In Vitebsk, the memory of those who died in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident was honored

Residents of the regional center gathered at the Holy Assumption Cathedral to pay tribute to the victims of the largest man-made disaster in human history. The explosion occurred on the night of April 26, 1986, due to fatal errors during testing. The IAEA assigned the Chernobyl accident the maximum level of nuclear events – 7 points.

The rally was attended by representatives of enterprises and institutions, public organizations, pensioners, youth, as well as the leadership of the region and the city, including the head of the regional council of deputies Vladimir Terentyev, Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee Vladimir Penin, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Belarus – Chief Inspector for the Vitebsk Region Alexander Poznyak.

The attendees were told about the contribution of the Vitebsk region to the heroic struggle with the consequences of the disaster. About 3 thousand residents of the region worked at the explosion site, and over 1.5 thousand displaced persons found shelter and work in our region. Thousands of rubles are spent annually on the implementation of measures under the State Program for overcoming the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, paying benefits and compensation, and children from radiation-contaminated areas of Belarus undergo health improvement in the sanatoriums of the northern region.

Liquidators of the Chernobyl accident shared their memories. For example, fire service veteran Vladimir Ermolenko is sure that none of those who were in Chernobyl considered themselves heroes, but simply performed their duty.

— Everything was like in a war: you have an enemy in front of you, albeit invisible, but very dangerous, and you have to stop it at all costs to protect your compatriots, — shared Vladimir Alexandrovich.

And Yevgeny Provólotsky, an infectious disease doctor at city polyclinic No. 2, noted that in the exclusion zone, he had to not only provide medical assistance to the victims but also conduct explanatory work among the population.

— Many did not understand why they could not drink milk from their own cow, why they had to leave their native places, — reported Yevgeny Petrovich.

Rally participants honored the memory of the fallen with a moment of silence and lit candles in their honor. Priests held a prayer service.

Eduard Karolevich. Photo by Anton STEPANISHCHEV. "Vitebskiye vesti".