Chernobyl 39th anniversary: Sandu urges safety
On the 39th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear explosion, President Maia Sandu commented that the wounds caused by that tragedy remain open, adding that "today, we pay tribute to the memory of those who saved millions of lives."
"Over 3,500 citizens responded to the call at that time and contributed to limiting the effects of the radioactive fire. Many of them are no longer with us, but their courage and sacrifice mean we must not forget. Today, we pay tribute to the memory of those who saved millions of lives. Chernobyl remains a harsh warning about the danger of nuclear accidents and the scale of disaster they can cause. The lesson is essential: human life, health, and environmental protection must always come first. The war waged by Russia in Ukraine has brought the threat of a nuclear accident back into the foreground. Therefore, for a safe future, we need collective responsibility, strict rules, effective oversight, and solid international cooperation in the nuclear field," President Maia Sandu's message stated.
Today marks 39 years since the tragic accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, when, following two explosions, massive quantities of radioactive substances were released into the air. The accident was referred to by the United Nations as "the greatest environmental disaster in human history." The explosion occurred on April 26, 1986, at 1:23 AM, and in less than two days, the cloud carrying radioactive particles, 200 times more powerful than the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, covered all of Northern Europe.
Each year, commemoration activities for the victims of the Chernobyl catastrophe and other nuclear accidents are organized in Chișinău and other localities across the country, marked annually on April 26.
