A Belarusian woman who spent her early childhood in an institution for abandoned children has said the compassion of Irish people “saved my life”, as she addressed an event in Cork marking the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.
Krystina Nikityonik, who turned 26 last week, travelled from Belarus to speak at the unveiling of a new sculpture honouring the victims and survivors of the 1986 catastrophe. The event also reflected the recent UN decision to adopt the Ukrainian spelling “Chornobyl” in place of the Soviet‑era “Chernobyl”.
Krystina, now a social media content creator, delivered a deeply personal account of what it meant to be born with severe disabilities in the aftermath of the disaster, and to grow up in what she describes as an asylum where children like her were hidden from society.
A sculpture has been unveiled in Cork city to mark the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster - Watch more here
“I was born into suffering caused by Chornobyl – not only the radiation, but the poverty and the silence that followed,” she said. “Because of the damage left behind, I was born with disabilities. And because of those disabilities, I was abandoned – hidden away as if my life had no value.”
She described an early childhood marked by neglect, fear and isolation. “I grew up in an institution near Chornobyl where love did not exist. I was neglected. I was punished. I was left alone in darkness for hours at a time. I learned very early that crying did not bring comfort… it brought consequences.”
Her memories of those years remain stark. “I don’t remember toys, warmth or comfort. I remember hunger. I remember fear. I remember loneliness. I remember the terrible smells. I remember being terrified of wetting myself and being punished for it. I remember being forced to sit on the floor, eating food off cold concrete like an animal.”
Everything changed, she said, when Adi Roche and volunteers from Chernobyl Children International (CCI) arrived at the institution. “For the first time, someone truly saw me. Not as a burden. Not as a disability. But as a child.”
CCI brought her to Ireland for life‑saving medical treatment, including a leg amputation that ended years of pain. She spent summers and Christmases with Irish host families who, she said, gave her the first experience of being loved.
“Chernobyl Children International rescued me – not just from a building, but from a future that held only suffering,” she said. “They treated me as a human being. They gave me love, dignity, a voice.”
The charity later helped her move into a foster family and eventually reunite with her biological relatives. “The dream I had carried in my heart for so many years had finally come true,” she said.
Today, Krystina lives independently and runs her own business. But she warned that the legacy of Chornobyl continues. “Children are still being born and abandoned in the affected regions today. I fear for them, because I know exactly what that darkness feels like.”
“From the deepest place in my heart, thank you for believing that children like me are worth saving,” she told the audience. “Your kindness did not just change my life. It saved it.”
