100% A Time for Reflection The explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was one of the largest man-made accidents of the 20th century — a test for the country, science, and humanity.Forty years later, we take a look back on those events to understand what exactly happened, how the liquidators approached their monumental task, and what lessons Russia learned from this experience. On April 26, 1986, the world changed forever Process meeting on the construction of the Shelter facility over the damaged Unit 4 at the V.I. Lenin Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant at the headquarters of the specialized Building Directorate No. 605 of the USSR Ministry of Medium Machine Building, August 1986 © Valery Zufarov, Vladimir Repik / TASS B.Ye. Shcherbina, Chairman of the Government Commission for the Adoption of Measures to Eliminate the Accident and dentify the Causes of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident and Deputy Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers, speaks at a press conference for Soviet and foreign journalists dedicated to the events at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, held at the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Center © Valentin Mastyukov / TASS Unit 3 and the Shelter over Unit 4 (left to right) of the V.I. Lenin Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after the accident, 1990 © Valery Zufarov / TASS Head of the Mechanization Department of the All-Union Construction and Assembly Association Soyuzatomenergostroy N. Konstantinov (center) during a discussion of the work plan at a temporary testing site for special equipment designed for work in the area of ​​the damaged reactor at the V.I. Lenin Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant © Valery Zufarov / TASS The Government Commission for the Elimination of the Consequences of the Accident at the V.I. Lenin Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in session, August 1986 © Valery Zufarov, Vladimir Repik / TASS Our project is a story of tribute, professionalism, and responsibility for the future, a documentary look at Chernobyl through time and destinies. Nuclear energy experience and development, "Breakthrough" project. Lessons Liquidators' exploits, memories, and comments. People Prerequisites, accident, initial data, and decisions made. History Share: Project Team Project Curator: Denis PleshchenkoIdea: Denis Pleshchenko, Andrey Reznichenko, Yelizaveta ShevchenkoProject Manager: Irina VolkovaAuthor: Andrey ReznichenkoProducer: Daria PanevinaContent Manager: Maria KaragezovaDesign: Daniil Filatov, Ksenia Belozerova, Anastasia Melnikova, Marina CherkasovaIllustrator: Ivan YefimovEditors: Victoria Kopylova, Milena LadnikTranslator: Andrey StarkovStyle Editor: Vladimir KhvatovVoice over: Vladimir KhvatovFilm crew: Ilya Lazarev, Sergey Shakhidzhanyan, Maxim Kazakov, Ivan Meshkov, Georgy Chernyshov, Alexey Golenishchev, Yury Gonchar, Andrey Kirsanov, Denis Zavgorodny, Stanislav Gorshenin, Olga Ivakova, Maksim Churusov TASS acknowledgements to Vladimir Asmolov and Yevgeny Adamov for their assistance in making this project possible. © TASS, 2026TASS news agency (Media Registration Certificate No. 3 247 issued on April 2, 1999 by the State Committee of the Russian Federation for the Press). Some publications may contain information not suitable for users under 16 years of age.