Some of the best Christmas moments captured through a lens
Decades after the Chernobyl disaster, the aftermath is still felt, and concerns about nuclear safety have escalated due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian military even took over Chernobyl for a brief period on their way to invade Kyiv in 2022, reportedly causing US$130 million in damage to the site's equipment and endangering their own soldiers with radiation poisoning.
Curious to see the site of the historical disaster and find out what's happening there today? Click through the gallery.
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
The eerie ambiance of Chernobyl has drawn visitors from everywhere.
Reporters are guided by an employee and shown around reactor three in the power plant.
Journalists are briefed by an employee on the operations of a reactor.
A butterfly resting on a visitor's glove is captured inside one of the reactor rooms, as documented by a visitor.
Reporters walk through a hallway at reactor three.
The control room for reactor three offers a glimpse of the past, appearing nearly identical to its state in 1986.
A worker assesses radiation levels near reactor four, where the fatal explosion occurred.
An employee and a reporter emerge from a haunting hallway within reactor three.
Details from the control panel of reactor three, which now appear relatively basic.
The control panel was employed to operate reactor three at Chernobyl.
In reactor three's control room, a foreboding telephone quietly sits.
An employee navigates a dim corridor within reactor three's premises.
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.
An employee assesses the team, dressed appropriately with a protective hat, face mask, coat, and shoe covers.
In the presence of an eager audience of journalists, an employee gauges the radiation levels within the room.
Workers with a significant amount of equipment are seen walking in reactor three.
A truck sprays water on the road to prevent the spread of nuclear dust by wind to nearby regions.
Workers remove the remaining radioactive particles from the vicinity.
Unattended dogs wander near the plant, as the looming New Safe Confinement appears in the background.
Workers are being transported by a bus to the new confinement zone, where ongoing clean-up projects are taking place on reactor four.
Close to the Chernobyl Power Plant, an empty house in Zalesye is nearly concealed by dense vegetation.
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.
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.
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
Raging war and nuclear fallout: Chernobyl 38 years later
What's changed since that terrible day on April 26, 1986?
TRAVEL Ukraine
April 26, 1986, was one of the worst days in human history due to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. The disaster claimed the lives of over 25,000 people and released a mass of dangerous nuclear radiation over large areas of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.
Decades after the Chernobyl disaster, the aftermath is still felt, and concerns about nuclear safety have escalated due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian military even took over Chernobyl for a brief period on their way to invade Kyiv in 2022, reportedly causing US$130 million in damage to the site's equipment and endangering their own soldiers with radiation poisoning.
Curious to see the site of the historical disaster and find out what's happening there today? Click through the gallery.