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Zone Of AlienationThe Zone of Alienation, which is often referred to as The Chernobyl Zone, The 30 Kilometre Zone or The Fourth Zone (Ukrainian official: Зона відчуження Чорнобильської АЕС, zona vidtchuzhennya Chornobyl's'koyi AES, colloquial Chornobyl's'ka zona and Tchetverta Zona) is the 30km exclusion zone around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident. Administratively, it includes northernmost parts of Kyivs'ka oblast' and Zhytomyrs'ka oblast' of Ukraine; adjoins the country's border with Belarus. Status The zone was established soon after the Chernobyl accident in 1986, in order to evacuate the local population and to prevent people from entering heavily contaminated territory. The area adjoining the site of the disaster was divided into 4 concentric zones, among them the fourth (actually the nearest, within a radius of 30 km) being the most dangerous. Any residence, civil or business activities there are legally prohibited and punishable. The only officially recognized exception is the functioning of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and scientific installations related to the studies of the nuclear safety. The zone is partly excluded from the regular civil rule. It is controlled by the Administration of the Alienation Zone within Ukraine's Ministry of Emergencies and Affairs of Population Protection from Consequences of Chornobyl' Catastrophe. The territory of the zone is policed by special units of the miltsiya and (along the border line) the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Everyone employed within zone is allowed there for certain shifts (ranging from hours to month). The duration of shifts is strictly counted regarding person's pension and healthcare issues. The personnel of the above-mentioned nuclear installations constantly reside in Slavutych (a specially-build remote city in Chernihivs'ka oblast'), others in different cities and towns of Ukraine. Numerous short-term tours and research expeditions into the zone are organized for Ukrainian and foreign citizens (mostly scientists and politicians). History Historically and geographically, the zone is a heartland of the Polissya region – the birthplace of East Slavs. This predominantly rural woodland area was once home to 120,000 people, living in 90 communities (including rapid-developing cities of Chornobyl and Prypyat). It is now mostly uninhabitable. Leaving homes and parting with friends and relatives has been a major life tragedy for all evacuated. TV footages shot during the evacuation preserved the painful scenes of traditional folk houses and churches being crashed by army bulldozers. That is why the 1986 devastation is widely seen as the symbolic tragedy of the Ukrainian nation and spirit. Nature and infrastructure The flora and fauna of the zone have been dramatically affected by the radioactive contamination that followed the accident. The cloud of heavily polluted dust left the so-called Red Forest (Rudyi Lis) - a section of irradiated pine wood near the plant which was subsequently bulldozed. Numerous cases of mutant deformity in animals of the zone were revealed. Nowadays, the nature of the area seems not only survived, but also flourished due to significant reduction of the human presence. The populations of traditional Polissya animals (like wolf, wild boar and roe deer) have multiplied enormously and began expanding outside the zone. Special game warden units are organized to protect and control them. Formally, the nature of Alienation Zone is the unique "Radiological Reserve". The rivers and lakes of the zone pose a significant threat of spreading the polluted silt during spring floods. They are systematically secured by dams. The whole industrial, transport and residential infrastructure has been left intact after the 1986 evacuation. There are several "burial grounds" (Ukrainian singular: mohyl'nyk) for the contaminated vehicles with hundreds of abandoned military vehicles and helicopters. Dozens of river ships lie in the abandoned ports. A top-secret Soviet military installation with strange-looking gigantic structures (known as "Chernobyl-2") has been situated near the nuclear plant. It was a part of the air defence early warning radar network. The secrecy around this unit once provoked a version that it was the real cause of the disaster. The poaching of the animals, illegal logging and metal-hunting is the growing problem of the alienation zone. Despite certain police control, unemployed from outside sometimes succeed in infiltrating the perimeter and removing the polluted materials. The people Dozens of peasants (mostly the aged) refused to be evacuated from the zone or illegally returned there later. After recurrent attempts of expelling the authorities became reconciled to their presence and even allowed limited supporting services for them. These people (known as "samosely") declare their strong commitment to the surrounding nature and rural lifestyle. This population is fed by some vagabonds and other marginalized persons from outside world. Samosely usually deny any significant damage to their health resulting from the highly-radioactive environment. Cultural precedents Stalker is a 1979 film directed Andrei Tarkovsky, based on a 1972 novel by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky's entitled Roadside Picnic. Both media describe a mysterious and forbidden "zone", depopulated of human life by an unexplained disaster, and Tarkovsky's film in particle has come to symbolise the exclusion zone in the minds of many commentators. A PC game called S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is also in production. In the game, you play a vagabond wandering the radioactive wasteland. http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~tstronds/nostalghia.com/TheTopics/Stalker/sharun.html http://www.jigsawlounge.co.uk/film/stalker.html http://www.turnerclassicmovies.com/ThisMonth/Article/0,,12763%7C12764%7C12768,00.html External links
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