36th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster

Posted: 27th April 2022

This week marks the 36th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. It is hard to imagine what the workers at Chernobyl went through between the 24th of Feb and the 31st of March under Russian occupation. The IAEA visited the site yesterday with their Director General highlighting that the situation is not stable, that the occupation was very dangerous and giving credit to the workers who managed things under immense pressure.

Our hearts go out to the workers at Chernobyl and other nuclear reactors in Ukraine who are working to keep reactors safe at gunpoint. We are so grateful that these workers are keeping things as under control as they can. For those still working at gunpoint we hope they find strength to keep going.

As the conflict draws on it is sickening to see that instead of a nuclear retreat in light of the full range of risks of nuclear in armed conflict, we are seeing posturing and positioning for more reactors and wider proliferation of nuclear weapons. Nuclear tests and posturing from Russia and North Korea are the latest development in the nuclearisation of the war in Ukraine. The UK and France are inflating numbers of new nuclear reactors and uranium companies around the world are screaming out to investors – there will be a supply shortfall give us money and we will mine it.

As we look to the workers at reactors in Ukraine for strength we look to the people in the militaries around the world to be calm and rational even when their leaders are not. Our work for a peaceful and nuclear free future is far from over,

For a nuclear-free future