Drivers, electricians, machinists, shift supervisors, cooks, security guards, engineers…. workers of the Exclusion Zone, who continued to perform their duties for 600 hours under the sights of the Russian military. And then - the second shift of volunteers who deliberately went on a rotation to prevent the shutdown of critical infrastructure. All of them supported the vital activity of the objects in the territory of the Chornobyl zone and during the 35 days of occupation, they did not allow a tragedy to happen that would change the life of the whole world forever.

"Today, on behalf of the team of the President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Ukraine, we express our gratitude to our heroes. Ukrainians who actually met face to face with the Russian occupiers on February 24 - nuclear terrorists who came to establish their "Russian peace". Special thanks to the employees of the Chornobyl station, who deliberately went on rotation on March 20. This is not due to the goodwill or desire of the occupiers, but due to the dedicated work of Chornobyl experts, the world has avoided a global nuclear catastrophe for the second time," said Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Strelets.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister Oleksandr Krasnolutsky, State Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Oleksandr Yarema, Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuriy Boyko, and the leadership of the State Agency of Ukraine for Exclusion Zone Management.

Each employee of the Exclusion Zone has their own story, but all have one thing in common - dedication, courage and love for their homeland.

During the occupation, they ensured uninterrupted operation of equipment, carried out its maintenance, eliminated emergencies, established a safe process of radioactive waste management, preserved critical databases, and managed to save some food supplies from looting and food, as well as protection of workers of the exclusion zone.

"On March 31, the media ran headlines that the occupiers had left the Exclusion Zone. We breathed a sigh of relief that day, although we lost a lot during the occupation. However, the main thing is that we have not lost our people. People thanks to whom the attack of Russian barbarians on the Chornobyl nuclear power plant did not turn into a new catastrophe on a global scale. We remember what happened in 1986 and understand what we avoided in 2022. I thank all the employees of the Exclusion Zone for their dedicated work and your humanity," the Minister stressed.