Ukraine marks anniversary of Chernobyl tragedy; stresses 'Russia has not learnt lesson'

The Ukraine Parliament Verkhovna Rada has remembered the victims of the 1986 Chernobyl tragedy which completes 36 years on Tuesday, April 26. In the statement released on Facebook, the Ukrainian Parliament stated that memories of the night and the struggle of rescuers are "still alive" in the minds of people. Olena Kondratiuk, Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada, stated that Russian rockets flew at a low altitude over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and stressed that Moscow has not learnt the lesson from the nuclear disaster that happened on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Kondratiuk stated that Russian rockets flew at a low altitude over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. 

"Russia has not learnt any lessons from one of the most horrific nuclear disasters of the 20th century, which occurred on the same day on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant," Olena Kondratiuk said in the statement. 

Notably, April 26 is observed as International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. The Ukrainian Parliament stated that nobody in the world thought that it would happen again. The Ukrainian Parliament stressed that Russian troops had captured the Chernobyl power plant for five weeks and had held the workers as hostages. It further revealed that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will start work at plant to assess the consequences after the occupation of Russian soldiers. According to the Ukrainian Parliament, the word "Chernobyl" has become a symbol of the disaster which still scares the world. It further said that the people recalled the memories of a tragedy that happened in 1986 when the Chernobyl power plant was temporarily captured by Russian armed forces.

Ruslan Stefanchuk highlights need to make efforts to stop Chernobyl tragedy

In the statement, Verkhovna Rada highlighted that the planned shutdown at the reactor took place for 20 seconds. A few seconds later, a sharp jump in the voltage caused the chemical explosion and it spread to large parts of the Soviet Union at that time. The Parliament in the statement mentioned that 31 people died in the aftermath of the disaster and 600,000 firefighters who were involved in firefighting efforts had received high doses of radiation. Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, in the statement remembered the people who contributed to overcoming the consequences of Chernobyl disaster and protecting Ukraine. He emphasised that they need to do everything possible to prevent the tragedy and added that Russian forces have again "stepped on the same rake" and placed the whole world "on the brink of a new nuclear disaster." 

https://www.facebook.com/verkhovna.rada.ukraine/posts/363514035814652

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Olena Kondratiuk urges world to support Ukraine 

Olena Kondratiuk, the Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada, in the statement recalled the efforts of thousands of liquidators who worked to control the tragedy. Kondratiuk stressed that officials have been able to save the world from the incident that happened at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 when the Russian troops had recently captured the Chernobyl power plant. Kondratiuk stated that Russian missiles have been flying over nuclear stations and stressed that "the Chernobyl disaster could happen again at any moment with unforeseen consequence" for Europe. She called on the international community to provide Ukraine with the necessary support and heavy weapons in order to protect itself from the new Chernobyl tragedy. 

Image: AP