Ahead of the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl tragedy, a roundtable discussion was held at NNEGC “Energoatom” on the topic “The 40th Anniversary of the Chornobyl Tragedy: Lessons from the Past and Current Nuclear Safety Challenges.”

The event was attended by the company’s CEO Pavlo Kovtonyuk, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Peace Council and Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Mykhailo Zghurovskyi, Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Oleh Rafalskyi, Director of the Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power Plants and Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Anatolii Nosovskyi, President of the Ukrainian Nuclear Society Volodymyr Kholosha, as well as leading scientists and experts in the field of nuclear safety.

The participants discussed the long-term consequences of the 1986 accident and the challenges facing the nuclear industry amid a full-scale war. In particular, they addressed the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP and the systematic attacks on energy infrastructure.

“The Chornobyl tragedy fundamentally changed approaches to nuclear energy safety. Today, this principle remains unchanged: no compromises on safety issues. Ukraine has learned from the past and established a modern system for protecting nuclear facilities that meets the highest international standards,” noted Pavlo Kovtonyuk.

Special attention was paid to the unprecedented situation with nuclear infrastructure in a zone of active hostilities. The panelists discussed russia’s seizure of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the militarization of its territory, and strikes on facilities critical to nuclear safety, including damage to the Chornobyl NPP’s protective containment structure.

As the company’s head emphasized, such actions pose new risks not only to Ukraine but also to all of Europe and the world, and require a consolidated international response.

Following the roundtable, the participants adopted a declaration on the urgent need to strengthen global nuclear safety and to foster a new culture of responsibility in the use of nuclear technologies. The document is scheduled to be presented during the 48th session of the UN Committee on Information, which begins on April 27.

Furthermore, the recommendations and appeals developed will be sent to Ukrainian government authorities, international organizations, and partners. The attendees stressed that the security of nuclear facilities is an integral part of global security and requires constant attention and joint action by the international community.