The Chernobyl disaster ( Ukrainian : Чорнобильська катастрофа , Chornobylska Katastrofa - Chornobyl Catastrophe ; also referred as Chernobyl or the Chornobyl accident ) was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine ( then officially the Ukrainian SSR ) , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities of the Soviet Union .
The Chernobyl disaster ( Ukrainian : Чорнобильська катастрофа ) was a nuclear disaster which occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Pripyat , Ukraine .