Today it's 35 years since an accident that changed the world.  In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power station, in Ukraine, exploded.
 
At the time, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, made up of Russia and other nearby countries.  The Soviet Union was a communist state, and liked to say that it was more powerful, and had better technology, than other countries.

The explosion threw dangerous radiation into the air, for people who lived around the power plant, their lives changed forever. They had to leave their homes and their city, and never go back. The city still lies empty.

One of those people was Olena, who was 13 at the time of the disaster. This is her story...

To find out more about the Chernobyl disaster click here to read the interactive guide on Newsround's website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/yhc2...

#Newsround #Chernobyl #ukraine #nuclear

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