Explanation: After the Chornobyl Disaster in the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic, wherein a nuclear plant was pushed far beyond its limits and had a highly radioactive meltdown that was detectable all across Europe, the central party apparatus of the Soviet Union actually attempted to downplay the severity of the incident, even allowing a May Day celebration in Kyiv to go forward as planned despite Kyiv’s proximity to (and location downstream from) Chornobyl. EVERYTHING IS OKAY, NO ONE NEEDS TO PANIC!

They had initially not announced the disaster at all, and it took Sweden asking the Soviets why the fuck there was a sudden radiation spike to get the Soviet Union to admit there was a little oopsie-daisy to begin with.

The cleanup would take literal years, with many areas near Chornobyl still radioactive to this day, and required Kyiv’s source of drinking water to be changed in order to prevent mass radiation sickness in the population.

But don’t worry! Please! Just let the Party handle it! Which they totally are!