Ukrainians Commemorate Chernobyl Disaster Victims in Prypyat
Prypyat, Ukraine – On Saturday, Ukrainians gathered in the ghost town of Prypyat to remember the victims and cleanup crews of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, marking the 39th anniversary of the tragic event that occurred in 1986. The ceremony was attended by plant employees, survivors, their families, and government officials, who collectively honored the legacy of those affected by laying flowers at a monument dedicated to the “liquidators” – civil and military personnel who responded to the disaster.
State awards and honorary distinctions were bestowed upon numerous liquidators and responders not only for their efforts during the Chernobyl crisis but also for their bravery during a recent Russian UAV strike on February 14, 2025, which targeted the new safe confinement structure at the nuclear site. The Kyiv Regional State Administration highlighted the ongoing threat posed by the Russian occupation, which began in early 2022 but was lifted later that spring.
Svitlana Grinchuk, Ukraine’s Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, expressed deep gratitude to the personnel who remained at the plant during the invasion, emphasizing their vital role in maintaining radiation safety amid imminent danger. “They ensured the operation of the plant and enterprises critical to maintaining radiation safety not only for Ukraine but for the entire European continent,” she stated.
The 1986 Chernobyl disaster resulted in 31 immediate deaths due to radiation, and nearly 8.4 million people across Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine were exposed to harmful radiation. The long-term effects remain difficult to assess, with a significant radioactive cloud affecting regions far beyond the disaster zone. Today, a 30-kilometer radius around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant remains designated as an exclusion zone.
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