On April 26, the world marks the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which became one of the greatest man-made catastrophes of the 20th century and changed the lives of millions of people. This date serves as a reminder that thousands of people—firefighters, military personnel, engineers, medical workers, drivers, and professionals from other fields—saved the world from disaster.
In observance of the International Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl Disaster, humanitarian hubs and centers established for residents of the Donetsk region in safe areas of Ukraine held a series of patriotic events for children, youth, and adults, during which they honored the courage, selflessness, and high professionalism of the accident’s liquidators.
Thematic events were organized: “Chernobyl: Ukraine’s Pain and Tragedy,” “Beyond the Exclusion Zone: Chernobyl as a Shared Experience of Ukrainian Communities,” “Bitter April 1986,” “Chernobyl: To Forget or to Remember,” “The Zone: A Lost Home,” “The Chernobyl Bell Rings,” “Cranes Flew to Chernobyl,” “Chernobyl: 40 Years Later,” and “Chernobyl—Ukraine’s Pain and Sorrow” consisted of an analysis of the global consequences of the disaster, fact-checking and debunking myths, intellectual quizzes, and honoring the memory of the tragedy’s victims.
Liquidators of the Chernobyl accident were invited to the thematic events, where they shared memories of the first days of the disaster—those anxious hours when it became clear that immediate action was needed. Their memories are the voices of eyewitnesses conveying the truth about the selflessness of people who, without fear or hesitation, fulfilled their duty under extreme conditions.
During the commemorative lectures, speakers discussed the events of April 1986, courage, responsibility, and why remembering these events is so important for this generation. These were opportunities for dialogue and for realizing the value of heroism.
We held informational sessions featuring heart-touching stories about choice, responsibility, and the price paid by those who went to save the country.
We presented the book “The Chernobyl Chronicle: People,” dedicated to the events in Chernobyl, and held literary readings of poems by renowned Ukrainian authors: Dmytro Pavlychko, Lina Kostenko, Borys Oliynyk, Nina Hnatiuk, and Maria Yanovska.
Visits were organized to the photo exhibitions “The Chernobyl Accident: Events, People, Experience,” “Pierced and Scorched by Chernobyl,” and “The Black Stork of Chernobyl Still Flies Above Us,” featuring unique photographs dedicated to the heroic deeds of the liquidators and the historical memory of the greatest tragedy of the 20th century.
While watching educational videos and documentaries such as “The Polissya Web” and “Chernobyl 1986,” visitors learned about the scale of the Chernobyl tragedy and who was the first to come to the defense of millions of people. The films evoked genuine emotions and prompted reflection on responsibility and the value of human life.
Representatives of the hubs and centers, together with residents of the Donetsk region, also took part in memorial rallies, laid flowers at memorials and sites dedicated to soldiers, and observed a moment of silence to honor the memory of the fallen liquidators who, at the cost of their own health and lives, stopped the terrible disaster.
We honor the memory of over 600,000 heroic liquidators who stopped the spread of radiation at the cost of their own health. Today, their work is continued by Ukrainian energy workers who, under the extreme conditions of war and under fire, maintain control over nuclear facilities, preventing a new disaster.
We remember the heroes! We value their resilience! Their feat will remain in our memory forever!