24-04-2026, Brussels

Archbishop Simon of Brussels and Belgium visited the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus for a commemorative event dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.

On April 24, a memorial meeting was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in Brussels to mark the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant tragedy.

The event was opened by Chargé d'Affaires of the Republic of Belarus in Brussels, S.K. Panyasyuk. He recounted the history of the tragedy and its terrible consequences, which affected a huge number of the country's population, a quarter of whose territory was contaminated with radiation. He also briefed those gathered on the denuclearization programs implemented in the Republic over the past 40 years, which have yielded tangible results. This has been demonstrated by a decrease in the incidence of disease, the cleansing of the country's soil, and the development of new medical technologies.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation D.V. Gonchar also addressed the audience, describing the extensive work undertaken since the Soviet era and continuing in modern Russia to overcome the consequences of the accident, as well as the assistance provided to the allied state of Belarus in this regard.

There were also presentations from representatives of Belgian public organizations that helped rehabilitate Belarusian children evacuated from the contaminated zone and monitored the quality of Belarusian food products.

Finally, a film was shown dedicated to the liquidators of the accident, for whom a memorial church was erected in the Belarusian capital, where living witnesses of the event gather annually. A special icon depicting the accident was painted for the church. The footage also showed a memorial stone on the church grounds, erected with the blessing of Metropolitan Filaret (Vakhromeyev) of Minsk and Zaslavl in memory of the liquidators' heroic deeds during those terrible events.

The meeting concluded with a general reception. Archbishop Simon was accompanied to the embassy by Archpriest Pavel Nedosekin, secretary of the diocese.