Alexander Lukashenko visits Bragin on 35th anniversary of Chernobyl explosion

During his visit to Bragin, at the requiem meeting in honour of the heroes liquidators, the President noted that Chernobyl shock made us stronger. It united the Belarusians in their desire to keep this land. No matter how hard it was, we always found time and funds to help people in the region and restore the affected lands. 5 state Chernobyl programs have been implemented. People were not abandoned to their fate. Every year, the President visits these regions to see how the affected regions live and develop.

Three decades ago no one would have imagined Bragin would be like this. At that time it seemed that this land simply had no chance for the future. But life has been restored here.

Alexander Lukashenko planted a maple tree in the local park. He helped the town both in word and in deed.

Today the President also recalled Chernobyl disaster liquidators, who consciously sacrificed themselves for the sake of others' lives.

In the centre of Bragin there is a monument to Vasily Ignatenko, a native of the local area. His story is a real example of courage. The commander of the fire brigade, he worked in Pripyat, his brigade was the first to extinguish the fire at the station. They acted bravely and in a well-coordinated manner - as a result, the fire on the roof of the 4th unit was completely extinguished.

The feat of Ignatenko is a real example of courage.

Despite burns, Ignatenko helped his comrades-in-arms to get down from the roof. But the radiation dose left the guy with no chance. He died in a hospital in Moscow.

Chernobyl accident changed the destiny of the country. For Belarusians it was a real ecological, social and economic disaster. A quarter of forests, hundreds of thousands of hectares of fertile lands, more than 300 industrial enterprises were damaged.

It seemed impossible to recover from such a blow. But the Belarusians did it.