40 Years After Chernobyl

„Chernobyl“ stands for far more than a reactor accident. It began on April 26, 1986, with radiation and death, the creation of an exclusion zone, and the forced short-notice resettlement of hundreds of thousands of people in the Soviet republics of Belarus and Ukraine. The catastrophe ruthlessly exposed the decay of the Soviet system.

Yet the disaster also marked a profound turning point in the awareness of both Western and Eastern European societies regarding the extreme dangers nuclear energy poses to human life and the environment. In many countries, it brought ambitious nuclear power plant projects to an end and mobilized civil movements in Central and Eastern Europe. The year 1986 thus became a watershed in society’s perception of technological progress. It was no coincidence that Ulrich Beck’s Risk Society appeared that same year, giving influential expression to growing concerns about the risks of scientific and technological modernization. At the same time, Chernobyl became a defining reference point in the political identity of the Green Party, which transformed broad public support for phasing out nuclear power into a sustained political struggle.

In 2026 - four decades later - the anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster is more relevant than ever. The debate over high-risk technologies has regained urgency. In its war against Ukraine, Russian forces have not only shelled the protective ‚safe confinement‘ structure surrounding the damaged reactor at Chornobyl - the Ukrainian spelling that we are going to use here when referring to the present. Russia has also occupied nuclear facilities and deliberately targeted critical infrastructure around reactors, once again playing a dangerously reckless game with nuclear safety - one that affects not only the region but extends far beyond Ukraine’s borders. The Russian nuclear industry continues to function as an effective geopolitical instrument of power. In Germany, by contrast, the issue has largely receded from public debate since the country completed its final nuclear phase-out three years ago.

What remains of Chernobyl/Chornobyl? We invite you to a discussion about green history and security in Europe.

Contact:
Dr. Clara Frysztacka
Contemporary History Division
E clara.frysztacka@boell.de

Robert Sperfeld
East and South-East Europe Division
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung
E robert.sperfeld@boell.de 

Program

17:30 Welcome

• Jan Philipp Albrecht, Executive Board Member of the Heinrich Böll Foundation

17:40 “Reactors Don’t Explode. A Brief History of the Chernobyl Disaster” (Kyiv 2020, Berlin 2026): Reading and Discussion

• Tine Hammer, Translator, Translit e.V.
• Stanislav Dvornytskyi, Author (online)

Moderation: Jan Philipp Albrecht

18:10 Reflections on an Anniversary: Keynote Impulses
A Historical Classification of the Chernobyl Disaster

• Frank Uekötter, Historian of Technology and the Environment, Professor at Ruhr University Bochum

Chernobyl and the New Generation of the Environmental Movement

• Carla Reemtsma, Climate Activist and Spokesperson for Fridays for Future Germany

Russian Nuclear Policy Yesterday and Today

• Tatiana Kasperski, Political Scientist, Södertörn University, Sweden

Déjà vus in Ukraine? Nuclear Safety in the Russian War of Aggression

• Olexi Pasyuk, Head of Environmental Organization “Ecoaction,” Ukraine

18:50 Break

19:20 Parallel Discussions:
Panel 1: The Significance of the Chernobyl Legacy in Eastern Europe

• Tatyana Novikova, environmental activist and author
• Tobias Münchmeyer, European Campaign Director, Greenpeace Germany
• Olexi Pasyuk, Head of Environmental Organization “Ecoaction,” Ukraine
• Tatiana Kasperski, Political Scientist, Södertörn University, Sweden

Moderation: Walter Kaufmann

Panel 2: Nuclear Energy, Risk Technologies, and the Green Movement in Germany Between Past and Present

• Rebecca Harms, Anti-nuclear Activist, Former MEP and Chair of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
  Jochen Ahlswede, Physicist and Political Scientist, Head of the Research and Long-term Documentation Division at BASE – Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management
• Frank Uekötter, Historian of Technology and the Environment, Professor at Ruhr University Bochum
• Carla Reemtsma, Climate Activist, Spokesperson for Fridays for Future Germany

Moderation: Karena Kalmbach, Historian of Technology and the Environment

20:20 “Tchornobyl Is Everywhere”: Exhibition Opening, Short Presentation of Selected Exhibits at the Schäfchentreppe

• Clara Frysztacka, Historian, Advisor for Contemporary History at the Heinrich Böll Foundation
• Robert Sperfeld, Advisor, Eastern and Southeastern Europe Unit of the Heinrich Böll Foundation

20:40 Close of the evening with drinks and refreshments

» Participation on site
at the the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Conference Center, Schumannstr. 8, 10117 Berlin

Please register in advance. Unfortunately, the number of seats for this event are limited. If we are at capacity, the conversation will be transmitted via video to other rooms.
 

» Livestream
Alternatively, you can follow the event via livestream without registering.

» Towards Greater Accessibility
At the Heinrich Böll Foundation, we are constantly striving to remove barriers. Whether in our building, in the release of publications or at online events. All information on this can be found under the following link: https://www.boell.de/de/auf-dem-weg-zur-barrierefreiheit