April 26, 2022. OTTAWA, ON. Today, the world commemorates the anniversary of the Chornobyl Nuclear Disaster in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) asks all Canadians to pause today in remembrance of the thousands of victims of this terrible tragedy.
On April 26, 1986, a reactor at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant near Prypyat, Ukraine, exploded and melted down. The disaster affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, with the effect still being felt today in Ukraine and Belarus.
The effects of the disaster were made far worse by the Soviet Communist regime’s obfuscations, lies and attempts to cover up the scale of the disaster from the world.
Today Russia is waging a war of annihilation against Ukraine, committing systematic war crimes and perpetrating a genocide against the Ukrainian people. The same evil spirit of imperialism and subjugation which defined the Soviet Union in the 20th century defines the Russian Federation in the 21st.
Last month, Russian forces attacked and shelled nuclear power plants – at the Enerhodar plant near Zaporizhzhia. Russia’s wanton contempt for human life threatens not only Ukraine but the entire world with nuclear disaster and unimaginable devastation.
The UCC calls on Canada and allies to provide to Ukraine and the Ukrainian Armed Forces all necessary weapons and materiel to defeat the invading Russian armies. Russia – a terrorist, criminal state – must be isolated completely from the international community.
Estimates on the number of indirect deaths resulting from the Chornobyl disaster range from the thousands to the tens of thousands. Ukraine and Belarus continue to cope with long-term health, environmental and economic consequences resulting from this disaster.
We mourn the thousands of victims of the Chornobyl disaster. We pray for the health of those whose lives are still affected by Chornobyl.
May the Memory of the Victims Be Eternal. Вічная Пам’ять.
