40 years since the Chernobyl nuclear accident

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident was a major radiation incident, resulting in large-scale economic and socio-psychological consequences. It impacted the lives of millions of people and required the maximum mobilization of forces and resources to overcome its consequences. The Republic of Belarus received 35% of the Chernobyl fallout of cesium-137, the main radionuclide currently determining the radiation situation. 23% of the territory was contaminated, including more than 1.8 million hectares of agricultural land (approximately 20% of the total area) and more than 2 million hectares of forests (approximately 23%). Short-lived radioactive isotopes of iodine (primarily iodine-131) contaminated virtually the entire territory.

The disaster affected 56 districts of the republic, more than 3,600 settlements with a population of about 2.5 million people, including 1.5 million children.

In 1986, 24,700 residents were evacuated from 107 settlements in the Bragin, Narovlya, and Khoyniki districts of the Gomel region. A 30-kilometer exclusion zone was established around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. 

479 settlements ceased to exist (306 in the Gomel region, 173 in the Mogilev region). More than 26,000 private households and public buildings were abandoned in the evacuation zones.

Twenty-one districts of the country were classified as the most severely affected (based on the proportion of contaminated areas, the collective radiation dose, and the loss of agricultural land due to contamination). Approximately 340 industrial enterprises were within the contaminated zone. Several of them ceased operations or suffered significant losses and damages.

The total damage (including losses associated with the deterioration of public health, damages to industry and the social sphere, agriculture, the construction complex and other sectors of the national economy, the costs of implementing measures to eliminate and minimize the consequences of the disaster and ensure safe living conditions for the population) caused by the Chernobyl disaster is estimated at 235 billion US dollars, which is 32 times the republic's 1985 budget. The nature and extent of the damage were powerful destabilizing factors in the socio-economic development of the republic.

April 26th is a memorable date in Belarus – Chernobyl Tragedy Day. On this day, requiem rallies are held across the country. Everyone remembers the Chernobyl heroes, those who, without sparing their lives or health, stopped the radiation disaster and prevented a great disaster. A new word has entered the Belarusian lexicon: “displaced persons.” They lost the most important thing – their home, their familiar surroundings. Belarus remembers the heroes who directly participated in extinguishing the fire at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Streets in Minsk are named in their honor, such as Vasily Vodolazhsky Street, who, despite being the leader of a joint operational helicopter group, personally flew 120 sorties, dropping approximately 300 tons of blocking materials into the reactor. The memory of the Chernobyl disaster is reflected in creativity, cultural works, and art.

Forty years have passed since the Chernobyl disaster. Events aimed at preserving the memory and cultural heritage of Chernobyl are necessary as a tribute to the courage and heroism of those who perished, and as a warning to future generations. The memory of the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident must be preserved forever as an invaluable lesson and a warning to future generations. It is important that the Chernobyl tragedy be remembered not only by the citizens of the countries that bore the brunt of the disaster, but also by the entire international community.

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