Monument to the fellow countryman-fireman V.Ignatenko

The bronze gaze of Vasily Ignatenko's bust is directed into the distance. From the height of the three-tiered granite pedestal, he seems to be looking through time. The sculptor captured in metal the courageous determination of the liquidator, the pain of loss, and the light of fulfilled duty. This monument is one of the significant landmarks of Bragin, attracting tourists and researchers of the Chernobyl disaster.

The Chernobyl Tragedy and Its Consequences

The accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on April 26, 1986, became one of the most large-scale technological disasters in human history. It drastically changed the lives of thousands of people in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Bragin District was among the most affected: over 60,000 hectares of land became contaminated, 29,000 residents were relocated, 47 villages were abandoned, and 8 villages were completely buried.

Today, these territories are part of the Polesie Radiation and Ecological Reserve, and Bragin District itself has become a place of remembrance, where tourists come to see the consequences of the disaster and honor the memory of its liquidators.

Vasily Ignatenko’s Heroic Deed

Among the first to arrive at the fire at Reactor 4 of Chernobyl NPP was Bragin native Vasily Ignatenko. He was a professional firefighter, an excellent athlete, and a recognized leader. That fateful night, he fought the fire on the roof, carried his comrades out of the flames, and, despite receiving lethal doses of radiation, continued his struggle to the end.

Severe burns and radiation exposure led him to a Moscow clinic, where the best doctors fought for his life. However, on May 13, 1986, Vasily passed away. His heroic act remained in history, and his memory was immortalized in monuments in Bragin, Kyiv, and Moscow.

Creating a Monument to the Hero

The construction of a monument to Vasily Ignatenko in Bragin began in the early 1990s as a Komsomol initiative. Sculptor Vyacheslav Dolgov from Gomel first created a gypsum model, but due to a lack of funds, the project was halted. Thanks to public donations, the bust was eventually cast in bronze. In 1993, on the eve of the anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, the monument was installed in Bragin's central square.