Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is a quarantined stretch of land spanning about nineteen miles, established on April 27, 1986. The location rests within the northern part of Ukraine and contains the remains of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after it suffered a system failure and melted down.
Geography
The exclusion zone stretches for about 1,000 square miles and is littered with different grass fields and forests, which have grown thicker on account of a combination of lacking human interference and enriched soil from the presence of the nearby kaiju.
Ecosystem
The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has the richest and most varied biodiversity in all of Ukraine, and the entire area is one of Europe's largest nature preserves. Much of the environment had perished shortly after the reactor leak and subsequent meltdown, but in the decades since, the environment has recovered significantly and arguably is better than it had been before human occupation.
Localized Phenomena
Wind carried the fallout from the reactor unevenly across the zone, leaving spots of radioactivity that varied in danger. Ukrainian scientists estimated that the zone would be habitable long-term in 20,000 years on account of the ground absorption of radiation, which lingered in soil and water. As a result, the zone is unsuitable for human habitation. The kaiju's presence has helped reduce these numbers as kaiju are immune to radiation poisoning and actually grow stronger from absorbing and ingesting it.
Climate
The temperate climate is predominantly warm all year round with hot summers but no dry season. Snow does occur during the long winter months and bathes the land with a surreal white glow.
Fauna & Flora
Because of the absence of humans, Chernobyl has become host to a variety of fauna that survive and thrive beneath the shadow of the kaiju. In the early days, Soviet soldiers were ordered to shoot any stray pets to prevent them from escaping and spreading radiation, but it became too laborious a task as the animals could outpace the humans in the Zone.
Native Species
- Przewalski's horse
- Wild dogs
- Eurasian brown bear
- Carpathian lynx
- Grey wolf
- European bison
- Moose
- Red fox
- Eurasian beaver
- Boar
- European badger
- Red deer
- Common raccoon dog
- Wels catfish
- Barn swallow
- Red squirrel
- Greater noctule bat
- Common kestrel
- Red-footed falcon
- Saker falcon
- Tawny owl
- Little owl
- Long-eared owl
- Steppe polecat
- Black grouse
- European ground squirrel
- Northern white-breasted hedgehog
- Southern white-breasted hedgehog
- European hare
- Stoat
- Least weasel
- Eurasian otter
- Eurasian hobby
- Peregrine falcon
- Golden eagle
- White-tailed eagle
- Russian desman
- European mink
- Great cormorant
- Caspian gull
- Pallas's gull
- Mediterranean gull
- Slender-billed gull
- Great bustard
- Corn crake
- European roller
History
On April 26, 1986, the greatest nuclear disaster in Earth's history occurred when the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant melted down. A combination of government mismanagement, a lack of proper maintenance, design flaws, and improper system testing led to a massive explosion that blew the roof off of the building and melted the reactor through the concrete floor. Phone lines and military blockades were erected to suppress people from spreading information about what happened, but word began to spread on television from Sweden and beyond. Radiation began to enter the air and spread across to the nearby city of Pripyatand a total evacuation of the city was enacted. 116,000 people left Pripyat permanently, and a total estimate of 4,031 reactor workers, firefighters, soldiers, volunteer workers, emergency response medics, and civilians died from radiation sickness and cancer. An immense structure of steel and concrete dubbed the sarcophagus would be built around Reactor 4 in June 1986 and finish construction in November that year.
A larger and newer structure called the New Safe Confinement went over the old sarcophagus, with construction beginning in September 2010 and finishing in July 2019. The government officials put in charge of monitoring radiation levels and the confinement structures were ultimately forced to abandon the site in 2020 when a kaiju migrated from Russia and began occupying the territory. Attempts to drive the kaiju out or kill it ended with nothing short of disaster, with few survivors after the creature's rage. Russian forces made an unauthorized entry into Ukrainian territory in an attempt to hunt the creature down after it escaped their country. No survivors were ever found. For a more expansive list, check the article about the real life Chernobyl exclusion zone.
A larger and newer structure called the New Safe Confinement went over the old sarcophagus, with construction beginning in September 2010 and finishing in July 2019. The government officials put in charge of monitoring radiation levels and the confinement structures were ultimately forced to abandon the site in 2020 when a kaiju migrated from Russia and began occupying the territory. Attempts to drive the kaiju out or kill it ended with nothing short of disaster, with few survivors after the creature's rage. Russian forces made an unauthorized entry into Ukrainian territory in an attempt to hunt the creature down after it escaped their country. No survivors were ever found. For a more expansive list, check the article about the real life Chernobyl exclusion zone.
Tourism
Prior to the kaiju occupation, Ukrainian officials would allow tourists and journalists to briefly visit and study the Zone. Funds from the tourism programs would go to development and protection, but tourism came to an abrupt halt after the kaiju's arrival and has not continued since.
Alternative Name(s)
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone of Alienation | 30-Kilometre Zone | The Zone
Type
Territory
Location under
Owning Organization
Contested By
Characters in Location
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