KYIV: Ukraine is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster on Sunday, amid fears that Russia’s four-year war could spark a repeat of the world’s worst nuclear accident that led to thousands of deaths and devastating environmental consequences.
Kyiv says Moscow has repeatedly sent missiles and drones on a flight path near the plant to attack Ukrainian cities, even damaging a critical protective shield in an attack last year.
Marking the disaster - which spewed radioactive material across much of Europe as Soviet authorities sought to hide its true scale - has taken on sharp new meaning during Russia’s invasion of its smaller neighbour.
Foreign officials including the EU energy commissioner arrived in Kyiv to commemorate the event and pledge fresh support for Ukraine’s power system, which is regularly targeted by Russian air strikes.
Somber ceremonies took place at a Kyiv memorial honoring fallen first responders, as well as in the purpose-built city of Slavutych in northern Ukraine for evacuated plant employees.
“Chornobyl has become both a symbol of the criminal irresponsibility of the Soviet totalitarian system and of the heroism of the liquidators who responded to the catastrophe,” said Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s energy minister, on X on Sunday.
“Chornobyl is one of humanity’s key lessons. Russia’s war against Ukraine has further heightened these risks.”
A Russian drone strike in February 2025 punctured a massive arc installed over part of the Chornobyl plant in 2016 to shield a sarcophagus built in 1986 to cover tons of radioactive debris. No leaks were detected, and workers have patched up the hole.
But the arc needs at least 500 million euros’ worth of more extensive repairs to prevent permanent damage, according to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which is helping raise funds for the project.
Speaking in Kyiv on Sunday, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said repairs should start as soon as possible.
Kyiv’s top state prosecutor told Reuters that Ukrainian radars had detected at least 92 Russian drones that had flown within a 5-km (3-mile) radius of the shield since June 2024.
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