Il disastro chornobyl, il peggior incidente nucleare nella storia umana

The most expensive accident ever too.

A look back in the press of eastern Germany.
There was “Neues Deutschland”, the – “central organ” – meaning main media of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany.
Something like the “Pravda” from Moscow, Soviet Union.
April 26, 1986 was a Saturday, there was no information before Tuesday, April 29.
No, also the TV news did not have anything before April 29.
.
April 29, page 5 between
“Prime Minister of India received Federal Chancellor Kohl”
and
“Chile: Opposition demands Pinochet’s resignation”
the first message:
“Accident at Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant
Moscow (TASS). An accident has occurred at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
One of the nuclear reactors was damaged.
Measures are being taken to eliminate the consequences of the accident.
Assistance is being provided to those affected.
A government commission has been appointed”
.
April 30, page 1(!):
“On the accident at the Ukrainian Chornobyl nuclear power plant
Statement from the Council of Ministers of the USSR

Moscow (TASS). Two people were killed in the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant located 130 kilometers
north of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. As the Council of Ministers of the USSR announced on Tuesday,
urgent measures have been initiated to eliminate the consequences of the accident.
A government commission headed by Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Boris Shcherbina
has been appointed at the scene of the accident. The commission includes heads of ministries and other central state bodies, renowned scientists and experts.

According to currently available information, the accident occurred in one of the rooms of the 4th power unit.
As a result, part of the reactor building was destroyed and the reactor itself was damaged, leading to the release
of a certain amount of radioactive material.
The other three units have been shut down. They are intact and in operational reserve.
The radiation situation in the power plant and its surroundings has been stabilized.
The affected people are receiving the necessary medical assistance.
The population has been evacuated from the power plant settlement and three surrounding villages.
Radioactivity in the Chornobyl NPP and its surroundings is constantly monitored.”
.
May 1 was May day. Lots of state organized rallies. Public holiday, no newspaper.
May 2, page 7
“Representative of the USSR informed the UN General Assembly about the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant

New York (ADN). The Permanent Representative of the USSR to the UN, Yuri Dubinin,
thanked the President of the 40th Session of the UN General Assembly and all delegations who,
at the current session of the World Forum, expressed their condolences to the government and people
of the Soviet Union in connection with the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
At the plenary session on Thursday in New York, he informed the delegates about the accident and
the measures taken to eliminate its consequences.

Special teams equipped with the necessary modern technology and effective means have
been deployed to disactivate the contaminated site.
The Soviet Union has sufficient material and all scientific and technical capabilities to
eliminate the consequences of the accident.
There is no need for help from other countries at this stage either.
Dubinin announced that he had informed the UN Secretary-General about the status of
combating the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.

Permanent Representative of Ukraine spoke at the UN

New York (ADN). The Permanent Representative of the Ukrainian SSR to the United Nations,
Gennady Udovenko, also addressed the UN plenary session, thanking the Secretary-General
of the world organization, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, and the delegations that expressed their condolences
in connection with the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
At the same time, he rejected the sensationalist (sensation-seeking, lurid) reporting of the
Western press, especially in the USA, about this accident and its consequences.”

Hennadi Udovenko, from February 1985 to March 1992, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennadiy_Udovenko

For reasons of historical correctness I should have written Chornobyl with an “e”
– the German text uses also the form with an “e” –
but this is not possible.
(the translaton is based