Chernobyl liquidators honored as Russia's war creates new danger
On December 14, Ukraine marks the Day of Commemoration for the Chernobyl liquidators, paying tribute to the thousands who, in 1986, consciously confronted the world's most severe nuclear disaster.
Andrii Danik, Chairman of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS), emphasized in a solemn message that the liquidators bore the initial and most brutal impact, entering directly into the heart of the nuclear danger to save not just a country, but the future of all humanity.
"Their courage and sacrifice became a shield that saved the lives of millions of people," Danik stated, recalling that many of those involved paid with their lives or continue to live with the tragedy's consequences today.
The Return of the Nuclear Threat
The DSNS Head pointed out that nearly four decades after the accident, the nuclear threat has returned due to the war unleashed by Russia. The attacks on the former Chernobyl site, including the protective sarcophagus, represent, according to the official, a clear and present danger to Ukraine, Europe, and global security.
"Just like in 1986, the first to arrive in the danger zone were the rescuers—those who extinguished fires after enemy attacks on the facility. We have done and continue to do everything possible to prevent a new tragedy," Andrii Danik affirmed.
On this day of commemoration, tribute is paid to all those who died during the cleanup, including first responders from the Ministry of Internal Affairs system. Ukrainian authorities emphasize that these heroes saved lives, often at the cost of their own existence.
To preserve the memory of the liquidators' heroism, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is modernizing the National Chernobyl Museum, transforming it into a vital repository for future generations.
"The world must remember: safety does not come by itself. Behind it are always brave, determined, and devoted people. That is what the Chernobyl liquidators were like," concluded the head of the DSNS.
The Legacy of the 1986 Catastrophe
The Chernobyl explosion in 1986, which occurred while Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, scattered radiation across a large part of Europe.
The emergency workers, known as Chernobyl liquidators, were tasked with cleaning up the plant site and the surrounding Exclusion Zone. They included plant employees, Ukrainian firefighters, and many soldiers and miners from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and other parts of the former Soviet Union.
The exact number of liquidators is unknown due to incomplete records. Russian registers listed approximately 400,000 as of 1991, with about 600,000 people receiving "liquidator" status over time.
Among the immense sacrifices, 3,000 Moldovans were mobilized for the cleanup, and over one-third of them have since died. This specific national sacrifice is honored through several commemorative events in Moldova.
The United Nations dubbed the disaster the "greatest ecological disaster in the history of humanity." In the months following the accident, Soviet authorities built a temporary concrete "sarcophagus." It has since been replaced by a modern shelter structure, designed as a long-term solution to isolate the remaining radiation, the destroyed building, and the molten nuclear fuel.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
