Svyrydenko displayed unique artifacts from the time of the Chernobyl disaster
On the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko unveiled unique artifacts related to the tragedy.
She posted the photos on Telegram.
All of the items shown are exhibits from the Museum of the History of the Governments of Ukraine, located in the Cabinet of Ministers.
Among them is the notebook of Oleksandr Lyashko, who headed the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR during the accident. It documents the government’s first steps and decisions in the initial hours following the Chernobyl disaster.
Svyrydenko emphasized that at the time, the Ukrainian side effectively had no full authority to make key decisions, as these came from Moscow. According to her, this affected the speed of the response, particularly regarding the evacuation of the population, which was delayed due to fears of panic. The first official radio announcement was made only 36 hours after the accident.
The museum’s archives also contain a 1978 brochure from Golovatomenergo, the Ministry of Energy and Electrification of the USSR, which described the advantages of the Chernobyl NPP with its RBMK-1000 reactor. Following the 1986 accident, its design was deemed unsafe.
Yulia Svyrydenko emphasized that the Chernobyl tragedy has not been consigned to the past.
“It is a constant reminder of the real threat that totalitarian regimes pose to global energy security,” the head of government noted.
The Chernobyl disaster became the most severe test for civilian nuclear energy, leaving a deep mark on ecology, medicine, and public consciousness.
April 26, 2026, marks exactly 40 years since the day when the explosion at the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant changed the world forever. This date is not merely a commemoration of a man-made disaster, but an occasion to remember those who were the first to rush into the fire, water, and radioactive hell to stop the catastrophe.
