26. travnja 1986. dogodila se nesreća u atomskoj elektrani u gradu Čornobilu, Ukrajina. Njezini uzroci i posljedice su naširoko poznati. Iako ne prolazi ni bez mitova. Onima koje zanima povijest ove tragedije nije teško pronaći mnoštvo dokumentarnih materijala. Pa tako je i HBO snimio mini-seriju o ovom događaju. U njoj ima netočnosti, ali to je ipak umjetničko djelo.

Tada

Za mene, kao i za mnoge Ukrajince, događaji iz travnja 1986. duboko su osobni. Tog ljeta rodila se moja mlađa sestra. Teško je zamisliti koliko je moja trudna majka s predškolcem u naručju mogla biti uznemirena. Međutim, tragedija je bila u tome što nitko ništa nije saznao na vrijeme. Moja je obitelj imala sreću živjeti daleko od stanice.

Sva zločinačka i neodgovorna vlast odrazila se u potpunom prešućivanju katastrofe. Tisuće ljudi su izvedene na pokazne svibanjske demonstracije u Kijevu ubrzo nakon nesreće. Koliko je djece koja su šetala ulicama ukrajinskih gradova i sela primilo dozu radijacije… Potpuna ravnodušnost prema ljudskom životu i dobrobiti karakteristična je crta sovjetske vlasti. Kao i onih koji su je “naslijedili” i vuku u 21. stoljeće.

Godine 1986. u Ukrajini su se pojavile prve interno raseljene osobe. Tisuće ljudi iz zone zahvaćene nesrećom odlazile su rođacima u druge regije. Pričali su mi o bolnim epizodama svađa i sukoba među bliskim ljudima, potaknutim strahom od radijacije. Neizbrojive posljedice kako za fizičko tako i za psihičko zdravlje ljudi vjerojatno je nemoguće shvatiti.

Danas

Tim je strašnije sada znati da tijekom rata neprijatelj namjerno pokušava oštetiti ukrajinske nuklearne elektrane. Pod udarom je čak i zaštitni sarkofag Čornobilske nuklearne elektrane. U prvim danima rata moja je obitelj bila 80 kilometara od Čornobila. Slušali smo odgovore poznatog pedijatra u Ukrajini na pitanja kako se zaštititi od radijacije. Pripremali smo jod. 40 kapi za odrasle, 20 kapi za dijete, jodna mrežica na kožu mališana…

Nijedna ideja, politika ili tumačenje povijesti ne može opravdati teror atomskom katastrofom. I Ukrajina sigurno neće biti jedina žrtva. Radioaktivni oblak ništa neće zaustaviti. Teroriste se još može prisiliti da stanu.

Radioactive April

April 26, 1986, marked the date of the accident at the nuclear power plant in the city of Chornobyl, Ukraine. Its causes and consequences are widely known, though not without their myths. Anyone interested in the history of this tragedy will find no shortage of documentary materials. Even HBO created a miniseries about the event. It contains inaccuracies, but it is, after all, a work of fiction.

Then

For me, as for many Ukrainians, the events of April 1986 are deeply personal. That summer, my younger sister was born. It’s hard to imagine the extent to which my pregnant mother, with a preschooler in her arms, might have been alarmed. However, the tragedy lay in the fact that no one learned anything in time. My family was fortunate to live far from the plant.

The entire criminality and irresponsibility of the authorities were reflected in the total silence surrounding the disaster. Thousands of people were brought out for showy May Day demonstrations in Kyiv shortly after the accident. How many of those children who walked the streets of Ukrainian cities and villages received a dose of radiation… Complete indifference to human life and well-being is a characteristic feature of the Soviet authorities, as well as those who “inherited” it and drag it into the 21st century.

In 1986, the first internally displaced persons appeared in Ukraine. Thousands of people from the affected zone went to relatives in other regions. I was told about painful episodes of quarrels and conflicts between loved ones, provoked by the fear of radiation. The countless consequences for both the physical and psychological health of people are perhaps impossible to comprehend.

Today

It is all the more terrifying to realize now that during the war, the enemy deliberately tries to damage Ukrainian nuclear power plants. Even the protective sarcophagus of the Chornobyl NPP is under attack. In the first days of the war, my family was 80 kilometers from Chornobyl. We listened to the answers of a well-known pediatrician in the country to questions about how to protect ourselves from radiation. We prepared iodine: 40 drops for an adult, 20 drops for a child, an iodine mesh on a baby’s skin…

No idea, policy, or interpretation of history can justify terror with a nuclear catastrophe. And Ukraine will certainly not be the only victim. Nothing will stop a radioactive cloud. Terrorists can still be forced to stop.