Today, December 14, – Day of Commemoration of the Liquidators of the Chernobyl Disaster
This date was established by the Decree of the President of Ukraine based on the fact that on December 14 1986, the construction of the sarcophagus over the destroyed fourth reactor was completed.
We all bow in respect to the courage, selflessness, and high professionalism of the liquidators.
1 The first to confront the atomic “monster” were the firefighters from the militarized fire department of Pripyat. While “calming” the burning reactor, they were unaware of the deadly hell that awaited them… The heroism of the firemen will never fade; let us remember their names once again — Volodymyr Pravyk, Viktor Kibenok, Leonid Telyatnikov, Vasyl Ihnatenko, Mykola Tytenok, Volodymyr Tyshura, Mykola Vashchuk.
The atomic “monster” went out of control
The explosion of the atomic reactor at Chernobyl in 1986 is referred to as the most terrifying civil nuclear incident in the world.
Recall that at night (01 hour, 23 minutes, 47 seconds) on April 26 1986, two thermal explosions occurred in the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which destroyed the reactor. The building of the power unit partially collapsed. A fire broke out on the roof. Subsequently, the remains of the active zone of the fourth reactor melted down. A mixture of molten metal, sand, concrete, and fuel particles spread beneath the reactor buildings. As a result of the accident, a release of radioactive substances occurred, including isotopes of uranium, plutonium, iodine-131, cesium-134, cesium-137, and strontium-90.
2 The situation worsened because uncontrolled nuclear and chemical reactions continued in the destroyed reactor, releasing heat (from the burning graphite reserves), erupting products of combustion of radioactive elements from the fissure for many days, contaminating large areas. The active release of radioactive substances from the destroyed reactor could only be stopped by the end of May 1986, involving resources from across the former USSR and at the cost of mass radiation exposure to thousands of liquidators.
3 Almost immediately, firefighters arrived at the accident site. The first team to rush to Chernobyl was led by Lieutenant Volodymyr Pravyk. The firefighters worked without isolating gas masks at that time. They were not warned about the dangers of radioactive smoke and debris; they did not realize that this accident was more than just an ordinary fire.
4 The bulk of the work to eliminate the disaster was carried out in 1986-1987, involving approximately 240,000 people. In total, the number of liquidators over all the years amounts to approximately 600,000.
A bit about the sarcophagi
A concrete “sarcophagus” was built around the fourth reactor of Chernobyl, completed at the end of November 1986.
On December 15 2000, the reactor of the last, third power unit was permanently shut down, thus Chernobyl completely ceased operations.
In March 2004, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced a tender for the design, construction, and commissioning of a new sarcophagus for Chernobyl. It was planned to build the so-called “Arch,” which would cover the modern Object Shelter (as it was gradually deteriorating and becoming hazardous).
The new Chernobyl sarcophagus began construction in 2012 and was commissioned in 2019. It is designed to ensure safety over Chernobyl until 2120.
The terrible truth was revealed
The events related to this catastrophe prompted Ukrainian society to conclude that a crime against humanity and the environment was committed by the Soviet system.
With each passing year after the Chernobyl explosion, the terrible truth about the accident itself and its consequences, as well as the anti-human essence of the Soviet authoritarian management system under which this greatest technological disaster of humanity occurred, was revealed.
Initially, the then leadership of the Ukrainian SSR and the USSR tried to conceal the scale of the tragedy, but after reports from Sweden, where radioactive particles were found at the Forsmark NPP, “brought” from the western part of the USSR, and assessments of the contamination levels, an evacuation of nearly 130,000 residents of Kiev Oblast from contaminated areas began. Almost 600,000 people suffered from radioactive exposure, primarily the liquidators of the disaster.
At the same time, while all foreign mass media reported on the danger to human life, and television screens displayed maps of air currents in Central and Eastern Europe, demonstrations and public celebrations dedicated to International Workers' Solidarity Day were held in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine. Those responsible for concealing information later explained their decision as a necessity to prevent panic among the population. However, the radiation level in Kyiv, according to declassified documents from the Security Service of Ukraine, exceeded background levels by tens or hundreds of times.
In the first days of May, the wind blew towards Kiev. On May 1, at 11:00, an radiometer of the Ukrainian SSR recorded almost 2500 µR/h, while at that very time a “Chernobyl” demonstration was held on Khreshchatyk. Throughout the day, values fluctuated between 400 and 2500 µR/h, with an average background level in the city of 15 µR/h.
Why wasn't Kyiv evacuated? What did journalist Kostiantyn Masyk say
Moscow did not allow the then leadership of the Ukrainian SSR to make a decision on the evacuation of Kyiv residents. This was told to me by former First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, ex-head of the State Commission for the Elimination of the Consequences of the Chernobyl Disaster Kostiantyn Masyk.
5 In response to my question about whether the evacuation of Kyiv was necessary in 1986, Kostiantyn Ivanovych replied:
“At that time, nearly four million people lived in Kyiv; evacuating them was practically impossible. The road infrastructure was underdeveloped, and there were not enough railway capabilities. Moreover, to be frank, there was no immediate mortal danger. Fortunately, Kyiv has the Dnipro River. It served as a kind of aerodynamic tube that “sucked” all the dirt out of Kyiv. There were “heavy” spots in Kyiv: near the Northern Bridge and the Vidubitsky Lake. In short, the situation in Kyiv was tense but not lethal.”
In response to another question of mine about whether it could be confirmed or denied that the widespread version stating that Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev threatened the first secretary of the Ukrainian Communist Party Shcherbytsky with expulsion from the party if he refused to hold the May Day parade in Kyiv, Kostiantyn Masyk said:
“Indeed, Volodymyr Shcherbytsky mentioned this at a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the republic, especially emphasizing that he reported to Moscow about the ecological situation in Kyiv. He stated that holding the parade was dangerous for people, as radiation contamination exceeded the norms. To which Gorbachev replied: ‘You are sowing panic; this cannot go on; you have not reformed; you are panic-mongers.’
However, there are many arguments suggesting that Kyiv residents indeed needed to be evacuated… But this page of our history is now in the past.
And about the exclusion zone
6 In Chernobyl, on the territory of the St. Ilya Cathedral, near the Bell of Sorrow, there is a plaque with the inscription:
“Stop and bow your head. Before you