Baltic States – CIS, Energy, Latvia

Valdis Zatlers.

The president recalled having been stationed there.

"Our camp was located in an open field, we were living in tents," the president described the first day he arrived with other Latvians to help liquidate the fallout from the disaster in May of 1986. At the time, the site used to be "a real Ukrainian village," which, according to the president, does not resemble today's reality at all, informs LETA.

He recalled that first arriving in the village it was not completely clear what would have to be done. There were even illusions that it would be possible to undo the consequences of the disaster completely, so that people could return to live there.

"There was excavation and mop-up operations [..] to lessen the radiation level," explains the president, who used to be a medical service officer at the time.

"However, our mission there was to eliminate the effects of the catastrophe, not to provide medical support."

Zatlers visited the Vektor Radioactive Waste Storage Complex in Chernobyl today and, together with the First Lady Lilita Zatlere, laid flowers by the monument "For Those, Who Saved the World", in honor of the people who died participating in the operations after the disaster.

On May 10, 1986, Zatlers, as a part of Latvian military medical team, participated in the operations to eliminate the fall out from Chernobyl disaster.

The actual graveness of the catastrophe of April 26, 1986 has not been established up until today. Although a study by World Health Organization reveals that in the long term around 4,000 people will die due the consequences of the disaster, however nuclear engineering experts assert that the number of victims could reach 100,000.

During Zatlers' visit, the radiation level was constantly being measured and after visiting the closed zone, the president and the delegation had to go through radiation level test.

As reported, later today, in conclusion of his visit to Ukraine, Zatlers will visit Pecherska Lavra Monastery in Kiev, in late afternoon the president will arrive in Lviv, where he will have a meeting with the governor of Lviv Region.