State Duma Adopts Statement On 15th Anniversary Of Chernobyl Explosion

Russia's State Duma has adopted a statement on the 15th anniversary of the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station and to mark day of memory for those who died in radiation accidents and disasters. The statement notes that for its consequences and the extent of damage done to the population and environment, the Chernobyl accident was the biggest man-made humanitarian disaster of the 20th century. The scale of the catastrophe might have been far greater but for the courage and dedication of hundreds of thousands of our fellow-citizens, the document says. Parliamentarians also note that today more than ever before clean-up workers, people living in the radioactively contaminated areas and those evacuated and displaced from these zones are in need not only of social protection, but also of moral support. The document says that "it is the sacred duty of society and the state always to remember those who at the cost of their lives and health preserved the lives of millions of co-citizens and saved nature from the pernicious effects of radiation". On the day of the 15th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster Russian parliamentarians "address words of sincere gratitude to all those who took part in dealing with the aftermath of the Chernobyl catastrophe and express deep sympathy with those whose near and dear, whose friends and comrades untimely departed from life".