Country Ukraine

1.

Country Ukraine
Region Kiev
District Ivankovsky
a city of regional
significance, almost
completely abandoned
from 04/28/1986

2.

History and Geography
First mention 1193
Timezone UTC + 2: 00 ,
in the summer UTC + 3: 00
Population 690 people ( 2017 )
Density 6 people / km²
Nationalities Ukrainians ,
Belarusians , Russians , Poles ,
Jews (according to censuses
before the accident)

3.

Digital identifiers
Postcode 07270
Car code AI, KI /10
KOATUU 3222010500

4.

Three decades after the nuclear disaster there,
the name Chernobyl still inspires dread.
When an explosion tore through Reactor 4
of the Chernobyl power plant on April 26,
1986, it was the worst nuclear accident
the world had ever seen.
Clouds of highly radioactive particles were
released into the air during an attempted
routine shutdown of the power plant north of
Kiev in the former Soviet Union (now Ukraine).
1986 nuclear disaster in chernobyl
1986 nuclear disaster in chernobyl
1986 nuclear disaster in chernobyl

5.

Today, the number of tourists seeking to head
deep into Chernobyl’s Exclusion Zone, a 30kilometer radius of contaminated land around
the power plant, supports several tour firms.
Even though recent instability in eastern Ukraine has
pushed the country off most travelers’ radars, Chernobyl
still looms large in the global consciousness.
1986 nuclear disaster in chernobyl
1986 nuclear disaster in chernobyl
1986 nuclear disaster in chernobyl

6.

Fears regularly circulating about the fallout
zone, last year it was contamination via forest
fires, seem to stoke just as much fascination,
drawing a steady stream of tourists.
There are even hotels inside the Exclusion Zone.
Visits are governed by security checks and by strictly
guided tours. Visitors travel to the site, a two-hour
drive north of Ukrainian capital Kiev, by tour bus.
1986 nuclear disaster in chernobyl
1986 nuclear disaster in chernobyl
1986 nuclear disaster in chernobyl

7.

Once there, they sign a disclaimer
warning against touching any objects or
vegetation, or even sitting on the ground.
Leaving the site is also highly regulated. Body
scanners test for high levels of radiation. If the
scanner alarm sounds, guards sweep the individual
for radioactive dust before they’re allowed to leave.
1986 nuclear disaster in chernobyl
1986 nuclear disaster in chernobyl
1986 nuclear disaster in chernobyl

8.

RADIOACTIVE CRANE
CLAW IN CHERNOBYL
One of the most contaminated
objects in the Chernobyl Zone is
the famous Claw. It was used to
clear the debris around the ruined
Reactor no. 4 in 1986 and later
moved to the outskirts of Pripyat
where it stands to this day.
Gamma + beta readings inside
of it reach over 1.5mSv/h.

9.

Some elderly people from the
area have moved back home.
At least 100 people are estimated to
be in Ukraine's Chernobyl exclusion
zone today. In neighboring Belarus,
the number may be higher.
"Belarus has this strange relationship
with Chernobyl and the Exclusion Zone
because of the dictatorship, because
it's a propaganda dictatorship,"
Photo: School in Pripyat, © Jennifer Boyer

10.

Hummels added, describing the Belarusian
government of Alexander Lukashenko, who
is often described as Europe's last dictator.
"So if the government says it's safe,
your life is easier if you just go along
with it. So people just choose to
believe the government that it's safe."
Photo: River port

11.

Meanwhile, people living in the Exclusion
Zone in Belarus get access to free health care
and electricity, among other perks,
a fact that has encouraged lowincome people and other vulnerable
communities to move there.
Russian tourists take advantage of the empty
space and pristine nature to camp and fish,
and sometimes they temporarily occupy an
abandoned house as a summer residence.
Photo: Ferris wheel