MHM Forum

Polish people knew relatively many things about the incident in Czernobyl. Our operation of defense was rather very quick and accurate. We also evidenced that we could operate effectively in the region. We knew about the big costs for Ukraine and the horrible situation of the Ukrainian people living close to the place of catastrophe. We knew that the time of their evacuation was much too late. it was a signal for us how the Soviet man was really treated and this motif appeared in the Polish discussions between people. We knew that there were special brigades who worked in very critical unsafe conditions (e.g. miners from Donieck) whose task was to cover the critical place with sand and not to let for the final collapse of the whole construction which would mean a real tragedy. The symptomateous thing was the regular celebrated the communistic Day of the Labour which meant that the critical question of evacuation was not so important and it was delayed in time. The event set off also the discussion in Poland about atomic energy and appearing various ecological circles which represented also some political, anti- communis overtones.