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

# Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Explosion

> The catastrophic meltdown at the Ukrainian reactor released radioactive material across Europe, marking history's worst nuclear accident and reshaping energy policy globally.

On April 26, 1986, Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat, Ukraine exploded during a safety test, releasing massive amounts of radioactive material across Eastern Europe. The disaster killed dozens immediately and forced the permanent evacuation of 116,000 people, becoming the worst nuclear accident in history.

## Summary

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) is a nuclear power plant undergoing decommissioning. ChNPP is located near the abandoned city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine, 16.5 kilometres (10 mi) northwest of the city of Chernobyl, 16 kilometres (10 mi) from the Belarus–Ukraine border, and about 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Kyiv. The plant was cooled by an engineered pond, fed by the Pripyat River about 5 kilometres (3 mi) northwest from its juncture with the Dnieper River. The RBMK type graphite-moderated reactor used in this plant is considered an unusual design. It prioritizes cost efficiency over safety compared to other reactor designs, such as the VVER pressurized water reactor.

## Sources

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

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