UWC calls for action: 39 years after Chornobyl, nuclear threats must end

On April 26, 2025, the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) and Ukrainians around the world mark the 39th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, remembering the victims of this devastating tragedy. We also honor the heroic firefighters and emergency responders who gave their lives to stop the deadly radiation leak and protect countless others.

From the earliest days after the disaster, the UWC and its member organizations led global efforts to support those affected — delivering vital medical supplies and equipment, raising awareness, and helping expose the Soviet regime’s attempts to conceal the true scale of the catastrophe. In 1986, Ukrainian global organizations successfully pushed for the Chornobyl disaster to be addressed at the United Nations.

Over the decades, the UWC has contributed to numerous medical, humanitarian, and technical assistance programs to address the repercussions of the nuclear power plant (NPP) disaster.

Today, with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine beginning on February 24, 2022, Ukraine’s nuclear power plants are once again at risk. At the same time, the Russian regime persists in issuing threats to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine or against its allies in the West.

From the occupation and damage to the Chornobyl nuclear plant in the early days and weeks of full-scale invasion, to the attack on Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant early this year, Moscow’s reckless behavior reaffirms the terrorist nature of Putin’s regime and underscores the need for Russia’s denuclearization as a necessary step toward ensuring global security.

On this Chornobyl Disaster Remembrance Day, we urge the democratic world to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and to impose decisive sanctions on its nuclear energy sector. Only through unified action can we confront and defeat this modern threat to global peace and security.