Zelenskyy Calls Drone Attack a ‘New Tragedy’ for Chernobyl Widow

KYIV, Ukraine — Nataliia Khodemchuk, the widow of the first Soviet engineer to die in the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, was killed on Friday during a massive Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy labeled her death as a “new tragedy caused by the Kremlin,” nearly four decades after her husband, Valerii Khodemchuk, perished in the 1986 explosion.

Valerii was a circulating pump operator who was killed inside Reactor Number Four during the Chornobyl disaster, making his widow’s death from a drone strike tragically poignant. His remains were never recovered from the plant.

After the Chornobyl explosion, Nataliia was evacuated from Pripyat along with her children to a new apartment in Kyiv. On Friday afternoon, one of the drones struck her apartment building on Honoré de Balzac Street, inflicting severe injuries that ultimately led to her death. She suffered 45% burns and passed away later in the hospital. Six others died in the same attack, which wounded 35 people.

The Kyiv apartment block, known as the Chornobyl house, also housed other former Chornobyl workers, including Oleksiy Ananenko, who is known for his brave efforts to prevent a second explosion by diving into a tank of radioactive water. A message from Ukraine’s state agency for exclusion zone management expressed sorrow, saying, “The pain of this loss is unbearable.” They praised Nataliia for her dignity and perseverance in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Natalia was scheduled to participate in a photoshoot marking the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster. The agency commented, “Now her voice joins the voices of all innocent Ukrainians killed by Russian terror.”

The couple first met in the 1970s in Pripyat, where Nataliia worked as a salesperson. They had two children, a son named Oleh and a daughter named Larysa. After the explosion, she searched Chornobyl’s medical unit and morgue for her husband, only to be told to evacuate with no knowledge of the permanence of their departure.

Teammates of Khodemchuk noted that the recent drone attack left many survivors of the 1986 disaster homeless once again. Tamara Khrushch, a Ukrainian journalist, reflected on Nataliia’s plight, stating, “I’m stunned. Nataliia suffered severe burns and was already in poor health.”

In his address, President Zelenskyy pointed out the increased frequency and intensity of Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine, stressing the urgent need for enhanced air defense systems. He criticized the Kremlin for its continuous aggression, stating that over the past week, nearly 1,000 drones and various missiles were launched. “Every night requires multi-component air defence systems,” he stated in his social media post.

The situation in Ukraine remains critical, with drone and missile attacks escalating amidst ongoing conflict. As the war continues, the need for support and enhanced defense systems remains crucial for preserving safety.

Nataliia Khodemchuk’s tragic death serves as a stark reminder of the continuing consequences of both the Chornobyl disaster and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.