On Sunday, Ukraine observed the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, amid concerns that Russia’s ongoing conflict could trigger a repeat of the catastrophic nuclear incident that resulted in numerous fatalities and severe environmental damage.
The remembrance of the disaster—during which radioactive materials spread across a significant portion of Europe as Soviet officials attempted to downplay its severity—has gained urgent relevance due to Russia’s invasion of its neighboring country.
Authorities in Kyiv assert that Moscow has frequently launched missiles and drones along flight paths near the nuclear facility to strike Ukrainian urban areas, including a significant assault last year that damaged a crucial protective barrier.
Additionally, Russian troops have taken control of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant located in the southeast, which Kyiv’s state atomic agency reported on Sunday experienced its 15th temporary power outage since the Kremlin’s takeover in March 2022.
On Sunday, various foreign dignitaries, including the EU energy commissioner, visited Kyiv to honor the anniversary and reaffirm their commitment to supporting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which is frequently targeted by Russian air attacks.
A group of foreign delegates and Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, attend a ceremony to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster in Chornobyl on Sunday. (Alina Smutko/Reuters)
Ceremonies were held in a somber atmosphere both in Kyiv and at the Chornobyl site itself—briefly occupied during the early stages of the conflict—where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy placed a candle alongside the visiting president of Moldova and other officials.
“The risks we face are just as significant right now due to Russia’s actions regarding our Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility and overall impact on our energy and territory,” Zelenskyy expressed to reporters in Kyiv.
Impact of the War
In February 2025, a Russian drone attack damaged a large protective arc that was installed over part of the Chornobyl plant in 2016 to cover a sarcophagus built in 1986 to contain radioactive waste. Although no leaks were detected and the damage has since been repaired, the barrier requires at least 500 million euros for comprehensive repairs to avert long-term harm, as stated by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which is aiding in fundraising for the initiative.
During his address in Kyiv on Sunday, Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, emphasized the need for repairs to commence without delay.
Surveillance video circulated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on social media shows a strike on the outer protective shell of the nuclear plant.
Kyiv’s chief state prosecutor informed Reuters that Ukrainian radar systems had identified at least 92 Russian drones operating within a five-kilometre radius of the protective cover since June 2024.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, nuclear energy has become crucial to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, contributing approximately 70% to the overall power generation, according to the state-owned company Energoatom.
The control of the Zaporizhzhia plant, the largest in Europe, stands as one of the most contentious issues in U.S.-mediated peace discussions between Kyiv and Moscow, which have yielded limited progress.
Enduring Effects
The accidental explosion and subsequent meltdown at reactor four of the Soviet-era Chornobyl plant in the early morning hours of April 26, 1986, exposed millions to radiation, forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate, and contaminated vast areas of land.
Since then, thousands have fallen victim to radiation-related diseases like cancer, though the exact death toll and long-term health implications remain hotly debated.
On Sunday, Pope Leo remarked that the Chornobyl disaster has left an indelible mark on humanity’s collective memory, urging that nuclear energy should “always be harnessed to promote life and peace.”
Portraits are seen at a memorial in Kyiv on Sunday for victims of the Chornobyl disaster. (Roman Pilipey/AFP/Getty Images)
Serhii Balashov, who participated in the cleanup efforts, shared with Reuters that Soviet officials attempted to conceal the aftermath of the incident even from those who played a vital role in managing it.
“They didn’t even recognize the connection between our health issues and our presence in Chornobyl for the cleanup,” he stated during the memorial event in Kyiv.
Located around 100 kilometers north of Kyiv and surrounded by a 2,600-square-kilometer exclusion zone, the plant—which Reuters visited on Wednesday—now exists in an unsettling tranquility.
The New Safe Confinement structure covers the old sarcophagus, which confines the remains of the damaged fourth reactor, at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant on Sunday. (Alina Smutko/Reuters)
National Guardsmen patrol the site, where around 2,250 workers are engaged in multi-day shifts to oversee its gradual decommissioning. The last reactor at the facility was deactivated in 2000.
The control room for reactor four is now filled with dim light and twisted, rusted equipment from the Soviet era.
Wild horses and moose can be seen roaming the land around the plant and the nearby deserted city of Prypiat, illustrating how nature has reclaimed the area in the absence of human activity.