Soviet authorities blamed operator error for Chernobyl, deliberately hiding a fundamental reactor design flaw. The shelter hastily built over the wreckage soon began crumbling, until a vast steel arch sealed the ruins in 2016. But in 2025 a Russian drone struck the arch, threatening fresh radiation releases from a site that will remain radioactive for 20,000 years. Can it ever be made safe again?

On 26 April 1986, a massive explosion rocked the Chernobyl nuclear plant, killing workers and blasting radioactive dust into the atmosphere. The 50,000 residents of nearby Pripyat knew nothing until local officials ordered a full evacuation 36 hours later. The worst nuclear accident in history spread radiation across Northern Europe, yet the Soviet State tried to cover it up. Survivors recall those first catastrophic days.