Oleksander Ryabeka
Chairman of board
The chairman of the Association board the retired colonel Oleksander Ryabeka was the participant of combat actions and liquidation of consequences of the Chornobyl accident.
The "Chornobyl Afghans" Association was created on December, 28, 1991 in Slavutych, the city of engineering specialists of Chornobyl nuclear power plant. On August 2, 1996 it acquired the status of the All-Ukrainian one and united the veterans of the Afghanistan war, participants of combat actions and other local military conflicts which took part in the liquidation of the Chornobyl accident from 15 regions of Ukraine with the purpose of protection of social rights and securities of its members as well as consolidation of efforts in granting of help to the victims, people with disabilities, families of the deceased.
Since 1994 the Association has been taking care of the families of the lost "afghan" crew of the Mi-8 helicopter, which met with an accident on October 2, 1986 at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
Since 1997 the Association participates in the All-Ukrainian and international festival of Cossack martial arts "Spas" (Zaporizhia).
In December, 1998 the Association started the All-Ukrainian charity action "Ukraine remembers", the purpose of which is honouring of the memory of the lost afghan soldiers and Chornobyl accident liquidators, attraction of attention of government and public to the problems of veterans of war and participants of liquidation of the Chornobyl accident consequences.
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Emergency situation of Ukraine the Association on April, 26 annually conducts evening of memory at the memorial "To those who saved the world" in Chornobyl.