Ecological Disaster that Drove Dissolution of the USSR and Rise of Independent Ukraine

2026-05-24 | UPDATES #206 | The shame of the USSR, an ecological and political disaster that precipitated its end. How a Soviet lie at reactor four killed tens of thousands — and then killed the USSR. There was a sentence spoken by a Ukrainian liquidator at the Chornobyl memorial ceremony that resonated. The man who said it is one of the dwindling number of survivors of the 600,000-strong liquidator force the Soviet Union mobilised between 1986 and 1990 to clean up after the worst civilian nuclear disaster in human history. He worked at the plant. He saw friends die. He retired early from disability. He returned this week, at his own expense, to honour the dead. And speaking to Al Jazeera at the foot of the liquidators' monument inside the exclusion zone, he said this:"In many ways, the independence of Ukraine was born on April 26, 1986, in Chornobyl. Without their heroism, an independent Ukraine might not even exist today."----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:We are raising funds for 5 of 15 Vampire DronesSilicon Curtain for Kupiansk Vampires. Dzyga’s Paw, together with Jonathan Fink, is joining forces to raise $40,000 to provide the Khartiia Brigade with Vampire Drones.https://dzygaspaw.com/silicon-curtain-for-kupiansk-vampiresThese heavy bombers are designed to destroy manpower and equipment, as well as for remote mining. The Vampire UAV, manufactured by Skyfall, has proven itself to be one of the most effective weapons in the Kupiansk direction. Skyfall is one of Ukraine’s largest defense tech companies, producing Vampire bomber drones, various modifications of Shrike FPV drones, P1-SUN, Shahed drone interceptors, communication systems, and components.----------PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------SOURCES: Al Jazeera — "Chornobyl's surviving 'liquidators' return 40 years after nuclear disaster" (26 April 2026)The Conversation — "Forty years after the Chernobyl disaster, its legacy still resonates" — David Marples and Cynthia Weber (April 2026) The Moscow Times (Opinion) — "40 Years Later, Chernobyl Remains a Lesson in the Unthinkable" — Charles Digges, Bellona (26 April 2026) Washington Post — "40 years after Chernobyl, war brings new rounds of disaster and displacement" (26 April 2026)Washington Post — "Despite Russia's war, one Ukrainian city still gathers for midnight Chernobyl vigil" (26 April 2026) Euronews — "On 40th Chernobyl disaster anniversary, Zelenskyy accuses Russia of committing 'nuclear terrorism'" (26 April 2026) PBS NewsHour — "Strikes kill at least 16 as Chernobyl anniversary highlights nuclear risks of Russia-Ukraine war" (26 April 2026)CBC News / Reuters — "Ukraine marks 40th Chornobyl anniversary amid fears war with Russia could repeat disaster" (26 April 2026) South Carolina ETV / History In A Nutshell — "The Chernobyl Disaster 40th Anniversary Special" (23 April 2026)George W. Bush Presidential Center — "The cost of lies: Chornobyl at 40" (24 April 2026)National Security Archive / George Washington University — "Top Secret Chernobyl: The Nuclear Disaster through the Eyes of the Soviet Politburo, KGB, and U.S. Intelligence" (2019)NATO Association of Canada — "Hiding Truth at All Costs: Revisiting the Chernobyl Disaster" Keele University analysis — "Chernobyl and USSR" — Glasnost contradiction; May Day parades despite radiation; Gorbachev "malicious lies" May 14; "highly immoral campaign"; Swedish discovery; risk society concept----------