Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday marked the 37th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear disaster by laying flowers at a memorial for victims in Kyiv.
In a Telegram post, Zelenskyy also warned about the risks of Russia's "nuclear blackmail" amid its war in Ukraine.
In the post, Zelenskyy linked the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on 25 April 1986 to Moscow's brief seizure last winter of the radiation-contaminated Chernobyl exclusion zone.
"Last year, the occupier not only seized the nuclear power plant but also endangered the entire world again," Zelenskyy said.
Russian forces were stationed at the Chernobyl site between February and March last year before it was recaptured by Ukrainian troops.
Zelenskyy said that Kyiv has since re-established pre-war security measures and scientific activities within the zone, but cautioned against future moves from Moscow that could endanger global nuclear safety.
