CHERNOBYL: THE PAST OR FUTURE? (Continued, part 4) Our tour began in Kiev, and the first stop occurred at a checkpoint, where checked our permit to enter. CAT is located near the border of the exclusion zone, the area within a radius of 30 kilometers from the plant from which the accident was evacuated of all residents. In this area, and to this day is forbidden to enter without special permission. Our next stop was at the heart of Chernobyl, that is the town of Chernobyl. The Chernobyl nuclear power station was built in the mid 70's. At the same time was built the town of Pripyat, which was to become home to the plant workers and their families. Approximately 15 kilometers from the station once was a city which has been named Chernobyl. This city has stood here for hundreds of years. Nuclear power plant was named in honor of the city. Ferris Wheel of Chernobyl residents were evacuated, along with residents of other towns and villages caught in the exclusion zone. Sometime in the Chernobyl population 14,000 inhabitants, today it is essentially a ghost town. Today in the Chernobyl population of about a hundred people. They live here only in order to maintain the support functions of nuclear stations and the exclusion zone, is running a small shop, several offices, a small restaurant and even a small hotel. Officially, Chernobyl is the only place in the exclusion zone, where people live. Privately, some local residents, despite the ban, returned to their old homes and villages. It is difficult to say whether there are illegal settlers in the territory of Ukraine, but I read a book about Belarus, which stated that in that part of the Zone, which is located on its territory, such residents are. In Chernobyl, we were taken to the office, who also played the role of the hall reception where we met with our guide. He told us that we will see during the tour, and in some parts of the zone carry the day. Graveyard of ships, the general form of the first stop on the tour was an abandoned soccer field at Chernobyl. On the field there were several trucks, trailers and other equipment. This is a small part of the machinery which was used for cleanup after the accident. All of it is very dirty and the cast here, after the need for it disappeared. Even today, 23 years after the disaster, how it radioactive, we have forbidden her to touch. Graveyard of ships in close-up is also here there is a large cemetery and technology, where thousands of abandoned trucks and even helicopters, but this is a place not shown, because the Ukrainian authorities have decided to make that part of the exclusion zone inaccessible to tourists. It was one of the few places where access was closed to us. On the rest of the zone we were able to travel and photograph anything we want. After the cemetery equipment, we went to the dam, which was used as a cemetery for barges and ships. When the reactor was first buried, and then hidden under the sarcophagus in Chernobyl was necessary to deliver a large number of materials. Vessels and barges, which were doing, were contaminated, and, like all other equipment, were subsequently abandoned. They were thrown from this dam, where they rust and slowly go down. Center of Pripyat Our next stop was near the monument firefighters who fought the fire immediately after the reactor explosion. They were the first but not last, who died from acute radiation syndrome, resulting in a large dose of radiation received after the Chernobyl accident. In the exclusion zone was once a 4.3 city and about 50 villages. All were evacuated and become ghosts. On the way to the reactor, we drove past one of these villages, called Kopaci. Villagers were evacuated with the rest. After its inhabitants fled, as an experiment for the cleanup authorities decided to demolish all the houses and the ruins of the cover layer of soil. Today that there was once a village, they say only a small hill, crowned with signs radioactivity. Kopacsi From Kopachev we saw a big antenna that was once part of Soviet radar. This station is sometimes called "Chernobyl-2" or "Eye of Moscow. After the crash in 1986 the station was abandoned, and, according to our guide, the work it has not been renewed. "Moscow Eye" After Kopachev we went there, which offers a good overview of all the reactor of the station. Today, cranes are used to build 5 or 6 blocks are still standing, but can fall at any moment due to the fact that for 20 years to corrode corrosion. Reactors 5 and 6 work of three survivors of the accident at the reactor for some time been suspended. Later they started again. Now all the reactors are shut down completely. Start material: Completion of material:
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