Ukraine marks four decades since the Chernobyl disaster amid heightened concern over military activity near the site during Russia’s invasion. Officials say repeated drone and missile activity in the vicinity has added urgency to long-standing nuclear safety risks, reports London Daily News Desk
Ukraine is marking the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on Sunday against the backdrop of ongoing conflict with Russia, with officials warning that military activity near the site risks renewed danger at the location of the world’s worst nuclear accident.
Authorities in Kyiv say Russian missiles and drones have repeatedly passed close to the plant while targeting Ukrainian cities, with one strike last year reported to have damaged a protective structure shielding the reactor. The anniversary, already a moment of reflection on the 1986 catastrophe, has taken on added significance during the war.
“The Chernobyl disaster was the result of a reactor experiment ordered by Moscow, in violation of safety protocols, and followed by lies and cover-ups,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement this week. “To this day, the world has to face consequences brought by a totalitarian system that subordinated truth and science to ideology and political power.”
The explosion and meltdown in reactor four at the Soviet-built plant in the early hours of April 26, 1986 released radioactive material across large parts of Europe. Millions were exposed to radiation, hundreds of thousands were displaced, and extensive areas of land were contaminated. While thousands are believed to have died from radiation-related illnesses such as cancer, the overall death toll and long-term health effects remain contested.
An international effort to contain the site culminated in 2016 with the installation of a large steel and concrete arch designed to enclose the original sarcophagus built in haste after the explosion. The structure was intended to prevent further release of radioactive material and enable the gradual dismantling of the damaged reactor.
However, Ukrainian officials say a Russian drone strike in February 2025 punctured the structure’s hermetic seal. Although no radiation leaks were detected, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has estimated that repairs costing at least 500 million euros will be required to avoid lasting damage.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s top state prosecutor told Reuters that national radar systems had recorded at least 92 Russian drones flying within five kilometres of the protective shield since June 2024. The reports have added to concerns among officials about the vulnerability of nuclear infrastructure in a conflict zone.
Details of official commemorations are not being released in advance due to security considerations. The plant lies about 100 kilometres north of Kyiv, within a 2,600-square-kilometre exclusion zone that remains largely uninhabited.
Despite its past risks, the site is described today as quiet and closely monitored. National Guard units patrol the area, where approximately 2,250 workers operate in extended shifts, overseeing the long-term decommissioning process. The plant’s final reactor was shut down in 2000.
Inside the facility, the control room of reactor four remains preserved as a damaged relic, filled with rusting Soviet-era equipment. Beyond the plant, the surrounding forests and the abandoned city of Prypiat have seen wildlife return in the absence of human habitation, with moose and wild horses now common in the area.
The anniversary serves as both a commemoration of a historic disaster and a reminder of the continuing risks posed by nuclear sites in times of conflict.
