Amaury Dreher

Chernobyl trip REPORT

I always been fascinated by the Chernobyl events due to my personal interests in both History and nuclear energy. Therefore, in February 2018 I decided to fly to Ukraine in order to visit the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

Going to this place in winter was an unforgettable experience. The atmosphere was mysterious and disturbing. The place was completely silent. One could only hear footsteps crunching in the snow while in the distance were urban remains of the Soviet Union being eaten away by time. While roaming around I was wondering : was it the defeat of man or the victory of nature?

The zone is really huge and there are many intriguing elements to observe besides Pripyat, the famous ghost town. Moreover, the area is now considered as the first ecosystem in Europe. Indeed, due to the abandonment of humans, fauna and flora have been able to thrive despite the radiation.

As you may have guessed, all the stories about mutant animals are bullshit. Life may never be normal here, but it is well underway. The Chernobyl site is still inhabited by babushkas, the famous Ukrainian grandmothers who refused to leave their homes at the time of the disaster. If you are interested by them and wish to get to know more about their stories, I strongly recommend to watch the following documentary : The Babushkas of Chernobyl (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3299704/)

Besides the famous damaged reactor and the city of Pripyat, the exclusion zone contains many other fascinating places like Duga, the huge secret radar built during the cold war, but also many mysterious villages or other facilities related to the USSR.

If you decide to go to Chernobyl, behave appropriately. Don't move anything, don't leave anything behind and don't take anything home. The exclusion zone is fascinating but fragile. Don't take foolish risks by climbing buildings, etc...

The Chernobyl exclusion zone is featured in my novel : Opalescence : The Secret of Pripyat.