40 Years After the Meltdown, War Layers Another Disaster on Chernobyl
The New York Times • • world
Key Points:
- The Chernobyl exclusion zone in northern Ukraine remains abandoned 40 years after the 1986 nuclear disaster, with ghost towns still containing personal belongings covered in dust and lichen.
- High radiation levels prevent human resettlement, leaving the area largely untouched by civilians.
- Recently, Ukrainian soldiers used the abandoned towns for military training, preparing to defend the irradiated land against potential future Russian attacks.
- Russian forces occupied the Chernobyl zone for five weeks starting on the first day of their full-scale invasion in February 2022.
