Site of the biggest nuclear accident in history, Chernobyl has become over the years one of the biggest tourist attractions in Ukraine. Despite still harboring high radiation levels, Chernobyl was one of Russia's first military targets in its invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago. The Russians took control of the plant, the villas, and the small town that lent its name to the region for nearly two months. Now Chernobyl is back under Ukrainian control, but fears of another invasion remain.
Ukrainians Say They Fear Russians Might Attack Chernobyl Once Again
A Soviet-era gas mask rests on a tree outside the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, Jan. 31, 2023 (VOANEWS/Yan Boechat)
A bus used to take tourists to visit Chernobyl was used as a target of fire by Russian soldiers who occupied the area of the Chernobyl Power Plant, Ukraine, Jan. 31, 2023 (VOANEWS/Yan Boechat)
A Chernobyl complex worker who lives in a nearby village remembers the time when the Russians occupied this area at the beginning of the war, at Chernobyl, Ukraine, Jan. 31, 2023 (VOANEWS/Yan Boechat)
Reactor number 4 at the Chernobyl power plant exploded on April 26, 1986, and is now protected by a concrete sarcophagus and a metal cover, at Chernobyl, Ukraine, Jan. 31, 2023 (VOANEWS/Yan Boechat)
A sign showing that the levels of radiation might be high in this area marks the place where the Russians dug trenches and stablished a checkpoint in an area called the “red forest” in Chernobyl, Ukraine, on Jan. 31, 2023 (VOANEWS/Yan Boechat)
The amusement park in the village of Prypiat was set to start operation on May 1, just four days after the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear plant, in Ukraine, Jan. 31, 2023 (VOANEWS/Yan Boechat)
A deep dive pool inside one of the buildings in Prypiat that was abandoned after the explosion in 1986. All this area was occupied by Russian soldiers when they invaded Ukraine almost a year ago. In Chernobyl, Ukraine, Jan. 31, 2023 (VOANEWS/Yan Boechat)
A basketball court inside one of the buildings abandoned in Prypiat. Russian soldiers took over the place after invading Ukraine and stayed for almost two months there. In Chernobyl, in Ukraine, Jan. 31, 2023 (VOANEWS/Yan Boechat)
Gas masks left behind in an elementary school in Prypiat, the closest village to the Nuclear Power Plant that exploded in April 1986, in Chernobyl, Ukraine, Jan. 31, 2023 (VOANEWS/Yan Boechat)
The remains of a school in Prypiat. This area was occupied by Russians during the beginning of the war almost a year ago, in Chernobyl, Ukraine, Jan. 31, 2023 (VOANEWS/Yan Boechat)
Even the fallen trees inside the area close to the power plant are now considered nuclear waste and can’t be collected or used. In Chernobyl, Ukraine, Jan. 31, 2023 (VOANEWS/Yan Boechat)