Chernobyl Disaster Commemoration Marks 39 Years Since Catastrophe
Prypyat, Ukraine – On Saturday, Ukrainians gathered in the ghost town of Prypyat to honor the victims and first responders of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which occurred 39 years ago. The event brought together plant employees, survivors, relatives of the victims, and government officials, all paying tribute at a monument dedicated to the "liquidators" who dealt with the aftermath of the catastrophe.
During the solemn ceremony, attendees laid flowers and observed a minute of silence. State awards were distributed to liquidators and individuals involved in responding to a recent Russian UAV strike that damaged the newly constructed safe confinement arch over the reactor. This attack came amidst ongoing tensions following Russia’s invasion, with Russian forces seizing the Chernobyl zone early in the conflict. Although the area was retaken by Ukrainian forces in 2022, concerns about nuclear safety remain.
Svitlana Grinchuk, Ukraine’s Minister of Environmental Protection, praised the bravery of workers who remained at the Chernobyl facility during the invasion, emphasizing their critical role in safeguarding both Ukrainian and European radiation safety amid significant threats to their lives.
The Chernobyl disaster has left lasting effects, with 31 immediate fatalities from radiation exposure reported and nearly 8.4 million people across Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine affected by radiation exposure. The full scope of the disaster’s consequences continues to be difficult to assess, but it’s known that a radioactive cloud from the site reached far across the globe. Today, a 30-kilometer exclusion zone surrounds the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, a stark reminder of the disaster’s enduring legacy.
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