Moscow Honors the Memory of Chernobyl Liquidators
A delegation from the General Confederation of Trade Unions participated in commemorative events marking the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster.
The event was organized by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and took place at the Mitinskoye Cemetery in Moscow, at the memorial to Soviet citizens who died as a result of the Chernobyl disaster.
Deputy Head of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, Alexey Kostrubitsky, read out a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the participants in the liquidation of the Chernobyl disaster:
"We bow our heads before the heroism of those who, 40 years ago, stood in the path of fire during the liquidation of the consequences of the man-made disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. They did not falter, did not retreat, and fulfilled their professional, civic, and human duty to the end, many at the cost of their own lives.
The courageous actions of the rescuers, who came from all republics of the former Soviet Union, prevented a catastrophe of global scale. We will always honor the memory of the extraordinary bravery of the plant workers, firefighters, military personnel, builders, and medical staff. Despite the mortal danger, they eliminated the consequences of the accident, evacuated people, and conducted recovery operations. Today, Russia has implemented measures for the social protection and rehabilitation of those affected by these tragic events."
Representatives of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Rosatom State Corporation, relatives of the liquidators, and public figures took part in the rally. They laid flowers at the memorial to Soviet citizens and honored their memory with a minute of silence.
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