On April 21, 2026, a round table "40th Anniversary of the Chernobyl Tragedy: Lessons from the Past and Challenges of Nuclear Security Today" was held.
The event was organized by NAEC "Energoatom," the Ukrainian Peace Council, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and the NGO "Ukrainian Nuclear Society."
Representatives of government authorities, scientific institutions, international organizations, the energy sector, leading nuclear safety experts, and public figures participated in the event.
The round table was opened by the acting chairman of the board of "Energoatom," Pavlo Kovtonyuk, who outlined the transformation of approaches to nuclear energy safety after the Chernobyl disaster and emphasized the inadmissibility of compromises in this area.
Vice President of the NAS of Ukraine, academician Oleh Rafalskyi, delivered an address from the President of the NAS of Ukraine, academician Anatolii Zahorodnii. It emphasized that scientists of the Academy were at the center of the work to eliminate the consequences of the accident from the very first days – conducting research on the radiation situation, analyzing the reactor's condition, and developing control and protection technologies. The address also highlighted new nuclear security threats arising in the context of war, particularly due to the capture and militarization of nuclear facilities.
Academician of the NAS of Ukraine Mykhailo Zgurovskyi in his speech focused on the global dimension of nuclear risks and the importance of combining scientific, governmental, and international levels in overcoming them.
During the main part of the round table, participants presented a wide range of reports – from analyzing the transformation of nuclear energy after Chernobyl to modern challenges related to the operation of nuclear infrastructure in wartime conditions.
In particular, the discussions covered lessons from the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents, the evolution of safety approaches, international responsibility in the use of nuclear technologies, as well as the unprecedented situation when nuclear facilities found themselves in active combat zones. Special attention was given to the risks associated with the capture of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and attacks on critical energy infrastructure.
The director of the Institute of Nuclear Power Plant Safety Problems of the NAS of Ukraine, academician Anatolii Nosovskyi, presented a report dedicated to the results of forty years of overcoming the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster and prospects for the development of the exclusion zone. He outlined key stages of transforming the "Shelter" object into an environmentally safe system, including the creation of a new safe confinement, which significantly reduced radiation exposure risks. At the same time, the scientist drew attention to the fact that the implementation of long-term programs was significantly complicated due to Russian aggression, particularly the occupation of the Chernobyl zone and damage to the confinement. The report also emphasized the need to continue dismantling unstable structures and removing nuclear materials, as well as the advisability of developing the exclusion zone territory as an industrial-scientific site and a unique space for radioecological research.
The director of the Institute for Nuclear Research of the NAS of Ukraine, academician Vasyl Slisenko, focused on modern aspects of nuclear safety and potential threats emerging amid geopolitical instability, highlighting the growing role of science in forming effective response mechanisms to new challenges.
As a result of the round table, participants adopted a declaration and recommendations emphasizing the need to consolidate the efforts of states, international organizations, the scientific community, and civil society to strengthen global nuclear security.
In particular, this concerns the development of international mechanisms to protect nuclear facilities in conflict zones, strengthening nuclear non-proliferation regimes, expanding scientific research in nuclear safety, and increasing transparency and public oversight. It was separately emphasized that nuclear security today is an integral part of global security and requires shared responsibility.
The final documents of the round table will be submitted to the government authorities of Ukraine and international organizations.
