Rassokha

Rassokha is one of the most famous symbols of the Chernobyl disaster and liquidation – is a field with endless rows of vehicles and military equipment. In the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident, many vehicles were used in the Exclusion Zone, including armored military vehicles (engineering clearance vehicles, artillery bulldozers, etc.) and helicopters. They were contaminated with radiation above the levels that are safe for humans. Often the contamination was so intense and persistent that radioactive substances could not be removed at special decontamination stations. In this case, they were sent to temporary storage facilities, so-called “graveyards.” One of the largest in the Exclusion Zone was a plot near the village of Rassokha. According to various estimates, there were more than 1,100 items (military machinery, tractors, fire trucks, trucks, ambulances, buses, tankers, etc.) and Mi-8 and Mi-6 helicopters. These helicopters were extremely contaminated with radionuclides, because they worked directly over the collapsed nuclear reactor; they dropped sand, clay, and lead into its crater.

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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