Chernobyl. A Stalkers' Guide

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Since the first atomic bomb was dropped, humankind has been haunted by the idea of nuclear apocalypse. This nightmare almost became reality in 1986 when an accident at the USSR's Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant triggered the world's worst radiological crisis. While the events of that night are well documented, Chernobyl as a place remains very much alive today. In this exploration, researcher Darmon Richter journeys into the contemporary Exclusion Zone, venturing deeper than any previously published account. While thousands of visitors flock to curated sites, beyond these hotspots lies a vast, wild land the size of a small country. In the forests of Chernobyl, historic villages and Soviet-era utopianism have remained abandoned since the disaster, overshadowed by immense, unearthly mega-structures from the Cold War. Richter combines photographs from his numerous visits with the voices of those who witnessed history—engineers, scientists, police, and evacuees. He explores evacuated regions in Ukraine and Belarus, uncovering forgotten ghost towns and Soviet monuments hidden deep in irradiated forests. Gaining exclusive access to the most secure areas of the power plant, he joins the 'stalkers' of Chernobyl on a high-stakes illegal hike to the heart of the Exclusion Zone.