Zelenskyy honored Chornobyl liquidators, rescuers, and plant employees with awards
Kyiv • UNN
Zelenskyy decorated the liquidators of the 1986 accident and Chornobyl NPP personnel for their work during the occupation. Rescuers were also recognized for eliminating the consequences of a drone strike.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy today, April 26, on the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl NPP accident, honored with state awards the liquidators of the Chernobyl accident, SES rescuers, and plant employees who ensured its operation under occupation in 2022 and eliminated the consequences of last year's Russian drone strike on the confinement. This was reported by the Office of the President, according to UNN.
In particular, the Order of Merit, 1st Class was awarded to Oleksandr Novikov, head of projects and programs at the Chernobyl NPP engineering center, who participated in stabilizing the structures of the "Shelter" object to reduce the release of radioactive materials into the environment. The work was carried out under particularly difficult conditions.
The Order of Merit, 3rd Class was awarded to:
- Oleksandr Bielobrov, an engineer at the Chernobyl NPP shop, who during the Russian occupation of the plant in 2022 led the work of a repair crew to eliminate equipment malfunctions and conducted inspections of the "Shelter" object over the 4th power unit.
- Ruslan Hnatchuk, deputy head of the operation shop for the Shelter and NSC at the Chernobyl NPP. He participated in eliminating the consequences of a Russian drone strike on the confinement in February 2025. He organized a safe water supply for rescuers and the operation of drainage systems under difficult weather conditions.
- Serhiy Honcharov, shift supervisor of the radioactive waste management shop at the Chernobyl NPP. During the Russian occupation of the plant in 2022, he organized the safe operation of water treatment systems and storage facilities. The shop's employees established an uninterrupted process for handling radioactive waste under difficult conditions.
- Anatoliy Chumak, Director of the Institute of Clinical Radiology of the National Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Hematology, and Oncology. For the first two weeks after the catastrophe, he headed the medical service in the 30-kilometer zone. Later, he participated in the evacuation and treatment of victims.
The Order for Courage, 2nd Class was awarded to Vasyl Sydorenko, an electrician in the thermal automation and measurements shop of the Chernobyl NPP. On April 26, 1986, he participated in the stabilization of the 4th power unit and developed a power scheme for the pumps. He repaired and maintained boilers and gas turbine units to start them after the forced shutdown resulting from the accident.
The Order for Courage, 3rd Class was awarded to:
- Retired Colonel of the Internal Service Mykhailo Alieksieienko. In 1986, he liquidated a fire in the cable tunnels of the Chernobyl NPP, which threatened to spread to the third power unit.
- Oleksandr Kolesnik, head of a department of the special-purpose emergency rescue squad of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Khmelnytskyi region. Participant in the liquidation of the Russian drone strike on the outer cladding of the Chernobyl NPP confinement arch. He performed emergency rescue operations under conditions of increased radiation background and difficult weather.
- Oleksandr Komarenko, squad leader of the 11th state fire and rescue unit of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kyiv region. In 2025, at a height of 80 meters, he liquidated the consequences of a Russian drone strike on the Chernobyl NPP confinement arch. Thanks to his actions, the fire was prevented from spreading to the cable shafts leading deep into the NPP. Under conditions of heavy smoke and the danger of structural collapse, he ensured the elimination of smoldering pockets in hard-to-reach places.
The Order of Princess Olga, 3rd Class was awarded to Nataliia Diachuk, an employee of a department at the State Specialized Enterprise "Chernobyl NPP." She is a canteen employee who provided meals for the Ukrainian personnel held hostage by the Russians during the occupation in March-April 2022. Thanks to her activities under conditions of limited supplies and pressure from the occupiers, more than 200 employees were able to continue work in the Exclusion Zone.