On April 21st, South Ural State University hosted the annual event "Nuclear Technologies: Advantages, Risks, and Safety", organized jointly with the Ministry of Public Security of the Chelyabinsk Region. This year, the meeting commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster.
The event was opened by Valery Ustinov, Deputy Minister of Public Security of the Chelyabinsk Region. He greeted the students and noted the special significance of remembering those events.
"On April 26, 1986, one of the most serious man-induced disasters in the human history occurred," said Valery Ustinov. "This tragic event required colossal efforts, courage, and self-sacrifice of thousands of people from our country: firefighters, military personnel, engineers, medical professionals, and scientists. I would especially like to highlight the contribution of the Chelyabinsk Region. Our region, with its extensive experience in radiation safety, played a crucial role in the cleanup. Many liquidators from the Chelyabinsk Region already had had experience working in the nuclear industry, including at the Mayak Production Association. Their knowledge and skills proved invaluable. Enterprises and research centres in the South Ural region, including SUSU, quickly joined in the development and delivery of specialized equipment, protective gear, and radiation monitoring devices. Our doctors participated in the examination and rehabilitation of the liquidators. Thousands of South Ural residents were sent to the exclusion zone to carry out the most difficult and dangerous tasks."
Maksim Isakov, leading archaeographer at the Department of Publications and Scientific Use of Documents at the United State Archive of the Chelyabinsk Region, delivered an open lecture for students on "The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident: The History of the Tragedy". He presented archival materials on the disaster and the Chelyabinsk Region's participation in the cleanup efforts.
The most powerful speeches were from those directly involved in those events. Oleg Pankeev, Deputy Chairman of the "Chernobyl Union" Chelyabinsk Regional Public Organization and Yurii Laptev, a liquidator of the accident, shared their memories.
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"We hold this event annually, sometimes even twice a year," explained Aleksey Kudriashov, Acting Head of the SUSU Department of Health and Safety. "This time, it commemorates the 40th anniversary of the largest man-induced disaster, which our country, one might say, successfully dealt with. Today, those involved in that major event have shared their experiences with us: they have described how they felt and what their tasks were. Students from the second through fifth years of the Technosphere and Fire Safety programme have attended the event. The value of this meeting is in their lively interaction with those who took part in the events. The students have seen that these were people just like us, no different from ourselves. I hope they have been inspired by the heroism and bravery of their predecessors. We strive to instil courage and fearlessness in them through real-life examples!"
In total, three presentations were given as part of the educational event, along with a discussion and questions from students.