Nuclear Power: The Evolution of Attitudes 1986 - 2026
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A Lecture featuring Olha Bozhan, Rebecca Harms, Anna Veronika Wendl, and Jakub Wiech
Moderation: Natalia Latecka, Patryk Szostak
Date: Tuesday, June 16th, 2026
Location: Pariser Platz 4A, 10117, Berlin
Time: 18:30
Please register under the following link: https://forms.gle/4ZSoVYp2icFEKQbr9
A presentation by Olha Bazhan, co-editor of this publication, will be followed by a commentary from Anna Veronika Wendland, a historian of science and technology and a specialist in Ukrainian Studies. Together, they will provide the starting point for a discussion on how the Chornobyl disaster shaped environmental policy in Germany, Poland, and Ukraine. We will also explore how attitudes toward nuclear energy have evolved over the past four decades, including in the context of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The presentation will be held in Ukrainian, with simultaneous interpretation into English. The commentary and discussion will be conducted in English.
Dear All,
April 26 marked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. Forty years ago, Reactor No. 4 exploded in the middle of the night. Few events of the late twentieth century have been as rich in historical significance and contemporary relevance. That is why we decided to dedicate a special English-language edition of our "Festung Archiv Ukraine" series to the Chernobyl disaster, featuring an international panel of experts. Since the disaster took place on Ukrainian territory, her archives preserve a wealth of documents that help us better understand its causes, consequences, and legacy.
Chernobyl evokes the culmination of Soviet technological and political decay behind the façade of a scientific superpower: a chain of lies typical for authoritarian regimes, bureaucratic dysfunction, cover-ups, and a lack of accountability. Yet it is also a story of extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice, from firefighters and liquidators to ordinary citizens confronted with an invisible threat. The disaster's long-term consequences were vast. It accelerated glasnost, contributed to the erosion of trust in the Soviet system, and became a turning point in debates about nuclear energy, environmental risks, and technological progress.
Chernobyl is a case in point of how memory shapes the present. One may even argue that, to some extent, contemporary energy policy is shaped not only by technological and economic considerations, but also by competing interpretations of the Chernobyl disaster and its legacy. Chernobyl also became an important part of Ukrainian collective memory and highlighted the human cost of Soviet rule. Revisiting the disaster today is also part of a broader effort to deconstruct Russian-centric interpretations of Soviet history and to better understand the experiences of Ukraine under Soviet rule.
The disaster has also regained contemporary relevance in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine. The Russian occupation of the Chernobyl exclusion zone in 2022 brought the site back into global headlines. Addditionally, on May 24 this year, Russia severely damaged the National Chornobyl Museum in central Kyiv during a massive attack that killed two people, injured dozens more, and damaged numerous museums and culturally significant buildings across the city.
The discussion will begin with archival materials from the Central State Archive of Public Associations and Ukrainian Studies in Kyiv — a collection of several thousand documents on the Chernobyl disaster that remained classified throughout the Soviet period and were only declassified after Ukraine regained independence.
About the Speakers:
Olha Bazhan is a Ukrainian archivist, Director of the Central State Archive of Public Associations and
Ukrainian Studies, Honored Worker of Culture of Ukraine. She graduated from the History
Department of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (1989). She cooperates with public organizations
on incorporating their documentary heritage into the National Archival Fund. Moreover, she works
on transferring Ukrainian studies documents to Ukraine. She was involved in the process of inclusion
of documents related to the Chernobyl accident and the “Babyn Yar” heritage in the International
Register of the UNESCO “Memory of the World” program.
Rebecca Harms is an Alternate Board Member of ACER (EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy
Regulators), member of the advisory board of the Center for Liberal Modernity and Co-Chair of the
European center for Press and Media Freedom, responsible for the project „Voices of Ukraine”. In
1976 she co-founded the Citizens Initiative against Nuclear Waste Reprocessing and Disposal in
Gorleben. 1994 – 2004 she was a member of Parliament of Lower Saxony and 2004 - 2019
member of the European Parliament (German Green Party). 2004 - 2019 she was also a member of
the Delegation of the European Parliament and Verkhovna Rada and the Association Committee.
Member of Euronest Parliamentary Assembly
Co-Chair of Euronest 2016- 2019.
PD Dr. Anna Veronika Wendland is a historian of science and technology & a specialist in Ukrainian
Studies. She studied in Cologne and Kyiv and received her PhD in Cologne. After working at Munich University and at the GWZO in Leipzig, she accepted a tenure as research associate at the Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe in Marburg, Germany (HI), and as lecturer at Marburg University. Presently, she is one of the speakers of a large collaborative research project on transnational anti-feminism. For her habilitation thesis on "Nuclear Modernity. Atomic Cities,
Nuclear Work, and Nuclear Safety in Eastern and Western Europe 1966-2021 (Marburg U, 2021), she
worked as an industrial anthropologist at several NPP in Germany and Eastern Europe, including
Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she has been a frequent contact for the
media and politicians on nuclear safety issues in Ukraine. Her recent publications include reports on
Zaporizhzhia NPP under Russian occupation, a book on nuclear energy as part of an ecomodernist
agenda (2022) and a monograph on the history of Ukraine (2023).
Jakub Wiech is an analyst, journalist, and commentator. Longtime editor-in-chief of the Energetyka24 website, host of the “Elektryfikacja” podcast, and lecturer at the University of Warsaw. Recipient of the Platinum Megawatts, Good Journalist, Podcast of the Year, and Mariusz Walter Awards; nominated for the Woyciechowski, Grand Press, and MediaTory Awards. Recipient of the James S. Denton Transatlantic Fellowship. Author of the book “Energetyka po prostu” (Energy Made Simple).
The Event is moderated by Natalia Latecka and Patryk Szostak from the Pilecki-Institute in Berlin. The presentation will be in Ukrainian, with simultaneous interpretation into English. The discussion will be held in English.
Moderation: Natalia Latecka, Patryk Szostak
Date: Tuesday, June 16th, 2026
Location: Pariser Platz 4A, 10117, Berlin
Time: 18:30
Please register under the following link: https://forms.gle/4ZSoVYp2icFEKQbr9
A presentation by Olha Bazhan, co-editor of this publication, will be followed by a commentary from Anna Veronika Wendland, a historian of science and technology and a specialist in Ukrainian Studies. Together, they will provide the starting point for a discussion on how the Chornobyl disaster shaped environmental policy in Germany, Poland, and Ukraine. We will also explore how attitudes toward nuclear energy have evolved over the past four decades, including in the context of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The presentation will be held in Ukrainian, with simultaneous interpretation into English. The commentary and discussion will be conducted in English.
Dear All,
April 26 marked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. Forty years ago, Reactor No. 4 exploded in the middle of the night. Few events of the late twentieth century have been as rich in historical significance and contemporary relevance. That is why we decided to dedicate a special English-language edition of our "Festung Archiv Ukraine" series to the Chernobyl disaster, featuring an international panel of experts. Since the disaster took place on Ukrainian territory, her archives preserve a wealth of documents that help us better understand its causes, consequences, and legacy.
Chernobyl evokes the culmination of Soviet technological and political decay behind the façade of a scientific superpower: a chain of lies typical for authoritarian regimes, bureaucratic dysfunction, cover-ups, and a lack of accountability. Yet it is also a story of extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice, from firefighters and liquidators to ordinary citizens confronted with an invisible threat. The disaster's long-term consequences were vast. It accelerated glasnost, contributed to the erosion of trust in the Soviet system, and became a turning point in debates about nuclear energy, environmental risks, and technological progress.
Chernobyl is a case in point of how memory shapes the present. One may even argue that, to some extent, contemporary energy policy is shaped not only by technological and economic considerations, but also by competing interpretations of the Chernobyl disaster and its legacy. Chernobyl also became an important part of Ukrainian collective memory and highlighted the human cost of Soviet rule. Revisiting the disaster today is also part of a broader effort to deconstruct Russian-centric interpretations of Soviet history and to better understand the experiences of Ukraine under Soviet rule.
The disaster has also regained contemporary relevance in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine. The Russian occupation of the Chernobyl exclusion zone in 2022 brought the site back into global headlines. Addditionally, on May 24 this year, Russia severely damaged the National Chornobyl Museum in central Kyiv during a massive attack that killed two people, injured dozens more, and damaged numerous museums and culturally significant buildings across the city.
The discussion will begin with archival materials from the Central State Archive of Public Associations and Ukrainian Studies in Kyiv — a collection of several thousand documents on the Chernobyl disaster that remained classified throughout the Soviet period and were only declassified after Ukraine regained independence.
About the Speakers:
Olha Bazhan is a Ukrainian archivist, Director of the Central State Archive of Public Associations and
Ukrainian Studies, Honored Worker of Culture of Ukraine. She graduated from the History
Department of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (1989). She cooperates with public organizations
on incorporating their documentary heritage into the National Archival Fund. Moreover, she works
on transferring Ukrainian studies documents to Ukraine. She was involved in the process of inclusion
of documents related to the Chernobyl accident and the “Babyn Yar” heritage in the International
Register of the UNESCO “Memory of the World” program.
Rebecca Harms is an Alternate Board Member of ACER (EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy
Regulators), member of the advisory board of the Center for Liberal Modernity and Co-Chair of the
European center for Press and Media Freedom, responsible for the project „Voices of Ukraine”. In
1976 she co-founded the Citizens Initiative against Nuclear Waste Reprocessing and Disposal in
Gorleben. 1994 – 2004 she was a member of Parliament of Lower Saxony and 2004 - 2019
member of the European Parliament (German Green Party). 2004 - 2019 she was also a member of
the Delegation of the European Parliament and Verkhovna Rada and the Association Committee.
Member of Euronest Parliamentary Assembly
Co-Chair of Euronest 2016- 2019.
PD Dr. Anna Veronika Wendland is a historian of science and technology & a specialist in Ukrainian
Studies. She studied in Cologne and Kyiv and received her PhD in Cologne. After working at Munich University and at the GWZO in Leipzig, she accepted a tenure as research associate at the Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe in Marburg, Germany (HI), and as lecturer at Marburg University. Presently, she is one of the speakers of a large collaborative research project on transnational anti-feminism. For her habilitation thesis on "Nuclear Modernity. Atomic Cities,
Nuclear Work, and Nuclear Safety in Eastern and Western Europe 1966-2021 (Marburg U, 2021), she
worked as an industrial anthropologist at several NPP in Germany and Eastern Europe, including
Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she has been a frequent contact for the
media and politicians on nuclear safety issues in Ukraine. Her recent publications include reports on
Zaporizhzhia NPP under Russian occupation, a book on nuclear energy as part of an ecomodernist
agenda (2022) and a monograph on the history of Ukraine (2023).
Jakub Wiech is an analyst, journalist, and commentator. Longtime editor-in-chief of the Energetyka24 website, host of the “Elektryfikacja” podcast, and lecturer at the University of Warsaw. Recipient of the Platinum Megawatts, Good Journalist, Podcast of the Year, and Mariusz Walter Awards; nominated for the Woyciechowski, Grand Press, and MediaTory Awards. Recipient of the James S. Denton Transatlantic Fellowship. Author of the book “Energetyka po prostu” (Energy Made Simple).
The Event is moderated by Natalia Latecka and Patryk Szostak from the Pilecki-Institute in Berlin. The presentation will be in Ukrainian, with simultaneous interpretation into English. The discussion will be held in English.
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Where is it happening?
Pariser Platz 4a, 10117 Berlin, Germany, Pariser Platz 4A, 10117 Berlin, Deutschland, Berlin, Germany
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherPilecki-Institut
