Chernobyl: From Revival to Sustainable Development – Single Awareness Day at the National Historical Archives of Belarus

On April 25, 2026, a staff meeting was held at the National Historical Archives of Belarus to mark International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. This year, commemorative events are taking place under the theme of the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant tragedy, which became a severe test for the Belarusian people.

The event was organized as part of the Single Awareness Day on the theme «Chernobyl: From Revival to Sustainable Development».

The meeting was opened by Natalia Buloychik, Deputy Director of the Archives, who noted that over the past forty years, Belarus has traveled an unprecedented path from the aftermath of the accident to the recovery and full development of the affected territories.

Yevgeny Zavadsky, a young employee and head of the biographical inquiries department and chairman of the primary branch of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, addressed the staff. In his report and thematic presentation, he provided a detailed chronology of the events of 40 years ago, spoke of the courage of the liquidators, and highlighted the country’s current achievements in radiation safety and environmental monitoring.

The program concluded with a screening of the documentary «Chernobyl: Chronicle of a Tragedy», produced by the Belarusian State Archive of Film, Photo, and Sound Documents. Unique newsreel footage capturing the heroic struggle against an invisible enemy in the first months after the accident allowed for a deeper understanding of the scale of the people’s heroism.

The event, timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the tragedy, became an important stage in the civic and patriotic education of youth and emphasized the importance of preserving the truth about those events as our shared duty to future generations.

1. Speech by Deputy Director of the Archives, Natalia Buloychik

2. Speech by Head of the Biographical Inquiries Sector, Evgeny Zavadsky

3. Speech by Head of the Biographical Inquiries Sector, Evgeny Zavadsky

4. Staff of the National Information Agency of Belarus

5. Footage from the documentary film «Chernobyl: Chronicles of a Tragedy», produced by the Belarusian State Archives of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus (BSAKFFD)