As a result of the nuclear emission, 53 454 km² of Ukrainian territory, 2 293 settlements with population of 2 326 000 people (including more than 610 000 children) were exposed to radiation. On one third of Ukrainian territory the radiological background considerably exceeded natural background. Territories in 74 regions of 12 counties of Ukraine were contaminated with Ce¹³⁷ more than 37 K-becquerel per m² (1 curie per m²). This makes 7% of Ukrainian territory, 15% of forests, 5% of agricultural land.

Companies, organizations and people of the former Soviet Union took part in emergency response of the first and second stage. A significant part of scientific, industrial and economic potential of the country was involved in elimination of the consequences of the accident.

During the last 10 years Ukraine is financing the expenditures for elimination of the consequences of the accident itself. This makes 5-7% of the Overall State Budget of Ukraine. Only in the period of 1991-2000 the expenditures for elimination of the consequences of the accident mount up to almost 6 billion US Dollars.

The following problems are the most acute today:

• the future of the “Shelter” object, its maintenance and safety, which lays a heavy burden on the State Budget;

In order to solve problems ensuring the current safety and developing strategy for turning the “Shelter” into a safe system, the Commission of the EU, Ukraine, the USA and groups of international experts have elaborated a “Shelter Implementation Plan”(SIP), and a Chornobyl “Shelter” Fund has been established. According to SIP, the total cost of assessment of “Shelter” status and its stabilization, turning it into environmentally safe system, is 768 million US Dollars. Ukrainian contribution is 50 million.

• the existence of the Exclusion and Obligatory Resettlement Zone performing radiological and environmental hazard to the population living in adjacent territories, and to the population of Ukraine as a whole. Here, the major part of radionuclides emitted is concentrated. The most critical is radioactive substance migration into the main hydro-artery of Ukraine, the Dniper river, with waters of the river Prypiat. These radionuclides are a source of additional dose load on the population living on the territory of the Dniper cascade (about 9 million people are exposed to radionuclides as a result of potable water consumption and about 26 million people – as a result of consumption of food products, including fish and the products of irrigated farming). At the same time, the natural landscape of the zone intensified with technogenic or mane-made protection systems (dams, forest fire protection lines, etc) is an efficient barrier for radionuclides migration. On this basis, a functional zoning of this territory has been conducted, defining the priority rehabilitation measures.
• the legacy of more than 800 radwaste disposal places built in the acute phase of the accident without proper design. Thousands of tons of the exploded reactor pieces and radioactive wreckage equipment and contaminated soil are buried in them. To a certain extent, introduction of the radwaste treatment and disposal center “Vector”, which is being constructed in the zone, will solve this problem.

The top priority in terms of recovery activity is remaining to be a person, and all the recovery actions are targeted at the protection of people.

The number of the affected people in Ukraine is 3 331 176 persons. Among them 88 931 have been ascribed to category 1, 304 699 – to category 2, 550 836 – to category 3, 1 140 813 – to category 4, 2 946 – to category G – 2 946, and children – 1 242 951 persons.

Protection of the population from the consequences of Chornobyl catastrophe has three mainstreams: anti-radiological, social and medical.

Anti-radiological protection is based on measuring the levels of radioactive contamination and defining dose limits, implementation of various counter measures oriented at irradiation mitigation. Medical protection is based on annual physical examinations, treatment, rehabilitation, analysis and evaluation of health of the affected population. Social protection – on establishing and accordance of social benefits and compensations.

Today, the population living on the contaminated territories receives the main dose load (from 70 to 95% of the absorbed dose) as a result of inner irradiation – local food products consumption, especially private sector dairy and meat products.

Social protection of the affected population is a key direction and a field of state consideration in the whole complex of issues related to elimination of the consequences of Chornobyl accident. Evacuation and re-settlement of people from contaminated areas have created a number of problems related to the adaptation difficulties of the resettled population.

In the previous years, almost 163 000 people have been resettled from about 120 settlements: 200 settlements for “compact living” of the evacuated and resettled population have been constructed. In the time length of 1986-2000, 28 692 country houses and apartments of more than 2 million m² of total area have been built. Including 17 737houses and apartments of more than 1 400 000 m² of total area built in the period from 1991 to 2000. Dwelling has been provided or improved for 5 842 families of Chornobyl invalids.

A special attention is paid to medical and sanitary treatment and rehabilitation of the affected population.

In 2000, 367 664 people, including 345 361 children received medical treatment. In 2001, it is planned to create a database on all the categories of the population affected as a consequence of Chornobyl catastrophe.

Due to the decommissioning of Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) there occurred certain problems with social protection of the affected population.

The overall number of ChNPP employees that will be leaving the service during 2001-2008 is 5 093 people. The peak of employment discharging is in 2001 and makes 2 914 people.

According to the estimation of the Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine, the total expenditures on welfare for former ChNPP employees and Slavutich population will make 3.4 billion HRN, including 50.32 million HRN for the year of 2001.

The example of western assistance in settling the problems of social protection of the population of the city of Slavutich is the establishment of EBRD branch in the city, with the aim of providing loans to local companies. It is worth hoping that this initiative will develop in the future.

According to the draft of the “National Program of Mitigation of the Consequences of Chornobyl Catastrophe for 2001-2005 and up to 2010, the priority fields in this regard are:

• protection of health of those affected by the Chornobyl catastrophe;
• enforcement and maintenance of radiological safety barriers, radiological protection of the population on the contaminated territories, confinement of radionuclide migration from the Exclusion Zone;
• social protection of the population and economic rehabilitation of the contaminated territories, turning them into the category of “clean” territories.

Chornobyl Catastrophe, for the first time in the history of humankind, has shown in contrast the illusiveness of borders and political systems in regard to people`s protection, as well as vulnerability and exposure of their lives. Modern understanding of the role of man-made accidents for the mankind and every person is a crucial, and maybe the most important lesson of Chornobyl.