Today Is The 40th Anniversary Of The Chernobyl Disaster

• 26.04.2026, 9:18

The largest "Chernobyl Way" was held in Minsk in 1996.

On April 26, 1986, the fourth unit of the Chernobyl reactor exploded. As a result of the accident, 300 times more radioactive substances were released into the atmosphere than after the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

Although the plant is located in Ukraine, more than 70% of all radionuclides deposited as a result of the accident settled in Belarus. This catastrophe was one of the largest man-made disasters in the history of mankind, which led to huge consequences for the environment, human health and public safety.

The consequences of the Chernobyl disaster affected about 2 million residents of Belarus, including more than half a million children. The territory of the country became a zone of ecological disaster for many centuries.

In the past, this day was significant for many people. Every year publications and events were prepared for the anniversary. The "Chernobyl Way" was held, which did not let people forget about the tragedy and helped to actualize new problems and political challenges. At the same time, the Belarusian authorities persistently ignore the scale of the environmental problem, continuing the Soviet tradition of silencing information about the consequences of the Chernobyl accident.

The first march marking the anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster was held on April 26, 1989. At first it was held as an opposition to the communist authorities, who hid the truth about the events, and was an honor to the memory of the victims.

"Chernobyl march" in 1996, timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the accident, became the largest in history. About 50 thousand people took part in the action. It became the most tense point of the "Minsk Viasna-96" - a series of street actions that took place that spring over resistance to integration with Russia.