Zone of alienation

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Coordinates: 51.300° N 30.005° E

Entrance to the Zone of Alienation

Abandoned living blocks in the Zone

The Zone of Alienation, which is variously referred to as The Chernobyl Zone, The 30 Kilometre Zone, The Zone of Exclusion, The Forbidden Zone or The Fourth Zone (Ukrainian official designation: Зона відчуження Чорнобильської АЕС, zona vidchuzhennya Chornobyl's'koyi AES, colloquially: Чорнобильська зона, Chornobyl's'ka zona оr Четверта зона, Chetverta zona) is the 30-km exclusion zone around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster. Geographically, it includes northernmost parts of Kyivs'ka oblast' and Zhytomyrs'ka oblast' of Ukraine, and adjoins the country's border with Belarus.

1 Status
2 History
3 Nature and infrastructure
4 The people
5 Cultural precedents
6 External links

[edit] Status

The zone was established soon after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, in order to evacuate the local population and to prevent people from entering the heavily contaminated territory. The area adjoining the site of the disaster was divided into 4 concentric zones, among them the fourth (actually the nearest, within a radius of 30 km) being the most dangerous. Any residential, civil or business activities there are legally prohibited and punishable. The only officially recognized exception is the functioning of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and scientific installations related to the studies of nuclear safety.

The zone is partly excluded from the regular civil rule. It is controlled by the Administration of the Alienation Zone within Ukraine's Ministry of Emergencies and Affairs of Population Protection from Consequences of Chernobyl Catastrophe. The territory of the zone is policed by special units of the MVS and (along the border line) the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

Everyone employed within the zone is allowed there for certain shifts (ranging from several hours to one month). The duration of shifts is strictly counted regarding the person's pension and healthcare issues. The personnel of the above-mentioned nuclear installations constantly reside in Slavutych (a specially-built remote city in Chernihivs'ka oblast'), others in different cities and towns of Ukraine.

Access to the zone for brief visits is, however, readily possible; day-tours are available (to the public) from Kiev, and scientists and contracted workers visit the area and the plant itself as required.

[edit] History

Historically and geographically, the zone is a heartland of the Polesia region—the birthplace of East Slavs. This predominantly rural woodland area was once home to 120,000 people, living in 90 communities (including rapid-developing cities of Chernobyl and Prypyat). It is now mostly uninhabitable. Leaving homes and parting with friends and relatives has been a major life tragedy for all evacuated. TV footages shot during the evacuation preserved the painful scenes of traditional folk houses and churches being crushed by army bulldozers. That is why the 1986 devastation is widely seen as the symbolic tragedy of the Ukrainian nation and spirit.

[edit] Nature and infrastructure

The flora and fauna of the zone have been dramatically affected by the radioactive contamination that followed the accident. The cloud of heavily polluted dust left the so-called Red Forest (Rudyi Lis)—a stand of irradiated pine wood near the plant, which was subsequently bulldozed. Cases of mutant deformity in animals of the zone were reported but none were proven except partial albinism in swallows.

Nowadays, the nature of the area seems to have not only survived, but flourished due to significant reduction of human impact, and the zone is considered a classic example of an involuntary park. Populations of traditional Polesian animals (like wolves, wild boar and Roe Deer), elk/moose, and beaver have multiplied enormously and began expanding outside the zone. Even extremely rare lynx have appeared. Special game warden units are organized to protect and control them. Formally, the Alienation Zone is a unique "Radiological Reserve".

The rivers and lakes of the zone pose a significant threat of spreading polluted silt during spring floods. They are systematically secured by dykes.

The whole industrial, transport, and residential infrastructure has been crumbling since after the 1986 evacuation. There are at least 800 known "burial grounds" (Ukrainian singular: mohyl'nyk) for the contaminated vehicles with hundreds of abandoned military vehicles and helicopters. Dozens of river ships and barges lie in the abandoned ports.

A top-secret Soviet military installation with strange-looking gigantic structures (known as Chernobyl-2) was situated near the nuclear plant. It was a part of the air defence early warning radar network. The secrecy around this unit provoked a rumour that it was the real cause of the disaster.

The poaching of game, illegal logging, and metal salvage from the alienation zone are the current problems of the zone. Despite certain police control, the unemployed from outside sometimes infiltrate the perimeter and remove polluted materials.

[edit] The people

Dozens of peasants (mostly the elderly) refused to be evacuated from the zone or illegally returned there later. After recurrent attempts at expulsion, the authorities became reconciled to their presence and even allowed limited supporting services for them. These people (known as "samosely") declare their strong commitment to the surrounding nature and rural lifestyle. This population includes some vagabonds and other marginalized persons from the outside world, such as war refugees from parts of the former Soviet Union. Samosely usually deny or are resigned to any significant damage to their health resulting from the high levels of radiation in the environment.

[edit] Cultural precedents

Stalker is a 1979 film directed Andrei Tarkovsky, based on a 1972 novel by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky's entitled Roadside Picnic. Both describe a mysterious and forbidden "zone", depopulated of human life by an unexplained disaster, and Tarkovsky's film in particular has come to symbolise the exclusion zone in the minds of many commentators. Contrary to the popular belief, the powerplant depicted in one of the last shots is not Chernobyl; the entire movie was in fact shot in Estonia. Most shots were taken in the old Jägala hydroplant, 20km away from Tallinn, the shot before they enter the zone is an old Flora chemical factory in the center of Tallinn (next to the old Rotermann salt store), some shots from the zone are filmed in Maardu, next to the Iru powerplant and the shot with the gates to the Zone is filmed in Lasnamäe, next to Punane street behind the Idakeskus. [1] [2]

It is, however, suspected that the 1957 accident in the Mayak nuclear fuel reprocessing plant, which resulted in a several thousand square kilometer deserted "zone" outside the reactor [1], may have influenced this film.