Katyusha tells the story about the Chernobyl disaster

Katyusha

Listen well! The story of Chernobyl is not just history, it is the legacy of our homeland!

Katyusha

April 26, 1986 - a date every Soviet descendant should remember as clearly as their own birthday!

Nonna

Be careful up there, Katyusha. These books are quite old.

Nonna

(She's always most passionate about Soviet history lessons.)

Clara

(I should take detailed notes. This topic feels... important.)

Katyusha

The Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Nuclear Power Plant, near Pripyat, Ukraine. A marvel of Soviet engineering!

Katyusha

But during a safety test, human error combined with design flaws created the worst nuclear disaster in history!

Nonna

The consequences were felt across Europe. Belarus received 70% of the fallout.

Katyusha

Reactor Number 4 exploded at 1:23 AM! The power surged to 100 times its normal level in seconds!

Katyusha

The graphite moderator caught fire, sending radioactive material into the night sky!

Katyusha

The firefighters... they arrived without proper protection. They had no idea what they were facing.

Katyusha

(Why is my voice shaking? This isn't like me...)

Nonna

(She's never this affected by history lessons. Something is different today.)

Katyusha

They were called 'liquidators' - over 600,000 people who worked to clean up the disaster. Many knew it was a death sentence.

Katyusha

They... they went onto the reactor roof to clear radioactive graphite with their hands. Minutes of exposure meant death weeks later.

Clara

(Grandfather never talked about his time there. Now I understand why.)

Katyusha

The official death toll says only 31 people died directly. But thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands died from the radiation later!

Katyusha

(Why am I crying? Commanders don't cry! But those men... those ordinary heroes...)

Nonna

It's okay to be moved by their sacrifice, Katyusha. Even the strongest commanders honor the fallen.

Clara

My grandfather was there. He was a liquidator at Chernobyl.

Katyusha

Clara... you never mentioned... Why didn't you say something earlier?

Clara

He worked three weeks clearing debris. He never complained about his duty. He said Soviet citizens protect each other.

Clara

He died when I was six. This photo is all I have left of him.

Katyusha

He looks so ordinary. Not like the heroes in our textbooks.

Katyusha

But he was braver than any tank commander or general, wasn't he?

Nonna

Real heroism isn't about glory or medals. It's about ordinary people doing what must be done.

Nonna

That's something we should remember in our tank battles too.