Chornobyl is a city known for one of the largest technological disasters in human history. The 1986 accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant changed the fate of this region, turning it into an exclusion zone.
The city of Chernobyl is partially inhabited today, with several stores operating. Scientists, power plant workers, and military personnel guarding the border reside here.
The same cannot be said about the city of Pripyat, which remains completely abandoned.
Today, Chernobyl attracts researchers, tourists, and photographers. Abandoned towns and villages, overgrown forests, and wildlife thriving without human interference create a unique atmosphere. Deer, moose, and roe deer are commonly seen here, wolves howl at night, and even bears have been captured on camera traps.
Duga Radar
The over-the-horizon radar system “Duga-2” was part of the Soviet Union’s missile defense network. It was designed to detect the launch of ballistic missiles and transmitted a signal that could be picked up by shortwave radio receivers worldwide from July 1976 to December 1989. This signal had a sharp, repetitive knocking sound at a frequency of 10 Hz, earning it the nickname “The Woodpecker” among radio enthusiasts.
It is no longer operational, but it still looks impressive—standing 150 meters tall and stretching 500 meters in length. Surrounding it is a vast forest extending to the horizon.
The Exclusion Zone
Hundreds of villages were forcibly evacuated from the contaminated area. Human life disappeared, leaving behind newspapers, school notebooks from 1986, and remnants of everyday existence. Nature is slowly reclaiming the abandoned buildings and roads.
