Detachable Subdivision
"Rivne Professional College of
National University of Life
and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine"
The hourly radiation release was equal to the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima. April 26 marks the 39th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, which became the largest man-made disaster of the 20th century. Then, in April 1986, 3/4 of Europe was contaminated with radioactive cesium. 8.5 million residents of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia received significant doses of radiation in the days following the accident, and about half a million of them died from the effects of radiation. By the end of the summer of 1986, more than 90,000 people had been evacuated from the contaminated zone, and 81 settlements in Ukraine had become uninhabited.
The Soviet authorities did everything to hide the consequences of the disaster from the world. For two days the world knew nothing about the explosion. On April 27, a sharp increase in the radiation background was recorded in Denmark and Sweden, after which the Swedish authorities turned to Moscow with a demand to provide an explanation. Instead, in radioactive Kyiv, to show the world that, supposedly, nothing had happened, thousands of people, including children, were brought out to a festive demonstration on May 1.
The Chernobyl disaster became a warning to all of humanity about how fragile our future can be with uncontrolled radiation.
However, today, during a full-scale invasion, the Russians continue their dangerous games of nuclear blackmail and the seizure of nuclear power plants (in particular, Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia). Dangerous radioactive waste storage facilities have become a battlefield for them. And the whole world has become hostages to this situation. Ukraine is again under the threat of a nuclear disaster. At the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP, the Russians have repeatedly created emergency conditions, using it as a tool of blackmail. The aggressor is once again putting the world on the brink of disaster, and this must be stopped.
On February 14, 2025, the confinement (or Arch) above the Chernobyl NPP was hit by a Russian drone. Under the Arch is the old Shelter (sarcophagus), and under the sarcophagus are the remains of the fourth reactor. The Arch survived, but the sarcophagus is threatened by corrosion. The new confinement has been damaged. Now the company is looking for funds for an expert assessment, which should find out in detail what happened to the confinement, in order to repair it later.
On the anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, we once again remind all world leaders of the danger to humanity. The world must not allow such a terrible disaster to happen again! Let us remember that human life is priceless.
We invite you to the library and information center to familiarize yourself with the literary exhibition "Chernobyl has no past tense."
Svitlana ANDRIYCHUK,
Lead Librarian of the BIC
