Putin noted the courage of rescuers who eliminated the consequences of the Chernobyl accident

Russian President Vladimir Putin noted the unparalleled courage of the heroes who dealt with the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. The telegram of the head of state was published on April 20 on the Kremlin's website.

"We bow our heads before the heroic deeds of the heroes who 40 years ago stood in the way of fire during the liquidation of the consequences of the man-made accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. They did not flinch or retreat, but fulfilled their professional, civic, and human duties to the end, many at the cost of their own lives. The selfless actions of the rescuers who came from all the republics of the USSR made it possible to prevent a global catastrophe," the appeal says.

The President stressed that the country will forever preserve the memory of the courage of the station's employees, firefighters, military personnel, construction workers and medics who risked their lives to eliminate the consequences of the accident, evacuate people and carry out restoration work.

According to him, today in Russia measures of social protection and rehabilitation of victims of those events have been taken, and also expressed gratitude to representatives of the Chernobyl Union and other public organizations for assistance in the implementation of these programs.

The day before, Denis Vishnevsky, head of the scientific department of the Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve, said that, despite widespread beliefs, there are no mass visible mutations in animals in the Chernobyl zone. According to the scientist, the current radiation level in the exclusion zone is not so high as to cause massive visible anomalies.