UN Headquarters opens exhibition marking anniversary of Chornobyl disaster

According to Ukrinform’s correspondent in New York, the event gathered more than a hundred diplomats, including around thirty heads of diplomatic missions from various countries.

Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN Andrii Melnyk recalled that the Chornobyl disaster was “the largest man-made catastrophe in human history” and the result of a “reckless experiment” authorized by Soviet leadership.

He said that after the accident, Soviet authorities committed a second crime by attempting to conceal the scale of the tragedy.

Melnyk also stressed that Russia is now engaging in nuclear blackmail, using the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant for this purpose.

“This nuclear blackmail must stop. Russia must immediately and unconditionally return the plant to Ukraine,” the diplomat said, calling for sanctions against Russia’s nuclear energy sector.

He added that Ukraine continues to work on restoring the Chornobyl exclusion zone and expects further cooperation with international partners, including within the UN system.

UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Crisis Bureau Director Shoko Noda said the Chornobyl disaster was not only a technological accident but also a “profound shock to development,” with consequences still being felt today.

She noted that the Chornobyl experience remains relevant, particularly in the context of other nuclear disasters such as the Fukushima accident.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, since February 2022, at least 127 incidents have been recorded as a result of Russian aggression that posed risks to nuclear and radiation safety.