Ukrainians mark the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion — the worst nuclear disaster in civilian history.

People gathered and a bell was rung in the town square of Slavutych, a city built in 1986 to house those displaced by the disaster, 120 kilometres north of Kyiv.

Participants dressed in white hazmat suits and placed candles and flowers in front of a memorial to victims of the disaster.

Slavutych native and blogger Olga Shevchenko attended the ceremony with friends, and says the current war should not diminish the significance of the day. "So we live in a state of war, and that is no reason to forget about the disaster."