A march in memory of the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster was staged in Chisinau on April 26 to mark the 33th anniversary of the catastrophe. Members of the Chernobyl Union of Moldova, together with members of their families, laid flowers at the Monument to Ruler Stephan the Great and Holy and then went on a march to the Memorial of the victims of the Chernobyl disaster in the Park “Valea Trandafirilor” and took part in a meeting there, IPN reports.
The Union’s president Tudor Căpățînă told the press that over 3,000 people from both sides of the Nistru took part in the Chernobyl cleanup. So far, over 1,200 of these died because of radiation. The people should remember that disaster that had tragic consequences for humanity. Moldova should improve the medical assistance provided to the participants in the Chernobyl cleanup.
Slavin Șatlovski worked in Chambly as a regiment commander in 1986. He said the day of April 26 is a mourning day not only for Moldovans and Ukrainians, but for the whole mankind. “We will never forget this day as a lot of people died in front of us there. Men aged 19-20 served there for two years, which is inhuman. They planned to have a family, a future, but the consequences thwarted all their plans. Many of them do not have families, while others died,” he stated.
Andrei Ermicioi noted he was 35 when he was taken to the Chernobyl nuclear plant to clear the area of radiation. He collected things from the neighborhood, including homes, and took them to the so-called “cemetery” for being buried. He worked there for three months. He saw experiments being conducted there. Animals were brought and different plants were cultivated in the area to see how they reacted to radiation. He didn’t realize the impact of radiation then, but now feels it through his state of health.
Mihai Bivol said he went to Chernobyl when he was 21 without realizing where he goes and what he will do there. He worked as a driver and transported gasoline for fueling vehicles near Chernobyl. His life after that disaster changed. He now has to go to hospitals for three-four times a year as his state of health worsens. Each participant in the Chernobyl cleanup benefits from a ticket to sanatorium once a year, from allocations and free hospitalization. However, the medicines cannot remove radiation from the human body.
According to the Chernobyl Union, slightly over 2,000 people of those who took part in the Chernobyl cleanup are now alive in Moldova.
