Ukraine's President Accuses Russia Of 'Nuclear Terrorism' On Chernobyl Anniverary
by RFE/RL · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · JoinUkraine’s president lashed out at Russia, accusing it of “nuclear terrorism,” as Kyiv observed the 40th anniversary of the explosion and meltdown at the Chernobyl power plant, the world’s worst civilian atomic disaster.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Moscow citing Russian drone flights over the remnants of the destroyed plant in northern Ukraine. Last year, a Russian drone hit the protective structure built to try and seal off the radioactive debris.
Russia is "again bringing the world to the brink of a man-made disaster,” he said in an April 26 post to Telegram.
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"The world must not allow this nuclear terrorism to continue, and the best way is to force Russia to stop its reckless attacks," he wrote.
The incident at Chernobyl occurred in the early morning of April 26, 1986, when a routine test at the Soviet-designed plant went awry, sparking an explosion and a meltdown that sent a cloud of radioactive dust and fallout across northern Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and into Scandinavia.
The immediate explosion killed only a handful of plant technicians, but tens of thousands of emergency workers, soldiers, nearby residents were also exposed to a high level of radiation.
There is no definite consensus of how many people died as a result of the disaster.
In a 2005 report, the United Nations put the number of confirmed and projected deaths in the three worst-affected countries at 4,000. Greenpeace estimated that the disaster had caused close to 100,000 deaths.
Immediately after the explosion, Soviet authorities built a concrete "sarcophagus" to limit the spread of radioactivity. Years later, an international effort designed a massive arch that covered the plant's debris, as well as the sarcophagus.
In February 2025, a Russian drone hit the roof. No leaks were detected, and workers have since patched up the hole.
But the structure needs at least 500 million euros' worth of more repairs to prevent permanent damage, according to the the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
"We believe that repairs should start as soon as possible, and that leaving the situation as is now is problematic," Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said at an event in Kyiv on April 26.
North Of Ukraine
Belarus, the country that suffered the worst after Ukraine, had large swaths of its southern regions irradiated, leaving them uninhabitable.
Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko did not immediately issue any statement on the anniversary.
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However, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, an opposition leader whom many countries recognize as rightful leader of Belarus, issued a statement saying the “disaster changed Belarus forever.”
“Chernobyl showed what happens when those in power are not accountable,” she said in a social media post.
There was no immediate statement from Russian officials in Moscow.
Ukraine's President Accuses Russia Of 'Nuclear Terrorism' On Chernobyl Anniverary
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