MEMORY ZONE.A PATH THROUGH CHORNOBYL

CORRECT ANSWER

Pripyat — a city whose construction began simultaneously with the construction of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant to accommodate its workers and their families. The Chornobyl NPP, located on the right bank of the Pripyat River, lies approximately 12 km from the city of Chornobyl and about 110 km from Kyiv. Between 1970 and 1983, four power units were commissioned here, each consisting of a nuclear reactor and two steam turbines, with plans for the construction of two additional units. The plant was intended to supply electricity to a vast region covering dozens of regions and millions of people, which made the creation of the modern satellite city of Pripyat an essential element in the functioning of this large-scale energy complex.

CORRECT ANSWER

The emergency protection button — KE 011 AZ. It was this AZ-5 (emergency protection) button that Senior Reactor Control Engineer Leonid Toptunov pressed at 01:23:40 to shut down the reactor; within seconds, the reactor exploded.

The Unit Control Room of Reactor No. 4 is one of the most significant locations at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. It was here that operators controlled the reactor’s operation. The room housed the control panels for both the reactor and the turbine, and the equipment was monitored by the Senior Reactor Control Engineer, the shift supervisor, and other operators. Using levers and instruments, they controlled each reactor channel, the insertion level of control rods, and other parameters of the power unit’s operation.

CORRECT ANSWER

The Chornobyl disaster occurred on the night of April 26, 1986, at the fourth power unit of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. During a safety test, a sudden surge in reactor power led to an explosion and a massive release of radioactive substances into the environment. This event became the largest man-made disaster in the history of nuclear energy, with consequences that affected not only Ukraine but also a significant part of Europe.

CORRECT ANSWER

Firefighters, as they were the first to arrive at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant on the night of April 26, 1986, immediately after the explosion of Unit 4. At that moment, the reactor had turned into an open source of intense radioactive radiation: hundreds of millions of curies of radionuclides — isotopes of uranium, plutonium, iodine, cesium, and strontium — were released into the atmosphere. The scale of contamination can be compared to the radioactivity of hundreds of atomic bombs similar to those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Without adequate protection from radiation, the firefighters extinguished the fires on the roof, effectively saving the plant from an even greater catastrophe. Their actions became the first step in the large-scale response to the disaster, which later involved around 600,000 people.

CORRECT ANSWER

The May Day parade, which was not canceled in Kyiv even after the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. International Workers’ Day was one of the key ideological holidays in the Soviet Union, so the authorities could not allow it to be canceled. Despite the fact that the radioactive cloud was already moving toward Kyiv, the Soviet leadership ordered the mass parade to proceed in order to create the impression of complete control over the situation.

On May 1, 1986, tens of thousands of people gathered on Khreshchatyk — according to official data, more than 120,000 residents of Kyiv and visitors to the city. People took part in the celebrations without being aware of the real danger of radiation. Later, these images of smiling demonstrators became a symbol not of control but of a cover-up of the truth and of the authorities' dangerous irresponsibility. Within just a few days, cases of radiation exposure began to be recorded on a large scale in Ukraine: by the morning of May 3, more than 900 people had been hospitalized, and the following day, over 1,300, including hundreds of children.

CORRECT ANSWER

Residents were told that the evacuation would be temporary, lasting only a few days. On the morning of April 27, 1986 — 36 hours after the explosion — an announcement was broadcast over the radio instructing people to prepare to leave and gather near their apartment buildings. They were allowed to take only the essentials — documents, a minimum of personal belongings, and some food — without being informed of the real level of danger or given any guidance on radiation protection. In reality, radiation levels in the city had already reached life-threatening levels.

The evacuation began around 2:00 PM and was carried out in an organized manner: more than 1,200 buses arrived in the city, along with trains and private vehicles. Within a few hours, tens of thousands of people — approximately 45,000 to 49,000 residents — were evacuated from Pripyat. People left their homes believing they would return in a few days; however, this evacuation became permanent. Pripyat turned into an abandoned city that remains a lasting symbol of the tragedy of the Chornobyl disaster.

CORRECT ANSWER

The “Shelter” object was created to isolate radioactive materials and prevent their further spread. As early as May 15, 1986, a decision was made to contain the destroyed fourth power unit by constructing a special protective structure, later known as the “sarcophagus.” Its primary purpose was to stop the release of hazardous radionuclides into the environment, as the reactor remained an open source of intense radioactive contamination after the explosion.

The construction of the “Shelter” lasted about seven months and was completed in November 1986. The work was carried out under extreme conditions of high radiation, often manually, using machinery, robots, and even helicopters. Around 90,000 people took part in building the structure, which was made of concrete and metal, incorporating both newly constructed elements and remnants of the destroyed power unit.

CORRECT ANSWER

2019 — that was the year when the New Safe Confinement was officially put into operation. Construction of the confinement structure lasted from 2012 to 2016, involving more than 30 countries under the coordination of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. In November 2016, the giant arch was slid into place over the old sarcophagus, completely covering the destroyed reactor.

Standing over 100 meters tall, the confinement became the largest movable land-based structure in the world. Its main purpose is to prevent the release of radioactive materials, ensure control over them, and create conditions for the safe dismantling of the old “Shelter.” In 2019, the structure was commissioned and became a symbol of how international cooperation can help overcome the consequences of the largest nuclear disaster of the 20th century.

CORRECT ANSWER

The presence of military equipment in the Red Forest was dangerous due to the lifting of radioactive dust. During the occupation of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 2022, Russian troops entered the Exclusion Zone on the very first day of the full-scale invasion — February 24 — and used it as a military base. Moving armored vehicles outside designated routes, particularly through the Red Forest — one of the most contaminated areas — they stirred up radioactive dust, causing a local increase in radiation levels.

The occupation was also accompanied by damage to infrastructure and radiation monitoring equipment, which complicated the assessment of the situation. During this time, Chornobyl NPP personnel were forced to work under the pressure of armed troops, maintaining the safe condition of the facility. Only in late March to early April 2022 did Ukraine regain control of the plant and begin addressing the consequences of the occupation.

CORRECT ANSWER

Responsibility for safety, truth, and human lives. The Chornobyl disaster demonstrated the consequences that can arise from a combination of technical errors, negligence, and the concealment of information. A lack of transparency, delayed decisions, and the disregard of risks led to a large-scale tragedy that affected the lives of millions of people and the environment for decades.

The key lesson of Chornobyl is that safety must be a priority at all levels — from engineering decisions to state policy. At the same time, honesty and transparency are equally essential: society must receive accurate information, especially in critical situations. Chornobyl serves as a reminder that the cost of mistakes or silence can be extremely high, and that responsibility for the future lies both with governments and with every individual.