On April 26, Ukraine and the world commemorate the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Chernobyl tragedy, which has become a symbol of the largest technological disaster in human history.
Today Ukraine honors the 39th anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. On the night of April 26, 1986, at 1:23 AM, an explosion occurred at the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, leading to the release of 11 tons of nuclear fuel into the atmosphere. The radioactive cloud covered not only Ukraine but also spread to a significant part of Europe. In the first days after the explosion, the Soviet authorities tried to hide the scale of the disaster and its consequences for people and the environment.
The Chernobyl disaster claimed thousands of lives, shattered millions of fates, and caused irreparable harm to the ecology of all of Europe. Every year on this day, we remember the disaster and those who perished as a result, as well as honor the heroism of the workers at the power plant, the liquidators, firefighters, medics, and all those involved in combating the consequences of the accident.
The Chernobyl disaster vividly demonstrated that nuclear energy, once out of control, does not recognize borders. Yet this lesson was not learned by all... During the war, nuclear safety in Ukraine faced renewed threats caused by the occupation of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant by Russian troops. The station staff and its defenders once again became examples of selflessness and heroism, carrying out their work at the risk of their own lives and doing everything possible to prevent a new terrible disaster.
We bow low to the participants in the liquidation of the Chernobyl disaster and bow our heads to those whose lives and health were taken by the deadly invisible enemy. We are proud and remember...