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| | Shundahai Network |
 | | Speaking at an international conference ahead of the anniversary of the tragedy, Nikolai Ryzhkov, then chairman of the Soviet Union's cabinet of ministers, said: "The Chernobyl disaster was not an accident. |
 | | Ryzhkov singled out three reasons behind the April 26, 1986, catastrophe, which affected 116,000 people and 640 populated areas in Ukraine, then part of the U.S.S.R., and nearby regions: reactor depreciation, a poor emergency protection system, and poorly qualified personnel who routinely violated safety requirements. |
 | | The Chernobyl accident was a major blow to nuclear research in Russia, Ryzhkov said. |
| www.shundahai.org /4-4-06RiaNovosti_Chernobyl_Accident_was_Inevitable_Senator.htm (275 words) |
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