US EditionDespite Russia’s war, one Ukrainian city still gathers for midnight Chernobyl vigil
Attendees lit candles and heard poetry as about 600,000 liquidators were honored for containing the disaster’s deadly fallout.
- On Sunday, residents of Slavutych gathered in the central square for a midnight vigil commemorating 40 years since the Chernobyl disaster, honoring those killed and the courageous "liquidators" who risked their lives to contain the fallout.
- Soviet authorities built Slavutych around 1988 to house Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant workers after the 1986 disaster forced mass evacuations across Ukraine and Belarus, establishing the city around 32 miles from the former plant.
- About 600,000 "liquidators" fought the fire and cleaned contamination, though 30 workers died within months from acute radiation sickness. Commemorators dressed in white protective suits to symbolize their sacrifice.
- Russia's ongoing conflict with Ukraine has revived nuclear fears, with residents citing a 2025 drone strike on the New Safe Confinement structure that damaged the containment dome protecting the destroyed reactor.
- Despite wartime curfews and recent blackouts, the annual vigil persists as poetry drifted over the square, reflecting how past Chernobyl calamities continue to shape present-day fears and residents' resilience amid ongoing conflict.
42 Articles
42 Articles
Ukraine Marks 40 Years Since Chernobyl Disaster Amid Renewed Nuclear Fears (Worthy News Radio)
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – War-torn Ukraine is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster amid lingering fears that the tragedy could occur again as war continues. Survivors, including former staff of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, carried candles at a memorial to firefighters and workers who died in the world’s worst nuclear incident. https://www.worthynews.com/wordpress…
Echoes of Chernobyl: A Vigil Amidst Turmoil
Slavutych residents gathered in a central square to commemorate the Chernobyl disaster's victims, highlighting ongoing fears about nuclear risk amidst Ukraine's conflict with Russia. The vigil honors the 'liquidators' who risked their lives 40 years ago, as well as ongoing impacts on residents' lives, disrupted further by war.
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