On Saturday, 26 September 2026, the GDIP team, in cooperation with the State Agency of Ukraine for Exclusion Zone Management (SAUEZM) and the State Specialized Enterprise ‘Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant’ (SSE ‘ChNPP’), organized this year’s third official visit to the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, including the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, for members of the diplomatic corps.
The official delegation comprised staff members from the embassies of Denmark, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, as well as representatives of UNESCO and UNHCR.
The accident at the nuclear power plant 40 years ago demonstrated the dangers of human error and the consequences of man-made disasters, which know no national borders. Today, the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant stands as a symbol of profound tragedy and the heroism of the liquidators. It serves as an important reminder to humanity of the need for a responsible approach to technology, strict oversight, and remembrance of the consequences of past disasters.
During the visit, representatives of foreign missions honoured the memory of employees of SSE ‘Central Service Enterprise for Exploitation, Restoration and Safety’ and SSE ‘ChNPP’ who lost their lives in russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. The diplomats then visited the Star of Wormwood Memorial Complex in Chornobyl and walked through the streets of the ghost city of Prypiat, once bustling with life.
The distinguished guests also visited the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, following a unique route through the administrative and household facility, along the ‘golden’ corridor to a unit control room, and through the central control room to the space beneath the arch of the New Safe Confinement. The visit concluded with a stop at the Duga over-the-horizon radar station.
Participants were particularly struck by the frank account shared by Nadiia Mudryk-Mochalova, head of the Visitor Support Department of the SSE ‘Central Enterprise for Radioactive Waste Management’. She described in detail the acts of vandalism, manifestations of nuclear terrorism, and reckless behaviour of russian troops during the occupation in 2022. She also spoke about the human losses, damage amounting to hundreds of millions of euros, and the gradual resumption of operations at enterprises under SAUEZM’s management.
The visit to the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone has once again demonstrated the international community’s attention to this symbolic place. Today, Chornobyl is not only a reminder of tragedy but also a symbol of responsibility, recovery, and international solidarity with Ukraine.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Volodymyr Feshchenko, acting head of SAUEZM, and Serhii Tarakanov, director-general of SSE ‘ChNPP’, for the impeccable organization of the visit and their professionalism.
