World News for Students of English

01-05-2026 15:00

Ukraine is remembering a very sad day from 40 years ago: the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant. In 1986, a mistake during a test caused a fire and a big radioactive cloud which spread over many countries.

600,000 people worked to clean up the area, and many of them became sick because of the radiation. Last weekend, people in Ukraine lit candles to honor those workers and the victims of the disaster. Today, President Zelenskyy says there is a new danger because russian drones fly over the old nuclear plant. Last year, a drone even hit the construction which protects the broken reactor. Zelenskyy is worried that another disaster could happen if the fighting doesn’t stop near the site.

Even on this day, the war continues. Russia sent 144 drones to attack Ukraine in one night. The leaders of Ukraine want the world to help protect nuclear sites so that a second Chernobyl never happens again.

Difficult words: radiation (a dangerous energy which makes people sick), honor (to show great respect for someone, often in public), victim (a person who is hurt or killed because of an accident, a crime, or a war).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.