The State Archives of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has released secret documents on the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, timed to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the tragedy on April 26, 1986. According to RBC-Ukraine, among the documents of the KGB published, including the very first report on the explosion from the director of the nuclear power plant Viktor Bryukhanov, negotiations between the plant operators at the time of the accident, information about the evacuation of almost 45 thousand residents of Pripyat and adjacent areas.
Archival files indicate that accidents at the station happened before. So, in 1982, a significant release of radioactive substances occurred at the first power unit. The KGB report on this ends with the phrase «measures have been taken to prevent panic and provocative rumors.» In 1984, there were emergencies at power units 3 and 4.
In 1983, the leadership in Moscow, according to the documents, received information that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is one of the most dangerous nuclear power plants in the Soviet Union due to the lack of safety equipment. In the event of an accident, the radioactivity was estimated «60 times higher than in the atomic bomb explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.»
«After the accident, the Soviet government was looking for various» conspiracy theories «, but did not recognize reality. Already on April 27, a list of» unreliable «residents of Pripyat, foreign delegations who visited the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as well as» sectarians, representatives of German nationality and those who corresponded for border «. And then documents appear that the» nationalists «wanted to obtain samples of the contaminated soil with the help of the» intelligence network in Kiev «in order to discredit the Soviet leadership in the world,» the message says.
— FSB about the version of the terrorist attack at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and six more accidents before the explosion
As noted in the documents declassified by the SBU, on July 8, 1986, a directive appeared that classified all the details of the Chernobyl accident: its causes, the nature of the destruction, the composition of the mixture thrown into the air during the explosion, the radiation situation, the scale of elimination work, morbidity and others.
In addition, it is reported that in October 1987, the correspondent of the French newspaper Jean Pierre Vaudon tried to export soil and water samples from Pripyat. However, in a secret report, the KGB reported on a successful special operation: the samples taken by the foreigner were replaced with radioactively clean ones.
Note that until now the so-called exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant with a radius of 30 kilometers is considered unsafe for people to live for thousands of years in advance.
Last night, dozens of people gathered for a commemorative action in Pripyat, located near the damaged nuclear power plant. Those gathered lit candles as a sign of mourning for the victims, the Ukrainian Service of Radio Liberty * reports. A multimedia exhibition «Chernobyl. Journey» will also work at VDNKh in Kiev, which will cover all aspects of the catastrophe from its global context to the stories of people whose fates are connected with the events of April 26, 1986, as well as a dialogue about the further fate of Chernobyl. For visitors, the exhibition will be open after the abolition of strict quarantine.
On the night of April 26, 1986, an explosion of the RBMK-1000 reactor took place at the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (ChNPP), which led to the largest disaster in the history of nuclear energy.
More than three dozen people died from the radiation received in the first hours. But the exact number of victims and victims is still unknown. According to official figures, 50 people were killed directly as a result of the explosion at the station. At the same time, various organizations and experts estimate the potential number of victims up to 100 thousand. In total, over 500 thousand people took part in the liquidation of the accident.
The first liquidators, who arrived in alarm at the Chernobyl plant, engulfed in flames, did their work practically with their bare hands, without special protective clothing and even gas masks. To reduce the emission of radiation from the destroyed reactor, it was pelted from helicopters with sandbags and lead.
As a result of the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a huge radioactive cloud was formed, which spread far beyond the borders of Ukraine. More than half of the harmful substances released into the air settled on the territory of Belarus. On the territory of Russia, the Bryansk, Kaluga, Oryol and Tula regions were most exposed to radioactive contamination.
They began to evict people from the contaminated zone only a day after the accident. They left their homes with a minimum amount of belongings and documents. They were promised that they would soon be able to return, but it turned out that they were leaving Pripyat forever. In total, almost 25,000 people were evacuated from the area around the station. Dozens of settlements have disappeared from the map of Ukraine forever. A dead zone has formed around the destroyed Chernobyl nuclear power plant, stretching over an area of several thousand square kilometers. Today the Chernobyl zone has become a Mecca for stalkers and tourists.
* — mass media included by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation in the register of media performing the functions of a foreign agent