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Popular tourist spot -

More than three decades after the accident, the power plant could be considered a popular tourist destination, but currently, it is caught in the war between Russia and Ukraine

© Reuters

The creepy allure -

The eerie ambiance of Chernobyl has drawn visitors from everywhere.

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Guided tour -

Reporters are guided by an employee and shown around reactor three in the power plant.

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Explanation -

Journalists are briefed by an employee on the operations of a reactor.

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Animal life -

A butterfly resting on a visitor's glove is captured inside one of the reactor rooms, as documented by a visitor. 

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Warning -

Reporters walk through a hallway at reactor three.

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Back to 1986 -

The control room for reactor three offers a glimpse of the past, appearing nearly identical to its state in 1986.

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High-risk area -

A worker assesses radiation levels near reactor four, where the fatal explosion occurred.

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Seeing history up close -

An employee and a reporter emerge from a haunting hallway within reactor three.

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Management board -

Details from the control panel of reactor three, which now appear relatively basic.

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Historic controls -

The control panel was employed to operate reactor three at Chernobyl.

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Operations center -

In reactor three's control room, a foreboding telephone quietly sits.

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Real life horror -

An employee navigates a dim corridor within reactor three's premises.

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The Sarcophagus -

This metal structure is called the New Safe Confinement. It was recently built to cover reactor four and the original "sarcophagus," which was put in place after the explosion in 1986 to contain radiation.

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Scary journey -

An employee assesses the team, dressed appropriately with a protective hat, face mask, coat, and shoe covers.

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Radiation chamber -

In the presence of an eager audience of journalists, an employee gauges the radiation levels within the room.

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Old corridors -

Workers with a significant amount of equipment are seen walking in reactor three.

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Extreme care -

A truck sprays water on the road to prevent the spread of nuclear dust by wind to nearby regions.

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High-security area -

Workers remove the remaining radioactive particles from the vicinity.

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Friendly hostesses -

Unattended dogs wander near the plant, as the looming New Safe Confinement appears in the background.

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New confinement -

Workers are being transported by a bus to the new confinement zone, where ongoing clean-up projects are taking place on reactor four.

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Ghost town -

Close to the Chernobyl Power Plant, an empty house in Zalesye is nearly concealed by dense vegetation.

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The Exclusion Zone -

The Red Forest surrounds the site and is part of the Exclusion Zone, a 19-mile (30-km) radius area around the plant where radiation contamination is still so high that habitation and public access are forbidden. However, when the Russians invaded in 2022, they occupied this area.

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Russian invasion -

They reportedly neglected to take proper precautions and it’s rumored that several soldiers became ill and one even died. Pictured is a roadblock and fire point left behind after they moved on towards Kyiv and abandoned Chernobyl, to the relief of the Ukrainians.

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Continuing the clean-up -

In 2024, the nuclear plant continues to be managed by Ukrainian organizations responsible for the clean-up and increasing the safety of the site.

Source: (UN News)

See also: Chernobyl nuclear disaster: meet the Ukrainian ghost city

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