Volodymyr Zelensky pays tribute to victims of Chernobyl disaster on 37th anniversary

Holly Patrick
The Chernobyl nuclear plant showing damage from an explosion and fire in reactor four in 1986 (AP)

Volodymyr Zelensky marked the 37th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster by laying flowers at a memorial to the victims in Kyiv on Wednesday, 26 April.

According to the official death toll, 31 people died as an immediate result after a reactor at the nuclear plant exploded on April 26, 1986 when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union.

The UN estimates that 50 deaths can be directly attributed to the disaster, and a further 4,000 may eventually die from radiation exposure.

Russian forces were stationed at the site in February and March last year, before it was recaptured.

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