Exploring Radioactive Chernobyl (Sept 2017)

I was excited. Chernobyl had been on my bucket list since I was researching North Korea and I’d found a company called Young Pioneers who ran tours to quirky places and Chernobyl was well and truly etched in my mind. But how to get there from Singapore when I had a job for a weekend/long weekend trip? Seemed a bit crazy, even for me!! Well that problem had now been solved - 3 months gardening leave and I was maximisng every minute of it. I left Turkey and took the early morning flight to Kiev having semi slept/sat in Cafe Nero for around 6 hours in Istanbul airport.

Now I was being collected by my guide for a 2 day tour including 1 night in one of the most radioactive (this might be a slight exaggeration due to the decontamination!) places on earth! So off we went on the highway heading North out of Kiev and eventually stopped at a service station for breakfast. (I was hoping for a menu and pictures so I could order easily) but we only found a petrol station. Trying still to stay off fizzy drinks I grabbed a sparkling water and went to find some food - squinting up at the board only to find a mass of words in Ukrainian and/or Russian so instead I pointed at the hotdogs that were cooking on the counter – that would be adequate. A hearty breakfast – or at least just breakfast!

We continued on and the driver put on a video showing what the site had looked like, before getting into the nitty gritty history of the tragic event that had affected the region. I was surprised by my own assumptions on the accident – only being three when it occurred, I don’t have any recollection of it, (despite mum telling me that we had to get powdered milk when we were living in Italy when it occurred as the fresh milk had potentially been contaminated when the radioactive cloud passed over Italy) but I realised I didn’t really know anything about what had happened other than it had happened.

Construction on the Chernobyl site had started in 1970. The reactors had been completed in the following years:

Reactor 1: 1977

Reactor 2: 1978

Reactor 3: 1981

Reactor 4: 1983

Reactor 5: 85% complete when the accident happened and was never finished.

Reactor 6: never finished

Reactors 7-12 were never started and the plans that Chernobyl would be the largest nuclear power plant in Europe never came to fruition.

In the early hours of April 26, 1986 a test being carried out on reactor 4’s self fueling system caused detonations in the core which caused an explosion which blew the roof off the reactor. This left a cloud of radioactive particles floating 100m into the air as well as smoke from the ensuing fire. Firefighter rushed to the blaze, minus radiation protective gear and received massive doses of radiation - a lot dying within 24 hours. The surrounding towns and villages also suffered incredibly high doses of radiation, but the inhabitants were not evacuated for a number of days post incident. The evacuation was to the hospital in Moscow that specialised in radiation sickness but little could be done for some of the residents close to the blast site. The other three reactors were all shut down immediately to avoid further incidents.

There were several attempts to stop the fire at the plant but the molten radioactive material was difficult to cool. Water and sand bags with bausic acid to neutralise the radiation failed and with the water pooling below the concrete base of the reactor, a crack could have caused a secondary blast that potentially could have destroyed most of Europe. 2,400 tons of lead was used to cover the reactor and the temperature started to drop. The next task was to stem the flow of radiation into the atmosphere which resulted in a sarcophagus being built over the reactor. Men (named liquidators) has to work in teams wearing lead suits weighing 20-30kg for 45 seconds at a time in order to complete this over many months. Other teams had to work to decontaminate the surrounding areas and homes to prevent further long term damage. These tasks must have been horrendous. Like having the life sucked out of you and the effects must still haunt those that survive today along with the physical scars.

The sarcophagus now protects the world from the uranium and graphite buried 40m underground. The second sarcophagus was finished recently and had been slid over the previous one as the first ones design life was only 30 years.

Our first stop after entering the exclusion zone was Chernobyl town. This was in the 30km exclusion zone. The town was small and was where most workers now lived. The first building we saw had a mural showing before and after the blast depicted with storks and was beautifully painted to echo the mood or vibe of the place. There are a long list of signs that have the names of the villages on one side and are crossed through on the other showing that the village no longer exists. It was very quiet here but nothing like how eerie the rest of the trip would be. We visited several sights in Chernobyl including the statue for the first 30 people who lost their lives, an Orthodox Church, the ROV’s that were sent in when the radiation was too high for people to be there and also the shop for cigarettes for the guide! We then stopped at a World War II statue that sat in front of a kindergarten and I was sent into explore alone.

The school was small with only 4 or 5 rooms which on closer inspection had included dormitories and classrooms. The frames of the bed were still in the dorms and the odd broken toy littered the floor or a shelf. Everything was old and looked like it had seen better days. The windows were dirty but still allowed in a lot of light that created shadows on the floors and walls.

After this it was time to enter the 10km exclusion zone. First we went to the power plant. The 5 reactors were pointed out and you could see the sarcophagus over reactor 4. Where we stopped, there was a memorial to the first people who died outside the power plant and another which contained their names and was beautifully done. It was next to the river and we stood on the bridge looking down at the inhabitants in the hope of seeing three-eyed fish (which I guess was sensationalised on the Simpsons cartoon but could have been a reality here!). We did however see catfish that were huge – over 1m long and looked, to a non-fish expert, to be healthy - not sure I would have eaten one though! We had lunch at the power plant canteen where the workers eat before heading to the city of Pripyat, which had a population of around 43,000 people at the time of the explosion. It was built to house the workers of the power plant and their families. The city was known as the ‘golden city’ or the ‘city of dreams’ as the population was well off compared to others. Now the city was deserted except for the tourists that visit and the police that roam the place to ensure that people respect the area and don’t go into the buildings.

The first thing we did when we got to the square in Pripyat was walk up to the roof of one of the tallest buildings to check out the view. The building – a former apartment block and was empty and creepy and the corridors dark. It reminded me of the film I am Legend with Will Smith going into the deserted apartment blocks searching for food and avoiding the zombies. This was what started to fill my mind as I was walking up. In my head I was starting to think – "when was this ever a good idea?!" Anyway I was here and I was going to put my fear aside to see as much as possible. I even ventured to walk down one of the corridors and into the empty apartments, although very tentatively. I cannot even describe the vibe of the place. It wasn’t a feeling of death like you felt when you visited the concentration camps or the killing fields but it wasn’t a feeling of serenity either. It was more of uncertainty and unnerving that come with quiet dark places. At this point it also started to rain and the lightening was ripping through the sky frequently. This definitely added to the creepiness and helped to capture the mood.

From the town center we went to the swimming pool and basketball court. The swimming pool was empty and the clock had stopped. There were five swimming lanes and blocks where the kids would have raced. There was an upper section where parents could have watched the races. But all this was empty now, covered in dirt and dust and there was furniture in the pool which clearly shouldn’t be there! The basketball court next to the pool still had the hoops which would never be used again and the floor was destroyed in the clean up.

We walked over to the school and entered the building – the first room we walked into had gas masks all over the floor and it was clear professional photographers had spent time setting up emotive scenes to snap. I though I would make the most of their work and see if I could take some well angled photos. There were some school books left open on desks and a physics lab that looked like class had been left mid way through. Chairs and desks were everywhere leaving books and equipment covered the floor and desks.

Next we visited the hospital which was a large building of multiple floors. We stayed on the ground and a while before heading to the second floor and explored the various different rooms. There were tiny cots for the new born babies lined up and hospital equipment for examinations. Beds and baths had been moved from where they would have been and what I assume would have been a modern hospital given how young the city was when it was left in disarray.

I figured by this point that I had seen most of the sites of the city that we would see on the first day and it was probably time to go to the fairground that I had seen photos of. But not yet!!! We set off to walk to the square – past a music school which had a beautiful mosaic exterior and housed a grand piano on a stage that was fairly intact and walked up the seats that were raised so everyone could get a good view of the musicians playing.

On entering the square, we walked past the hotel where the experts had stayed when they were doing tests post accident and into the large building that stretched the entirety of one side of the square being the Ministry of Culture. This was a large building with columns and would have dominated the large square in its time. Inside we saw the basketball court, the music room with a stage and walked the long corridors. This was clearly a space that would have seen happy times and joyous events. Never to be used - ever!

Exiting the Ministry of Culture we finally got to see the fairground. The fairground was scheduled to open on 1st May 1986 which was 5 days after the accident occurred. The children of Pripyat therefore never ever used this fairground, the ferris wheel, dodgems and swings will forever be un-used. Never hearing the excited screams of children that would usually have filled this space! The fairground itself was eerie. The Ferris wheel, by far drew your attention. The yellow seating areas the huge structure looking solitary and sad. The dodgems not even left in positions that show a crash had happened just as the time ran out. And the swings hanging motionless between the other two rides.

Behind the fairground was the stadium – another place due to open on the 1st May 1986 and never used. I was surprised as we walked towards the solo stand to find I was walking across what would have been the football pitch - now filled with trees and bushes and unrecognisable as a place for sporting events. The stand was devoid of beer cans and rubbish that you'd expect to see after a big event.

I was starting to get hungry (not sure how after my immense breakfast!) but it was only 530pm and we still had much to see – unusual for a tour to last past 5pm. No complaints from me! We visited the post office with one wall still beautifully painted, and a piano store where some pianos were still standing while others were at odd angles on the floor. The keys were no longer able to play although you could push them down. You could run your fingers along the strings inside and the strong musical notes of a piano filled the air in the quiet city.

Across the road was the fire station. Unfortunately there were no fire trucks but there were parts strewn on the floor and wheels up against the walls. The police station was much the same but larger. Outside had vehicles upturned and desolate. Inside we wandered past the cells and through the building and sheltered from the rain which had started again. Both building had been open with light flooding in, but the cells were creepy down a dark corridor and I was ready to get out of here!!!!

It was time for dinner and we had to ensure we were back at our hotel before the 8pm curfew! I was exhausted but what a day. So many different emotions filled my head.

My alarm woke me at 7am. I hadn’t quite had enough sleep after managing to scare myself at the thought of zombies hiding in the building and had gone round my hotel room checking the wardrobes for them!!! Silly, I know but it was creepy here. In general it was too quiet only broken by the occasional sounds of other tourists talking on other floors – I guess the walls and floors were thin!!! I must have fallen asleep though as I’d woken up so clearly I wasn’t that scared!!!

After breakfast I learned we had another packed day but I had no idea what we’d be seeing. It did not disappoint. First we went to meet an 81 year old man who lived in one of the villages called Parishiv. He had lived there his whole life and had returned after the accident because he didn’t think anywhere else would be any better. His wife died 2 years ago so he was now living alone although there were two other people living in the village. He had to grow his own food and had no running water so he'd use the well when he needed water for cooking or washing. He had worked in the forest originally and had helped with the clean up but due to his age at the time he wasn’t one of the liquidators that helped build the sarcophagus. He had two sons but they did not live in the village and grandkids who were too young to enter the exclusion zone.

After a while asking questions and having the answers translated back to me by the guide, we went to an area that I was told was a children’s camp. We turned off down an unmarked road and drove for what seemed like an extraordinary amount of time before a massive structure appeared before us. This was Chernobyl 2 and was 7kms south of the reactors. It was also a radar base where missiles could be detected. This had opened in 1977 and wasn’t used after 1987 when the accident occurred.

The structure was enormous and we went in the building below to see the control room where the Russians collected data from the radar. It had rained heavily the night before and the echoing sounds of water drip drip dripping put me on edge. I was just hoping to not bump into scary animals or other people that caught me off guard. My guide was also good at leaving me to take photos and standing in the distance but on some occasions when I lost sight of him I was scared he was going to jump out of the dark and scare me!! He’d threatened to do it several times and I knew he would if he got the chance!!!

It really was fascinating that a structure and place of such size could be hidden from the world. It was constructed at the same time as the power plant and therefore people probably didn’t even realise that the additional material was for that or that the noise was anything other than the reactors being built. After here, we actually went to a children’s camp. This was in the woods and most of the building were where the children stayed. They had paintings of cartoon characters on the external walls and were dotted around between the trees. There was a playground with a slide and swings but it was strange walking around without hearing kids playing and laughing. What a great place this would have been to play hide and seek!

Off to the fish and animal testing buildings – another part I was going to have to explore by myself to get the "full experience". I entered the fish testing building and had been given directions to the animal testing centre. The first building had lots of tanks but the water was notably absent along with the fish. The building was long and dark and I couldn’t move through it as quickly as I wanted to as you had to tread carefully. The tanks continued for most of the length of the building. I was done with this building. I could feel my palms getting damp and I could sense that even in the cool breeze I was getting jumpy at being along and also scared my guide was going to pounce on me from a hiding place just to get a reaction!!! I followed the directions to the animal testing building. Most of the wall was missing from the side of the building but I decided to use the door. I was just about to walk through when I saw a radioactive spider in the middle of a web and nearly tripped as I tried to move backwards too fast. I started to walk back the way I’d come but stopped after trying to calm my heart beat – I couldn’t not go in after travelling all this way. Man up!

So I climbed through the gap in the wall and found myself in the middle of a whole stack of cages that stretched from one end of the room to the other. None were big enough for me to get trapped in so that was a relief but I had no desire to hang out here! I left the same way I entered and went back through the fish testing building. I got back to the car and didn’t realise I must have looked as white as a sheet as the guide sarcastically said ‘oh no, did you see a spider’. I think he was quite surprised when sheepishly I said ‘yes!’. We both burst out laughing and got back in the car!

The last stop of the day before lunch and returning to Kiev, turned out to be probably my favourite part, which was the cooling tower for the never finished reactor 5 and the unfinished cooling tower for reactor 6. These were amazing structures and due to the rain there were puddles on the floor which gave great reflections for photos. We walked around to see the different equipment from various angles and I walked forward to get a picture. The guide said "don’t stand on the moss" almost sarcastically - my flippant response of "really?! I don’t believe you again" after he decided to test if I'd been listening to him the day before by making up the history to see if I reacted. I continued to walk until he grabbed my arm and pulled me back saying "moss is a sponge. Don’t risk standing on it – it could still be contaminated". I listened a bit more attentively after that!!!!

After lunch we drove back to Chernobyl town and out of the exclusion zone stopping to be checked for radiation and luckily passed without issue. An amazing two days that I would recommend to everyone. It is important that people see the effects of a nuclear incident and understand how much it can affect lives. If people fully understood this they would think twice about the threat of nuclear weapons and leveraging power by having them.

The Russians had 2,700 SS18’s which they paraded (I’m sure they weren’t the only ones but it was mentioned in the video!) as a sign of strength against the Americans – they would have caused far more damage than the Chernobyl incident.

The three completed reactors still continued to be used after the incident. Reactor 1 was finally shut down in 1996, reactor 2 in 1999 but it hadn’t worked since 1992 and reactor 3 in 2000. This was after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 1995 that the plant would be shut down and decommissioned. The effects of Chernobyl will continue to be felt for years to come. It will be over 300 years before the land can even be used again and the effects on people’s lives will be there until they die and continue to affect their descendants. Each day potentially a nightmare of pain. We can only hope no more people are affected by nuclear accidents in the future.