Ukrainians in Norway commemorate Chornobyl disaster anniversary

The Ukrainian community in Norway on April 25 held a rally in Oslo to mark the 39th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, the largest catastrophe in the history of nuclear energy that the Soviet Union had initially tried to hide. 

Participants gathered outside the Norwegian Parliament to honor the victims of the nuclear accident and to remind the world of the new environmental disaster caused by Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

“On this day, we remember not only the human lives lost but also the lasting damage to nature. At the same time, Ukraine is enduring another ecological catastrophe caused by Russia’s brutal invasion,” the event organizers said.

Currently, the Kremlin is using nuclear power as a tool of blackmail. 

Russia has occupied the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant – the largest in Europe – and has transformed it into a military base.

“The plant has effectively become a ticking ‘bomb’ in the heart of a combat zone, which could go off at any moment. History is at risk of repeating itself,” the rally participants said.

Kristoffer Robin Haug from the Green Party, deputy representative of the Akershus district in the Norwegian parliament and member of the Energy and Environment Committee, also attended the rally. 

He condemned the Russian attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station and stressed that Russia is willing to destroy anything that stands in its way if it cannot control it.

Environmental organizations and researchers are emphasizing that the war in Ukraine is not only a humanitarian and geopolitical crisis, but also a full-scale environmental disaster.

“The long-term consequences of the war are not only being felt in Ukraine, but they could also affect neighboring countries and all of Europe. This underscores the need for international action, both in terms of immediate aid and long-term environmental rehabilitation,” the attendees said.

On International Chornobyl Disaster Remembrance Day, the Ukrainian World Congress called on the democratic world to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and impose strong sanctions on its nuclear energy sector.