I always knew that there would be a full-scale war – how the liquidator of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant stood up for Ukraine

The liquidator of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant/Photo by Alina Turishin, Channel 24

Viktor Lomonos, the liquidator of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, joined the ranks of the territorial defense of Kyiv. The man said that half of his family is under occupation in the Sumy region.

On the morning of February 24 and the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the entry into the territorial defense and blackmail by the Kremlin of Ukraine – Viktor Lomonos exclusively spoke to journalists of the 24 channel website.

The path from the Chernobyl disaster to the war with Russia

< p>The struggle for Ukrainian independence by Viktor Lomonosbegan back in the 2000s with the protests “Ukraine without Kuchma”. During the Orange Revolution, he acted as commander of the stage guard.

After 2003, Viktor Lomonos and his brethren took part in many other events for Ukrainian formation, in particular, in more than 500 strikes throughout Ukraine. In 2011, Afghans, Chernobyl victims and other veterans stormed the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Then they came out to protest under parliament against the abolition of benefits. Lomonos said that he was directly involved there.

Then there were hunger strikes in Donetsk and Sumy. And in 2013, I came to Kyiv for another anniversary of the Holodomor. On November 21, I approached the student fraternity on the Maidan. I offered my help because I had some experience in the organization. He was one of the leaders of the guard at the Independence Monument. I can talk endlessly about all the events of beating children,” he noted.

Chernobyl liquidator Viktor Lomonos and commander of a separate unit “PATRIOT 129” in Kyiv Yaroslav Troyan/Photo by Alina Turishin, channel 24

“Everyone knew perfectly well that it was a matter of time”

According to Viktor Lomonos, there were no options but to defend the Motherland now, because the country is in danger. The path to the territorial defense began on February 24 at 6:00 am when the siren sounded. The brothers called the man and said: “Urgently take your family out, because you are on the hit list.”

I always knew that there would be a full-scale war. My late father was a nationalist and was personally acquainted with Vyacheslav Chernovol. He said that sooner or later we would be at war with Russia. Everyone knew perfectly well that it was a matter of time. If in 2003 the West supported Ukraine more and Putin then did not dare to aggression and occupation, then after 2013, when the events in Crimea took place, it became clear that there would certainly be a war,” he stressed.

Since 1993, the man has a second disability group, which is associated with Chernobyl. Therefore, he did not take part in the ATO in 2014. During the events on the Maidan in February, he also received moderate injuries and had a serious concussion.

Viktor Lomonos/Photo by Alina Turishin, Channel 24

Doctors miraculously pulled me out. But now I am doing everything to benefit the country,” he said.

Viktor Lomonos has 62 exits to the exclusion zone, in particular, to the third and fourth power units. His work was related to the disinfection and decontamination of these premises.

In his opinion, the Soviet Union collapsed precisely because of the Chernobyl disaster. The man remembered how they drove the children to the parade on May 1 and how they hid the information. All this played its role, he added, and the trust in the government, which was then, was completely destroyed among the people.

If you remember that period, it was a terrible phenomenon. I'm afraid there won't be a repeat. If something like this happens, then the world simply will not exist. We were then afraid that there would be a second heat stroke. If it had taken place then, there would have been neither Europe, nor Ukraine, nor even half of Russia,” Viktor Lomonos said.

According to the man, now the Russian leadership is blackmailing Ukraine in this way. However, no one can say whether the Russians will be ordered to fire a tank there, or launch some kind of rocket. And it will be a disaster.