Ukraine commemorates Chernobyl nuclear disaster
Source: Bukvy
Today, Ukraine marks the 38th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
On April 26, 1986, at 01:23 am, two explosions occurred at the fourth power unit, which completely destroyed the reactor.As a result of the explosions, the building of the power unit partially collapsed, and a fire broke out on the roof.
The remains of the active zone of the fourth reactor began to melt.
A mixture of molten metal, sand, concrete and fuel particles spread in the reactor premises. As a result of the disaster, there was a release of radioactive substances, in particular isotopes of uranium, plutonium, iodine-131, cesium-134, cesium-137, strontium-90.
The situation worsened because uncontrolled nuclear and chemical reactions with the release of heat (from the burning of graphite reserves) continued in the destroyed reactor, with the eruption of radioactive elements.
It was possible to stop the active eruption of radioactive substances from the destroyed reactor only at the end of May 1986 by attracting the resources of the entire former USSR and at the cost of mass exposure of hundreds of thousands of liquidators.
8.5 million residents of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia were exposed to significant radiation doses in the first days after the explosion. 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 were evacuated from the contaminated zone, and 81 settlements in Ukraine were abandoned.
The Soviet authorities tried to hide information about the catastrophe at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. There were no official reports of the disaster for two days.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.
Military serviceman of the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine with the call sign “Paradox” is the crew commander of the American M113 armored personnel carrier. He is a master at using it and is constantly improving, because the legionnaire’s skills are tested every day in battle. You have to drive to the front lines, often under artillery fire and drone attacks.
Source: Zhovta Strichka Ukrainians posting images of New Year postcards to cheer up people in…
Source: Oleksiy Honcharenko European Solidarity lawmakers protested in Ukraine’s parliament on Thursday, demanding to remove…
Source: Volodymyr Zelensky Ukrainian pesident Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the morning missile and drone assault on…