As a result of the 1986 explosion, caused by a dangerous Moscow-ordered experiment which ignored basic safety rules, large amounts of radioactive substances were released into the atmosphere. An area of 125 to 146 thousand square kilometers on the border of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia was radioactively contaminated, and the radioactive cloud caused by the incident spread over a large part of Europe.
31 people died directly in the disaster - mainly firefighters and soldiers who received lethal doses of radiation while fighting the fire at the power plant. According to various sources, the number of indirect victims who died from chronic radiation sickness may range from 4,000 to 200,000 people, and about 600,000 people worldwide were exposed to an increased dose of radiation.
On the 39th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, Ukraine paid tribute to the heroes who gave their lives and health in the fight to contain the effects of the disaster. At the same time, Ukrainian authorities remind that Russian aggression and attacks on nuclear facilities continue to threaten the world - and the fight for nuclear safety is still ongoing.
"Today marks 39 years since the Chernobyl disaster. April 26, 1986, left a permanent mark on the heart of every Ukrainian. Today we honor those who were the first to throw themselves into the fire and radiation. Those who saved the world [...] However, Russian troops completely ignore these tragic experiences of the past years - and are trying to attack the 'exclusion zone' as well as seize the facilities of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant has also been in captivity for three years, and the world lives in expectation of the worst."
- Andriy Danyk, head of Ukraine's State Emergency Service, wrote on Telegram on Saturday.
At the beginning of a full-scale war against Ukraine, Russian troops entered the territory of the Chernobyl power plant and began its occupation, lasting from February 24 to March 31, 2022. On February 13, 2025, a Russian drone crashed into the sarcophagus of the Chernobyl power plant, severely damaging its shell.
Saturday is the 1,158th day of Ukraine's heroic resistance against Russia's unlawful full-scale aggression - which followed Moscow's 11-year-long illegal occupation of the entire Ukrainian region of Crimea, as well as parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
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Source: IAR, PAP