Widow of Chornobyl’s First Victim Killed in Russian Strike on Kyiv

Nataliia Khodemchuk, widow of Valerii Khodemchuk - the first person to die in the 1986 Chornobyl catastrophe - has been confirmed as one of the victims of the large-scale Russian attack on Kyiv during the night of November 14–15. The State Agency for Exclusion Zone Management reported that the 73-year-old suffered critical injuries after a drone slammed into a residential block in the Troieshchyna neighborhood, igniting her apartment and destroying it completely. She was urgently transported to the Burn Center near the Chernihivska metro station, but despite medical efforts, doctors were unable to save her. With her death, the number of confirmed fatalities from the November 14 strike on Ukraine’s capital has risen to seven. At least 36 more people were injured, and damage was recorded across nine districts of Kyiv after a barrage of missiles and drones hit the city. President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the news on November 15, describing Khodemchuk’s death on social media as yet another tragedy inflicted by Russia. He noted that Ukrainians who lived through Chornobyl and contributed to the country’s recovery are now again exposed to danger because of ongoing attacks. Zelensky stressed that Ukraine urgently needs more air defense systems, stronger protective measures, and firm support from international partners. He said these are the only tools that can halt Russian strikes and secure the basic right to safety for Ukrainian families. The Chornobyl accident, which took place on April 26, 1986, when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union, remains the deadliest nuclear disaster in terms of civilian casualties. Valerii Khodemchuk was killed instantly in the explosion at Reactor No. 4. His remains were never recovered, and a memorial to him is incorporated into the sarcophagus that encloses the reactor. For decades, Nataliia Khodemchuk played an active role in preserving her husband’s memory. She frequently visited the Chornobyl plant site, the memorial dedicated to him, and his symbolic grave at Mytyn Cemetery. She and her husband raised two children, and she leaves behind grandchildren who inherited her photographs, personal stories, and recollections related not only to the disaster but also to the anniversary events she helped sustain. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 4,000 people have died as a result of the Chornobyl tragedy from acute radiation exposure, thyroid cancer, or radiation-induced leukemia.