The 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Explosion in the Soviet Union, Resulting in Tens of Thousands of Deaths Due to Nuclear Leakage

A Dark Page in Soviet History

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the first nuclear power station built in the Soviet Union, is located merely 130 kilometers north of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

Constructed in 1977, Chernobyl soon became a crucial source of power for the Soviet Union and a symbol of its might.

For a decade, the plant operated as usual.

April 26, 1986, seemed like an ordinary day for the Soviet people.

The night before, a worker from Reactor №4, following routine procedures, inadvertently shut down all safety systems in a haze of confusion.

Once the reactor’s cooling system ceased to function, the core temperature began to rise, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen under intense radiation.

At 1:23 AM, a massive explosion ensued from the collision of these gases, blowing the reactor’s lid into the sky.