Fallout Town

On April 26, 1986, reactor number four at the Chernobyl power plant, near Pripyať in the then Soviet state of Ukrainian had a catastrophic failure causing an massive explosion. The resulting fire sent a plume of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere and over an extensive geographical area, including the nearby town of Pripyat. Radioactive particles were carried by wind across international borders which triggered the alarms in the Western world that that a nuclear disaster was happening in the Soviet State.

After the initial disaster, the city of Prypiat was evacuated in two days, the residents were told they would return a few days later, they were never to return as the area was heavily contaminated with radioactive particles and immediately locked down by an exclusion zone of 30 km (19 mi), which remains in place today.

Pripyat now lies abandoned, slowly being claimed back by mother nature, Trees tear through buildings and uproot roads. The ferris wheel in the main square lies decaying, the ancient rusting body barely seems to be holding together. The harsh Ukrainian winters and the spring thaws help twist and buckle the moaning grey soviet apartments, that once stood proud in the city. 2 miles away, in the distance above the tree line, the power station stands tall, looming over the town like a big angry old man.

In October – 2008: TheRandom travelled to Prypiat and the surrounding area, armed with his army green  Holga Camera and a bag full of black & White film, he set out to document his day drifting around this very unique place of the world. With all the horrors that have gone on in this town, it somehow had an air of tranquillity and peace about it.

Read more about TheRandom visiting Prypiat here