One day not too long after moving to Osh, I was walking through a park next to our World War II memorial.  Off to the left and up a small path, we came to a second monument covered in names, but we weren’t quite sure what it was for.  Then we looked at the banners behind it and saw the unmistakeable image of Mil Mi-26 Halo helicopters hovering over the destroyed shell of Reactor 4 at Chernobyl.  But what was this monument to the Chernobyl liquidators doing here, in Osh, Kyrgyzstan over 2000 miles away?

On 26 April 1986, a drill went wrong at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in what is now northern Ukraine, leading to a nuclear meltdown and explosion that contaminated an enormous part of northern Ukraine and southern Belarus and spread massive amounts of radioactive material into a plume that was measured around the world.  Much of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia still is affected by the fallout.

The damage and pollution from the disaster required an enormous mobilization of people to control and clean up, and over 600,000 “liquidators” were eventually involved in the process.   Their efforts helped reduce the negative impacts of the disaster but at an enormous cost.  While less than 50 deaths are actually directly attributed to the disaster, many thousands of the Chernobyl liquidators have since passed away from illnesses related to their time working at Chernobyl.

As it turns out, the Chernobyl liquidators were servicemen, some in the Red Army, from across the entire Soviet Union, not just from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.  About 4,500-5,000 of them were from Kyrgyzstan, but only about 1,300-1,750 of them are still alive today, 31 years later (sources vary on the exact figures).  Many were conscripted to go work at the site without having ever known what had happened thanks to the news blackout on the disaster in the aftermath.

In many cities and towns across Kyrgyzstan, the remaining Chernobyl liquidators mark the solemn anniversary date of 26 April with memorials, remembrances, and occasionally some celebrations and storytelling.  For them, it is a way to reconnect and laugh with their friends who are still alive and to pay tribute to those who have fallen.  They certainly are not forgotten, with celebrations and formal memorials in many places around the country.

Furthermore, there are a few special categories of pension in Kyrgyzstan and in many other former Soviet Union countries for Chernobyl liquidators, including a supplement, a disability supplement, and an old-age supplement that is equal to veterans of World War II.  While these pensions are small, they still show commitment to these people on the parts of many governments.  While it is not much comfort to those who have lost family and friends, many lessons were learned from this disaster that greatly reduced the human toll of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

I was really surprised to see the memorial, and even more surprised to learn that I had actually met surviving Kyrgyzstani Chernobyl liquidators (without knowing their past).  It was a good reminder that, while the Chernobyl disaster may have been 31 years ago in the far southwest of the USSR, it continues to affect the entirety of Eurasia.

If you’re interested in reading more about Chernobyl, I highly recommend the 2005 book Voices from Chernobyl, by Ukrainian-born Belorussian writer Svetlana Alexievich, which provides an incredible set of human stories and experiences in the aftermath of the disaster.  In 2015, she won the Nobel Prize in Literature for her work.

Let me know what you remember from Chernobyl and about the Chernobyl liquidators in the comments, and don’t forget to like Monday Bazaar on Facebook and follow on Instagram for the latest updates and stories!

This post is part of Blogging Abroad’s monthly photo challenge to promote cross-cultural understanding. May’s theme is #INeverKnew. Check out Blogging Abroad for more details!