---
title: "Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Explosion"
year: 1986
country: "Soviet Union"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1986/chernobyl-disaster"
slug: "chernobyl-disaster"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1986-01-01"
---

# Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Explosion

> Catastrophic reactor meltdown in Ukraine kills dozens immediately, contaminates vast territory, and accelerates Soviet Union's legitimacy crisis.

On April 26, 1986, Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Soviet Ukraine exploded during a safety test, releasing massive amounts of radiation across Europe. The disaster killed dozens immediately and forced the evacuation of 116,000 people from nearby towns. It remains the worst nuclear accident in history.

## Summary

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone of Alienation, also called the 30-Kilometre Zone or simply The Zone, was established shortly after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union.

## Sources

- [Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Exclusion Zone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_exclusion_zone) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1986/chernobyl-disaster