Many recently declassified documents on this disaster illuminate the real scale of the event, the process of its liquidation, and its consequences. The Chernobyl disaster of Apwas a low point of Ukrainian nuclear history during the Soviet period. Understanding modern political opinions in Ukraine towards nuclear weapons, and their relation to contemporary calls for rearmament, requires recognition of the legacy of antinuclear propaganda from the Soviet era, as well as the legacy of Chernobyl. This propaganda undoubtedly contributed to the skeptical attitude of the Ukrainian people towards nuclear weapons, which was demonstrated during the post-1991 independence of Ukraine. Archival documents included in this article demonstrate that there were many seminars and meetings which were organized with thousands of Ukrainians in order to persuade them of the necessity of prohibiting nuclear tests, and even nuclear weapons. This propaganda emphasized the necessity of prohibiting nuclear weapons. Despite active participation in the nuclear arms race, Soviet government agencies organized anti-nuclear propaganda campaigns amongst the populace (including those who lived in Ukraine). The Ukrainian people’s attitudes towards nuclear weapons were strongly influenced by official Soviet propaganda. The history of Ukraine’s public relationship with nuclear weapons provides an interesting case study on the influence of a country’s population on state nuclear policy. Recently declassified documents demonstrate that Ukrainian nuclear scientists were among the first in the USSR to propose the correct fundamental design for the atomic bomb. Nuclear physicists from the Ukrainian Institute for Physics and Technology (UIPhT) participated in the creation of Soviet nuclear weapons. Ukraine’s scientists and nuclear infrastructure played a significant role in the development of the Soviet nuclear program, especially in its first stages. Careers, Fellowships, and Internships Open/Close.Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition.Science and Technology Innovation Program.

Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative.

The Middle East and North Africa Workforce Development Initiative.

Kissinger Institute on China and the United States.

Nuclear Proliferation International History Project.

North Korea International Documentation Project.

Environmental Change and Security Program.

Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy.

Soviet vs us nuclear stockpile