A woman who survived the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and lost her husband in the event has tragically passed away in a Russian missile attack on an apartment complex. Natalia Khodemchuk, 62, sustained severe burns covering 45% of her body during the strike and succumbed to her injuries.
Natalia’s late husband, Valery Khodemchuk, an engineer, was one of the casualties of the Chernobyl explosion in 1986. His body was never recovered. Despite surviving the initial disaster, Natalia met her untimely demise in the recent Russian attack.
Another Chernobyl hero, Oleksiy Ananenko, 66, who bravely averted a second catastrophic nuclear disaster in 1986, also suffered damages to his apartment in Kyiv due to the Russian assault. Ananenko, alongside two other courageous individuals, volunteered for a perilous mission to prevent further nuclear devastation.
Ukraine honored Ananenko for his bravery in 2019. He and his wife, Valentyna, had fled Kyiv earlier to escape Russian missile attacks but had returned to their apartment, which was targeted in the recent Russian offensive. The building was known for housing Chernobyl survivors post-explosion.
Natalia Khodemchuk was one of the casualties of the Russian strikes in Kyiv, which resulted in seven fatalities and 35 injuries. Sustaining significant burns and heart complications, she could not survive the brutal attack.
In the lead-up to the Chernobyl disaster, Valery Khodemchuk made a distress call to a colleague moments before the catastrophic event unfolded. The explosion at Unit 4 on April 26, 1986, claimed his life instantly.
Valentyna, Ananenko’s wife, recounted the harrowing experience of evacuating her husband from their smoke-filled apartment during the recent attack. The couple narrowly escaped the destruction caused by the missile strike.
The Chernobyl catastrophe in 1986 caused the destruction of Reactor Number 4 at the Ukrainian nuclear plant, leading to a series of catastrophic events with long-lasting consequences for the region. Ananenko, along with his colleagues, played a critical role in preventing further disaster by draining water from the coolant system.
Despite facing various challenges, including a severe accident in 2018, Ananenko remains modest about his heroic actions at Chernobyl, emphasizing that he was simply fulfilling his duties.