40 years have passed since the Chernobyl disaster

The accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP), which occurred on the night of April 26, 1986, became the largest man-made disaster in human history. Every year on this day, Ukraine and the entire world remember the victims of this tragedy. In 2025, it marks 39 years since the catastrophe, the consequences of which are still felt not only in Ukraine but far beyond its borders.

Anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster

This year marks 40 years since the nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. On April 26, 1986, at 1:23 AM, two powerful explosions occurred within seconds of each other at the plant's fourth reactor unit. According to expert estimates, the power of these explosions was equivalent to 300 atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima.

As a result of the accident, approximately 11 tons of nuclear fuel were released into the atmosphere. In the first days after the catastrophe, approximately 8.5 million people received significant doses of radiation exposure. About 600,000 people from across the Soviet Union were mobilized to deal with the aftermath of the accident.

A tragic fact remains that the Soviet leadership attempted to conceal from the international community and its own citizens the true scale and danger of what had happened. The evacuation of the population from the 80 nearest settlements began only a day after the accident. In the first hours and days, firefighters and liquidators worked virtually without proper protection from radiation.

ChNPP Before the Accident

In preserved archival photographs, one can see what the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and its satellite city of Pripyat looked like before the catastrophe.

Construction of Pripyat began in 1970 simultaneously with the construction of the power plant itself. The city was located just 2 kilometers from ChNPP. Before the catastrophe, about 50,000 people lived there — predominantly plant workers and their families. The average age of residents was only 26, making Pripyat one of the youngest cities in the USSR.

Today, Pripyat is a ghost city located in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. It has become a unique open-air museum and a monument to the largest man-made disaster in history. Before the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Pripyat was a popular destination for tourists from around the world. The atmosphere of the abandoned city inspired the creators of the famous Ukrainian computer game S.T.A.L.K.E.R., which gained worldwide recognition.

Background of the Catastrophe

Interestingly, the 1986 accident was not the first at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. This fact became known only in 2021, when documents from the "Chernobyl KGB Dossier" were declassified for the 35th anniversary of the catastrophe. The published materials revealed that substandard materials and equipment were used during the construction of the plant:

- in 1973 — reinforcement of insufficient strength;

- in 1976 — defective pipes, facing tiles, and bricks;

- in 1976 — a defective pressure collector for the nuclear reactor.