On April 28, 1986, Soviet authorities were forced to publicly acknowledge the Chernobyl disaster after dangerously high levels of radiation were detected at a nuclear power plant in Sweden. The Soviet Union had initially attempted to keep the incident quiet, but the spread of radioactive material across Europe made it impossible to hide.
This announcement came two days after the explosion at Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat, Ukraine. The disaster would go on to become one of the worst nuclear accidents in history, with widespread health, environmental, and political consequences that are still felt today.
Fun fact: The first sign of trouble outside the Soviet Union was picked up at the Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant in Sweden, over 600 miles away from Chernobyl.
This announcement came two days after the explosion at Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat, Ukraine. The disaster would go on to become one of the worst nuclear accidents in history, with widespread health, environmental, and political consequences that are still felt today.
Fun fact: The first sign of trouble outside the Soviet Union was picked up at the Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant in Sweden, over 600 miles away from Chernobyl.
