May 09, 2024

How War Has Affected Chernobyl Zone


How War Has Affected Chernobyl Zone
The entrance to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.  Clay Gilliland, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The delicate ecosystem of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has been been drastically harmed by Russian occupation. 

Much damage was done to the region in the first months of Russia's invasion, from February 24 to April 2, 2022, during Russia's offensive on Kyiv. Russian troops not only looted and destroyed parts of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant itself; their convoys likely tracked an unknown amount of radiation from the soil of the Exclusion Zone outside of the protected area. 

The occupation has had consequences for all aspects of life and work that were taking place within the Exclusion Zone: scientists can no longer safely access many areas of the Zone to collect data, and environmentalists, who have been working for decades to restore the nature of the area, report a substantial increase in pollution and deforestation where the Russian convoys were located. The Zone also used to host a bustling tourism industry, with 250,000 visitors in the five years before the war. Now much of the infrastructure for tourist centers has been destroyed. 

“The Russians plundered all the checkpoints, as well as the monitoring centers of the Exclusion Zone, laboratories, and everywhere else where there was some kind of equipment,” said Vladimir Verbitsky, a Zone engineer, in an interview with BBC Ukraine. Witnesses reported seeing Russian military personnel looting even in the most radioactive parts of the Zone. 

While this damage has set back the process of restoring the Zone to its state before the nuclear disaster in 1985, the population of the area remains dedicated to the idea of turning the Exclusion Zone into a "Renaissance Zone."

 

You Might Also Like

Chernobyl and the Soviet Legacy
  • June 30, 2019

Chernobyl and the Soviet Legacy

Chernobyl, the HBO miniseries, is many things: a disaster movie, a meditation on power, a warning against secrecy, a thriller – a race against time.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955