Cover «First Day. Chornobyl: 40 Years of Pain, Remembrance, and Warning»

In the spring of 1986, orchards were in bloom and life went on as usual. In the early hours of April 26, Reactor No. 4 at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded. Everything changed.

We honor the memory of those who lost their lives, all who suffered, and their families. We remember their sacrifice and the price that was paid. A nuclear disaster is not only part of the past.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary, Ukrposhta issues the sheet “Chornobyl: 40 Years of Pain, Memory and Warning.”

The disaster destroyed hundreds of thousands of lives and became one of the factors shaping Ukraine’s social and political transformation in the late 1980s.

Hundreds of thousands of people were involved in the cleanup — firefighters, soldiers, engineers and civilians. Many worked without fully understanding the danger. For thousands, it proved fatal.

The Soviet authorities concealed the catastrophe while radiation was already spreading across Ukraine and Europe. Sweden was among the first to detect abnormal radiation levels.

More than 100,000 people were evacuated. Residents of Prypiat left their homes, never to return.

The risks did not disappear. Today, Russia uses nuclear infrastructure as a tool of pressure. In 2022, its forces entered the Chornobyl zone, causing fires and raising radioactive dust. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remains under threat due to military presence and power supply risks.

Chornobyl happened once. Its consequences last. We hope it will never happen again.