April 26 – International Chornobyl Disaster Remembrance Day

On April 26, 1986, a date forever marked by sorrow, the Ukrainian Red Cross swiftly responded to an unprecedented challenge. It was among the first to organise the immediate evacuation of the affected population, provide medical, humanitarian and financial assistance, and urgently increase the number of nurses on duty.

In total, over 10,000 activists, members of sanitary stations, and teams from the Ukrainian Red Cross participated in the evacuation and relocation efforts for the victims of the Chornobyl disaster. They distributed 7,000 tonnes of food, 105 tonnes of powdered milk, multivitamins, and levothyroxine. In 1986, about 100,000 evacuees received material assistance valued at nearly USD 16 million, provided by the Ukrainian Red Cross.

In 1990, the Ukrainian Red Cross initiated the International Chornobyl Humanitarian Aid and Rehabilitation Programme with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Mobile diagnostic laboratories of the Ukrainian Red Cross successfully operated in various regions of Ukraine. These laboratories enabled medical specialists to examine up to 30,000 residents from radiation-contaminated areas annually, facilitating the timely diagnosis of thyroid malignancies in individuals exposed to radioactive iodine. Under the Programme:

• 1.6 million people were examined by mobile diagnostic teams of the Ukrainian Red Cross to detect thyroid pathology, with 30,000 patients receiving medicines.
• 500,000 people were provided with information on the dangers of radiation through measurements of radiation contamination in air, belongings, and local products.
• 720,000 children received vitamins, and 378,000 received powdered milk to mitigate the negative impact of food restrictions.

Thousands of individuals received psychological assistance and information on methods to avoid radiation contamination.

This programme, which lasted from 1990 to 2012, stands as the longest-running of all Red Cross humanitarian programmes worldwide!

Chornobyl represents not only a profound tragedy but also a symbol of the boundless courage of the thousands who participated in mitigating the consequences of the Chornobyl NPP accident. Risking their lives and health, they fulfilled their duty to protect humanity from the harmful effects and further spread of radiation. The heroic actions of these individuals will forever remain in the memory of the Ukrainian people.