The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America disseminated the statement below on April 24.
On Saturday, April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history began with the rupture of Reactor No. 4’s containment at the Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Nuclear Power Station. Conceived to be one of the largest nuclear power plants in history during its construction in the 1970s, Soviet planners located this megastructure 11 miles northwest of the city of Chornobyl, Ukraine, and approximately 62 miles north of Ukraine’s capital and most populous city, Kyiv.
Alongside the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, the disaster at Chornobyl remains one of only two man-made catastrophes classified at the maximum level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale. Following the release of 200 times more radioactive material into the Earth’s atmosphere than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Soviet leaders ordered hundreds of thousands of people to participate in the clean-up effort: 40,000 of these people have since died, 20 percent as a result of suicide, and a further 70,000 have been permanently disabled as a result of their exposure. Today in Ukraine, 6,000 children are born every year with genetic heart defects, a 200 percent increase in birth defects since the nuclear disaster, and a 250 percent increase in congenital birth deformities. UNICEF has documented similar increases in children’s disease rates, including a 38 percent increase in malignant tumors and 43 percent in blood circulatory illnesses. More than 1 million children continue to live in areas considered contaminated by the Chornobyl nuclear meltdown.
Post-Chornobyl recovery efforts turned a corner once Ukraine regained its independence in 1991. Today’s Ukraine considers the events at the Chornobyl plant in 1986 comparable in scale to the Holodomor Famine of 1932-1933, the decimation of Ukrainians from foreign invaders during World War II and the ongoing war following Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine. Through inter-agency and international collaboration, 40 countries have contributed the estimated $1.58 billion towards the construction of the recently completed New Safe Confinement, a massive arched dome designed to prevent any radiological releases for the next 100 years. Completed months ahead of schedule, this technological marvel demonstrates a new era in management of man-made disasters, allowing for the permanent dismantling of the original nuclear plant now 31 years after the explosion.
On the 31st commemoration of this tragedy, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, the nation’s largest representation of Ukrainians in America, honors those who perished and those who survived this catastrophe. We also remember the outpouring of international aid to Ukraine led by activists from our community, the international diaspora and those who contributed out of an overwhelming need to aid their fellow man. The UCCA reaffirms its resolve to ensure that the ongoing needs of the victims of this tragedy in Ukraine are not forgotten, as moral and financial support are still needed to assist the affected communities and ease the continued suffering of the countless victims in the wake of this tragedy.
Ukrainian Canadian Congress
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress issued the following release on April 26.
Today the world commemorates the anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine.
On April 26, 1986, a reactor at the Chornobyl power plant near Prypiat exploded and melted down. The disaster affected the lives of thousands of people in Ukraine and Belarus. The terrible impact of the Chornobyl disaster is still being felt today, with adverse effects on the health of many people. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress asks that all Canadians take time today to remember those affected by this terrible tragedy.
“Today, we pray for all the victims of Chornobyl, all those who continue to suffer from its effects, and all those who have suffered from similar tragedies,” stated Paul Grod, national president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. “We gather together in our communities to commemorate the Chornobyl disaster. Let us never forget this catastrophe that forever changed Ukraine and the world.”
Estimates on the numbers of indirect deaths as a result of the Chornobyl disaster vary from the thousands to the tens of thousands.
Many communities across Canada mark the occasion of the anniversary of this tragic event with vigils and solemn commemorations.
In November 2016, the New Safe Confinement shell over the site of the Chornobyl disaster was moved into place. Work on the New Safe Confinement is scheduled to be completed in late 2017.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which manages the financing of the New Safe Confinement, stated, “the New Safe Confinement is the largest moveable land-based structure ever built. It will safeguard the radioactive reactor building and tons of nuclear fuel still inside for at least a century. It is equipped with remotely controlled cranes and machinery to begin the task of dismantling the hastily built shelter erected after the 1986 disaster at the site.”
The Chornobyl Shelter Fund (CSF) was set up at the EBRD in 1997. Canada is one of the member countries of the CSF.
Sen. Raynell Andreychuk
Canadian Sen. Raynell Andreychuk marked the 31st anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster with a news release dated April 26.
“Today, I call on all Canadians to join me in pausing to remember the victims of Chornobyl – one of the largest nuclear power plant disasters in history,” said Sen. Andreychuk. “Let us remember the men, women and children, who lost their lives as a result of this tragedy. Our thoughts are with the children who have been orphaned, and with all those who continue to suffer the devastating effects of nuclear radiation exposure.”
On April 26, 1986, one of four nuclear reactors at the Chornobyl power plant located near the town of Prypiat, Ukraine, exploded during a routine safety test. As a fire erupted, radioactive particles were released into the atmosphere extending across Ukraine, Belarus and neighboring areas of Europe.
“As a result of direct exposure to radiation, 31 ill-equipped emergency responders and power plant workers were the first victims of the disaster. Among those who survived, serious health complications persist,” said Sen. Andreychuk, citing estimates of over 7,000 cases of thyroid cancer related to the incident.
Noting the United Nations General Assembly decision to designate April 26 as International Chornobyl Disaster Remembrance Day, Sen. Andreychuk stated, “International Chornobyl Disaster Remembrance Day marks an opportunity to raise awareness and reaffirm our commitment to improving nuclear safety and security so that we may prevent future disasters from occurring.”