Commemoration of the liquidators of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

26 April 1986 year - the day of the greatest man-made disaster in the history of mankind. During the experiment, two explosions occurred at the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which led to the destruction of the reactor and the building of the fourth unit of the NPP. A cloud of radioactive dust burst into the Earth's atmosphere. The wind carried dangerous radioactive isotopes, which settled on the ground, penetrated the water.

In its consequences, the accident became a catastrophe of a planetary scale. Із 192 ton of nuclear fuel, що були у реакторі блока, about 4 percent got into the air during 10 днів. Taking into account the decay, the total release of radioactive substances was 50 million curies. Ukraine felt the worst consequences of the disaster. Також, neighboring countries were also affected: Belarus, Russia. A powerful cyclone spread radioactive substances across the territory of Lithuania, of Latvia, Польщі, Швеції, Norway, of Austria, Фінляндії, Great Britain, Germany, of the Netherlands, Бельгії.

First, who engaged in mortal combat with the atomic element, became firefighters. Among them are firefighters from Chernihiv Oblast. A regional combined fire service unit was created, which included the personnel of the Department of Fire Protection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Chernihiv region, fire departments of Chernihiv, Ніжина, Pryluk and most districts of the region and fire departments for the protection of Prylutsky oil fields, Varvinsky, Talalaiv districts. The soldiers of the detachment carried out the decontamination of the square for the future laying of the foundation of the sarcophagus, a latex film was applied to the walls and roof of the 3rd, 4-th blocks, protected against fires and eliminated them in case of occurrence, radioactive soil was removed, neutralized the "red forest".

Aviation was involved in the work to eliminate the consequences of the accident. In the early days, an aviation group was created, to which the management of the Central State Administration of Ukraine was operatively subordinated. Almost a hundred helicopters were based at the school's airfields, there, at first, special processing of rotorcraft and their crews was carried out. The largest number of sorties was carried out for backfilling of the embankment - 1804 take off. Other works were dangerous, somehow: thermal and radiation reconnaissance of the reactor, decontamination, hanging loads, flight guidance.

A huge amount of work to eliminate the consequences of the accident was performed by military personnel, among them soldiers of the 1st Guards Army, частини якої дислокувались у Чернігівській області. Overall average 600 thousands of participants in the elimination of consequences - 300 thousands, were military personnel. They did the work, associated with the destroyed reactor, polluted areas, дезактивацією будівель, санітарною обробкою населення та тварин, fencing of the thirty-kilometer exclusion zone, burying equipment affected by radiation in burial grounds.

As a result of the hard work of thousands of people in December 1986 Dr.. above the 4th power unit, in almost six months, the "Shelter" facility was built, the so-called "Sarcophagus". But the work did not end for a long time near the power units of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and in the thirty-kilometer contamination zone.

Do 2006 р., 20-on the anniversary of the completion of the construction of the Sarcophagus, the President of Ukraine V. Yushchenko signed the Decree on Day of commemoration of the liquidators of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant 14 December.

We are approaching the sad anniversary of the tragedy, which will be fulfilled in April next year 40 years. During this period, many fateful events took place in our history: restoration of Ukraine's independence, two modern Ukrainian revolutions, Russian-Ukrainian war. However,, we return again and again to the intense dramatic days, which took place during the months of liquidation of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The subject of Chernobyl does not lose its relevance even today.

Above the old sarcophagus in 2016 Dr.. brought up, and in July 2019 Dr.. put into operation the new "Shelter", calculated on 100 years - confinement. This is a grandiose building in width 257 м, in length 150 м, height 108 м. The weight of the structure is more than 36 thousands of tons.

When the new protective facility "Shelter" was being built, engineers could not even imagine, that there will be madmen, which will use weapons against a nuclear facility. 14 February 2025 Dr.. Russian Geran-2 attack drone ("Shahed-136") damaged the protective outer layer of the shield, broken tightness, laid down by the project. Now the structure is threatened by corrosion, and as a consequence – the probability of destruction. The steel giant of Chernobyl could not withstand the barbaric attack. Chornobyl's bell once again reminds humanity: from carefree to universal disaster can be a moment, one strike from a missile or a relatively inexpensive combat drone.

And already a new generation is forced to look for ways and means of securing a "peaceful atom", that at one time got out of control. So it's a tragedy , which happened in April 1986, it's not just a story, it continues to the present time and will have its continuation in the future.

14 In December, we honor all liquidators of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, we say words of gratitude to all veterans: military and civilian, which starting from the first minutes, risking and giving their lives, they made sacrifices, to tame the "peaceful atom", that got out of control.

By February 2022 Dr.. у Військово-історичному музеї, branches of the Chernihiv regional historical museum named after. VV. Tarnovsky's section was presented in the permanent exhibition, which covered the events of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Moreover, exhibitions were created, meetings of veteran liquidators with young people were held. Museum employees constantly replenished the stock collection with liquidators' materials. Today, all museum exhibits are closed, and our exhibits are kept in storage. However, they continue to be documents and witnesses of the heroic confrontation with the invisible enemy - radiation. After the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war, they will once again become part of the exposition, the events of the modern war will also be part of the exposition.

10 December 2025 Dr.. Chernihiv Regional Organization of the All-Ukrainian Public Organization of the Disabled “Chornobyl Union of Ukraine” held a round table in the museum “Relay of generations”, which was attended by the liquidators, military, representatives of authorities.

Svitlana Zemlyanska, senior researcher