On 40th Chernobyl disaster anniversary, Zelenskyy accuses Russia of committing ‘nuclear terrorism’
On 40th Chernobyl Disaster Anniversary, Zelenskyy Blames Russia for Nuclear Terrorism
As Ukraine observes the 40th year since the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned Russia for perpetrating “nuclear terrorism” through persistent drone strikes targeting the site. In a social media post, he emphasized that Russia’s ongoing invasion has once more placed the world on the edge of a human-caused catastrophe. Zelenskyy highlighted the frequency of drone flights over Chernobyl, citing a previous incident where one struck its containment structure, heightening the danger of a radioactive release.
“The world must not allow this nuclear terrorism to continue, and the best way is to force Russia to stop its reckless attacks,” he stated.
In the northern city of Slavutych, residents gathered at midnight on Saturday to commemorate the disaster, honoring the workers who undertook the cleanup and mourning the victims of the 1986 accident. Candles were lit in the shape of a prominent radiation symbol to mark the occasion. Four years after the disaster, over 600,000 individuals from the Soviet Union joined the effort, risking high radiation exposure as part of the mission.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant’s explosion at 1:23 AM on April 26, 1986, became the worst civilian nuclear crisis in history. It was triggered by a human error during a safety test, causing reactor number four to detonate. The blast released radioactive smoke into the atmosphere, with nuclear fuel continuing to burn for more than a decade. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) attributed the disaster to “severe design flaws in the reactor and shutdown system,” alongside procedural violations.
Following the incident, Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia faced immediate contamination, and the radioactive plume soon reached Europe. Sweden recorded elevated radiation levels just two days after the event. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev delayed public acknowledgment of the disaster until May 14. A 2005 UN report estimated 4,000 deaths linked to radiation, while a 2006 Greenpeace study suggested nearly 100,000 fatalities.
Russian attacks have not ceased during the Chernobyl anniversary. Overnight strikes claimed at least three lives and injured four, as Moscow deployed 144 drones. Ukrainian officials reported 124 of these were intercepted. In the northeastern region of Sumy, two casualties were reported. In Dnipro, an aerial assault killed eight, followed by additional injuries from drone and artillery attacks the next day.
