Chernobyl liquidators’ feat commemorated with memorial sign in Gomel

 

GOMEL, 26 April (BelTA) – A memorial sign honoring the feat of the liquidators was unveiled in Gomel on the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, BelTA has learned.

The composition was mounted in Rescuers Square. The work was created by sculptor Sergei Romanyuk.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Emergencies Minister Vadim Sinyavsky noted that 40 years ago, after the accident, people living in the affected areas, including Gomel, were not aware of the consequences that would follow. “Not everyone could grasp what they would have to face, including the liquidators. The firefighters who were the first to step into the blazing reactor to extinguish the fire were truly heroes. Knowing their lives were at risk, they still did their job. Many people, including military personnel, healthcare professionals, factory workers, construction workers, and many others were involved in the liquidation,” he said.

Vadim Sinyavsky emphasized that, unfortunately, Belarus suffered the most severe consequences of the accident. “Under the leadership of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, six state programs were implemented to address the aftermath. And today, we remain focused on promoting sustainable socio-economic development of the affected regions,” the minister stressed. He added that today’s generations must not allow such disasters to happen again.

Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, noted that after April 1986, many people joined the liquidation effort. “The nation came together. Decisions had to be made very quickly, with great responsibility and precision. People were guided by an age-old principle passed down from generation to generation as the spiritual heritage of our people: ‘Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends,’” he said.

“Today, 40 years later, we remember with gratitude the liquidators who gave their lives and health so that we might now enjoy the blessings of life. The unveiling of this memorial sign today is one of the tokens of that grateful memory,” emphasized the Metropolitan.

Gomel Oblast Deputy Governor Dmitry Aleinikov noted that the memorial sign is a symbol of both gratitude and responsibility to the past and the future. “This memorial sign is dedicated to people of exceptional courage and moral strength,” he said.

In the decades following the Chernobyl accident, enormous national efforts were directed toward rehabilitating the affected territories and supporting the population, stressed Gomel Mayor Vladimir Privalov. “That care was felt at that time and continues to be felt today. It includes medical checkups, health and wellness programs, and social support. Today, 40 years later, Gomel is living a normal life: industrial enterprises are operating, homes are being built, and the social sector is developing. Our city is becoming better and better. This has been made possible thanks to those who carried out their civic and professional duty in 1986, and thanks to the consistent and wise policy of President Aleksandr Lukashenko. This memorial sign is not just a dot on a map or an architectural detail. It is a token of respect to every rescuer, to those who, at the expense of their own future, gave us a future, and most importantly, gave a future to our children and grandchildren,” the city mayor concluded.

Photos by Sergei Kholodilin