Ukraine marks 40 years since Chernobyl nuclear disaster killed thousands

On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Soviet Ukraine experienced the worst nuclear accident in history, affecting more than 3.5 million people and contaminating nearly 50,000 square kilometers of land across multiple countries. The disaster killed dozens immediately and caused long-term radiation sickness, cancer, and genetic damage affecting generations. France Télévisions obtained rare access to the exclusion zone this week to document the site four decades later, as Ukraine—now an independent nation—commemorates the catastrophe amid ongoing Russian military operations near the reactor complex. The site remains a cautionary landmark for nuclear safety and a symbol of environmental disaster's transnational consequences.