A woman who survived the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and lost her husband in the event has tragically passed away in a brutal missile attack on an apartment building in Russia. Natalia Khodemchuk, 62, who was the widow of one of the first victims of the Chernobyl explosion in 1986, succumbed to severe burns covering 45% of her body sustained during the recent assault ordered by Vladimir Putin.
Her husband, Valery Khodemchuk, a Soviet engineer, was among those who perished in the Chernobyl incident at the age of 35, with his remains never recovered. Natalia, who survived the nuclear catastrophe, met her untimely death almost four decades later due to the Russian attack.
In a related event, the residence of Chernobyl engineer Oleksiy Ananenko, 66, was also hit in the Russian strike in Kyiv. Ananenko, known for his heroic actions in averting further nuclear disaster in 1986 by entering radioactive waters, was part of a team of courageous individuals who volunteered for the risky mission to prevent a catastrophic event.
Ananenko and his wife Valentyna, 55, faced terror during the recent attack, having returned to Kyiv after fleeing earlier to escape the ongoing conflict. The apartment block targeted in the assault was housing survivors of the Chernobyl disaster, adding to the tragic irony of the situation.
The recent Russian strikes in Kyiv resulted in the death of Natalia Khodemchuk, making her the seventh casualty, with 35 others sustaining injuries in one of the most intense attacks in the region. The pensioner suffered severe burns and heart complications from the attack, leading to her demise.
The Chernobyl disaster occurred on April 26, 1986, destroying Reactor Number 4 at the Ukrainian nuclear plant, then under Soviet rule. The subsequent events posed a significant threat, with fears of a steam explosion that could render parts of Europe uninhabitable for millennia.
Ananenko’s courageous actions in draining water from the coolant system during the Chernobyl crisis were pivotal in preventing further devastation. Despite facing health challenges in recent years, Ananenko remains modest about his heroic deeds, emphasizing that he was merely fulfilling his responsibilities during the critical situation.
In a testament to his resilience, Ananenko survived a severe accident in 2018, spending over a month in a coma and undergoing extensive rehabilitation to regain his mobility.
