40: Chernobyl

40 years ago today (April 26, 1986) the Chernobyl Disaster took place in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Present Day: Ukraine.)

Chernobyl is located in northern Ukraine, 10 miles from the Ukrainian-Belarussian Border (which were Internal Borders in 1986 and not International Borders) and 62 miles from Kyiv.

A routine test at the Power Plant went horribly wrong, and two massive explosions blew the 1,000-ton roof off one of the Plant’s reactors, releasing 400 times more Radiation than the Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

It wasn’t until 5 a.m. the following day that Reactor No. 3 was shut down. Some 24 hours later, Reactors No. 1 and 2 were also shut down.

By the afternoon of April 26, the Soviet Government had mobilized Troops to help fight the blaze. Some were dropped at the rooftop of the Reactor to furiously shovel debris off the facility and spray water on the exposed Reactor to keep it cool.

The workers were picked up within seconds to minimize their radiation exposure. It would take nearly two weeks to extinguish all the fires using sand, lead and nitrogen.

It wasn’t until April 27^th that the Soviet Government evacuated the nearby Town of Pripyat (50,000 Men, Women and Children) who were told they would be gone for a few days, but never returned.

By the end of the Disaster 350,000 Men, Women and Children had been evacuated from different nearby Towns.

It wasn’t until Sweden saw the high levels of Radiation that the Soviet Government announced the Disaster to the International World and the Soviet People.

The damaged Plant released a large quantity of Radioactive substances, including iodine-131, cesium-137, plutonium and strontium-90, into the air for over a period of 10 days.

The Radioactive Cloud was deposited nearby as dust and debris, but was also carried by wind over the Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Scandinavia and other parts of Europe.

In an attempt to contain the fallout, on May 14^th, Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev ordered the dispatch of 500,00 of People (called Chernobyl Liquidators) including Firefighters, Military Reservists and Miners, to the site to aid in clean-up.

The Corps worked steadily, often with inadequate protective gear, through 1989 to clear debris and contain the Disaster.

Over a hurried construction period of 206 days, Crews erected a steel and cement Sarcophagus to entomb the damaged Reactor and contain any further release of Radiation.

A 770-mile-wide Chernobyl Exclusion Zone around the site isn’t considered safe for human habitation and can’t be used for logging or agriculture due to contaminated plants and soil.

In 1995, Ukraine announced that 125,000 People had died from the effects of Radiation.

The Chernobyl Disaster not only stoked fears over the dangers of Nuclear Power, it also exposed the Soviet Government’s lack of openness to the Soviet People and the international community.

The Meltdown and its aftermath drained the Soviet Union $84 Billion 2026 Dollars in clean-up costs, led to the loss of a primary energy source and dealt a serious blow to National Pride.

Before Russia’s War in 2022 Tourists could visit the Site, which appears frozen in time, apart from signs of looting, natural weathering and the encroachment of nature.

From February 24, 2022 to March 31, 2022 the Chernobyl Power Plant was occupied by Russian Troops after the Battle of Chernobyl.