In the spring of 1986, gardens were blooming, and life went on as usual. On the night of April 26, the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded. This changed everything.
We honor the memory of the dead, the injured, and their families. We remember their contribution and the price that was paid. And we remind you: the nuclear disaster does not belong only to the past.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the accident, Ukrposhta is issuing a postal block “Chernobyl. 40 Years of Pain, Memory, and Warning.”
The Chernobyl disaster destroyed hundreds of thousands of lives and became one of the factors of social change in Ukraine in the late 1980s.
Hundreds of thousands of people — firefighters, military personnel, engineers, and civilians — were involved in the elimination of the consequences. Many of them worked without fully realizing the danger. For thousands, it was fatal.
The Soviet authorities concealed the scale of the tragedy, despite the danger, mass events were held. Meanwhile, radiation spread through Ukraine and Europe. Sweden was one of the first countries to record dangerous levels of radiation.
More than 100,000 people were evacuated. The residents of Pripyat left their homes, not knowing that they were leaving forever.
Today, the risks have not disappeared. Russia uses nuclear infrastructure as a tool of pressure. In 2022, the occupation of the Chernobyl zone caused fires and the rise of radioactive dust. The Zaporizhzhia NPP remains under threat due to the presence of military equipment and problems with power and cooling.
Chernobyl happened once - and its consequences continue. We hope that there will be no repetition.
Characteristics:
Design — Volodymyr Taran
Date of issue — 04/24/2026
Printing — 60,000
Face value — F
Block size, mm — 78x140
Number of stamps in the block — 3