however, that now even they cannot work without "patriotic" reverences.

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