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AP goes inside Chernobyl nuclear power plant 40 years after disaster
April 25, 2026
Posted 2 hours ago by
The two explosions at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant came decades apart in the dead of night. The first, at 1:23 a.m. on April 26, 1986, spread a cloud of deadly radiation that raised fears across Europe and shook the very foundations of the Soviet Union. Some say it led to its eventual collapse. The second, at 1:59 a.m. on February 14, 2025, was blamed by Ukrainian officials on a Russian drone with an explosive warhead.
While not as catastrophic, it sparked new anxieties about Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor, striking the site that symbolized so much suffering for Ukraine. The AP's Hanna Arhirova explains more. (AP video by Vasilisa Stepanenko). Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress Read more: https://apnews.com This video may be available for archive licensing via https://newsroom.ap.org/home
Associated Press
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