Chernobyl at 40: Disaster Legacy Faces New War Threat

Ukraine is observing the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which remains the most catastrophic civilian nuclear accident in history.

While the 1986 explosion was caused by a combination of human error and reactor design flaws, the site now faces modern dangers due to the Russian invasion.

In 2022, Russian troops occupied the exclusion zone, disturbing radioactive soil in the Red Forest, and a 2025 drone strike recently punctured the New Safe Confinement structure.

Greenpeace and plant officials warn that these structural damages could lead to new radioactive leaks if repairs, currently delayed by the conflict, are not completed.

The exclusion zone, covering thousands of square miles across Ukraine and Belarus, serves as a grim nature reserve that will not be safe for human habitation for another 24,000 years.