Around the Zone

Around the Zone of Chernobyl.

There are many villages along the almost 100-km (62-mi) perimeter of the Exclusion Zone. Most of them were under threat of evacuation, and some were cleared out but then residents were brought back. Soon after the disaster, the authorities finally brought gas lines here and improved the roads to reduce the exodus of the population. The radiological background does not exceed permissible levels in most settlements, but it is much higher in some places. In the summer of 1986, liquidators were quartered around the edges of the Zone. Now, nothing is left of these camps, but the earth remembers everything, setting off the alarming chatter of a dosimeter.

The field camp Zelenyi Mis, specially built for the operational personnel of the Chernobyl NPP, was also dismantled. The liquidators’ quarters interlace with pastures and arable fields. To the west of Zelenyi Mys is a large village with the telltale name Strakholissya (Scary Forest). It is located in the picturesque land between the Dnipro and Teteriv rivers. The price of land here is high. Almost the entire riverside area is built up with luxurious mansions. It was once possible to buy entire villages for almost nothing, and a few residents will do any work for a small amount of money.

This article was published in the book Interesting Chernobyl.
You could download this book in PDF file for free here.

© Sky Horse Publishing House (Kyiv) / Nahs Haus, 2019
Copying and publication of this article is possible only with the written permission of the publishing house.
Official website of the Awesome Heritage series: awesomeheritage.com

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