Inside Chernobyl With Ben Fogle 2021

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Documentary, Inside Chernobyl With Ben Fogle 2021   #InsideChernobyl #Chernobyl #BenFogle #Documentary  #BenFogle

Transcript

00:00:00You

00:00:24Wow

00:00:30When the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded in 1986 it changed everything

00:00:40I was 13 years old and it was just when I was starting to understand the world

00:00:48And Chernobyl for me was such a massive punctuation mark

00:00:54Now, 35 years after the disaster, I'm travelling to the most radioactive place on earth

00:01:02This is the accident and emergency apartment

00:01:07Imagine the horrors that went on in here

00:01:09I've been granted special permission to explore some of Chernobyl's secrets

00:01:14Some people believe that this was a mind controller, like a brain scorcher

00:01:21Going inside the very control room where the fatal mistake was made

00:01:26Goodness me

00:01:28I mean, this is unbelievable

00:01:31And seeing close up the tomb of the doomed reactor

00:01:35Wow

00:01:37I can't quite believe I'm actually in here

00:01:41What has Chernobyl now become?

00:01:45Look

00:01:45So someone's been staying in here

00:01:48This is the Chernobyl squatter

00:01:52And what does it mean for the generations to come?

00:01:56I see this is a very timely visit

00:01:59Because the world is a tipping point

00:02:02I'm hoping

00:02:04That by visiting this place, the people

00:02:08Maybe I'll find some hope

00:02:11That all is not lost

00:02:13I'm on my way to the scene of the world's worst nuclear accident

00:02:40So this road doesn't lead anywhere but into the restricted zone now

00:02:45We call it simply the zone

00:02:47The zone, yes

00:02:48Where I'm going, I have to be accompanied by a government-sanctioned expert

00:02:53Nicolai Formin has in-depth knowledge of the risks

00:02:57So this is the checkpoint

00:02:58Still a pretty highly militarised area

00:03:01So please prepare your documents

00:03:03Beyond this border crossing

00:03:08Is the Chernobyl exclusion zone

00:03:10A region so contaminated

00:03:12It was closed off from the rest of the world for over a decade

00:03:16It feels quite strange

00:03:18It's heavily militarised

00:03:19There are loads of police

00:03:20And it's heavily controlled

00:03:22In terms of who can go in

00:03:25And even who can go out

00:03:27From now on

00:03:32The law dictates that the increased radiation I'm about to experience

00:03:36Must be continually monitored

00:03:38Got the meter for you

00:03:40The zimeter

00:03:41Yeah

00:03:42This is the device that measures your total radiation exposure

00:03:45Your dose

00:03:46So this I have to wear around my neck

00:03:48Yes

00:03:48And this is the Geiger counter

00:03:49Yeah

00:03:50These units measure radiation level

00:03:52It's never zero, right?

00:03:54So there's always a little bit of background radiation all over the world

00:03:57So right now we're measuring 0.13 microsieverts per hour

00:04:01So if radiation levels exceed normal reading

00:04:05It will go off

00:04:06It will start flashing red

00:04:08It will start beeping

00:04:09So you'll never miss that

00:04:10Okay, we're good to go

00:04:12Two worlds

00:04:15I'm about to step over the threshold

00:04:17I'll be spending a week living inside the exclusion zone

00:04:28Which covers an area of more than a thousand square miles

00:04:32Larger than Luxembourg

00:04:35The zone was established in the aftermath

00:04:42Of the worst nuclear disaster in history

00:04:45On April 26th, 1986

00:04:50Chernobyl's reactor number 4 exploded

00:04:53The resulting fire lasted 10 days

00:04:57Releasing 400 times as much radioactive contamination

00:05:00As the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima

00:05:03The entire civilian population

00:05:07In the surrounding towns and villages

00:05:09Was forcibly evacuated

00:05:11Later told never to return

00:05:14Are these radiation signs?

00:05:31Yes, they are

00:05:31Stay away from the warning signs

00:05:34And from now on

00:05:35Don't touch anything

00:05:37I'll be going inside the stricken power plant itself

00:05:41But first

00:05:42I want to visit the ghost

00:05:44Of Chernobyl

00:05:45We're in the city now

00:05:48Yes

00:05:49We are in Pripyat

00:05:50In front of us

00:05:51It's main street of Pripyat

00:05:53This is the main street

00:05:54This is the main street

00:05:55So everything

00:05:56All these trees

00:05:57This is all grown

00:05:58Since it was abandoned

00:05:59Yeah

00:06:00Pripyat was still being constructed

00:06:05When it's 48,000 residents all left

00:06:09It was designed to be the model socialist city

00:06:13A Soviet utopia

00:06:16Never really seen anything like it

00:06:22I've been to war zones

00:06:24I've seen places that have

00:06:26You know

00:06:27Experienced great upheaval and changes

00:06:31But never quite like this

00:06:32I'm imagining

00:06:34Mums and their push chairs

00:06:37And children squealing

00:06:39You know

00:06:39A bustling

00:06:40Place

00:06:41And now look at it

00:06:44I was expecting to see

00:06:56A few derelict buildings

00:06:58But not this

00:06:59This is not even a town

00:07:03This is an entire city

00:07:06With five secondary schools

00:07:08Two sports stadiums

00:07:10And its own palace of culture

00:07:11All left to ruin

00:07:14And consumed by nature

00:07:16That's incredible

00:07:20I'm on a multi-storey school building

00:07:22And there's trees growing

00:07:24Through the floor

00:07:25I do feel like I've gone back in time

00:07:33To me that looks like

00:07:37Sort of dosimetry

00:07:39To test for radiation

00:07:41The great irony is that

00:07:43Everyone here was preparing

00:07:44For a nuclear catastrophe

00:07:47That came from

00:07:48The other side of the Atlantic

00:07:49That would come in the form of a bomb

00:07:51And not in the form of

00:07:53Their own power station

00:07:54Wow

00:08:11Iconic

00:08:15Poignant

00:08:17It's kind of everything this

00:08:19Because this was the theme park

00:08:21That never was

00:08:22The abandoned city of Pripyat

00:08:27Is unlike anywhere I've ever been

00:08:29Life changed here forever

00:08:31A day after the world's worst nuclear disaster

00:08:35By all accounts

00:08:41Pripyat had been a happy, thriving city

00:08:44Full of the hopes and dreams

00:08:46Of a young population

00:08:47The average age was 26

00:08:50It was built just three kilometres

00:08:52From the Chernobyl power plant

00:08:53For workers and their families

00:08:55With brand new facilities

00:08:57To rival the West

00:08:58Wow

00:08:59Back in 1986

00:09:17This was state of the art

00:09:18In the USSR

00:09:20This was unheard of

00:09:21Because Pripyat

00:09:22This was a model town

00:09:24A model city

00:09:25I suppose the comparison

00:09:27In the United Kingdom

00:09:28Is Milton Keynes

00:09:29You know

00:09:30This was built for purpose

00:09:32And the living standards here

00:09:33Were far better than

00:09:34Anywhere else in the

00:09:36Soviet Union

00:09:37It makes me smile more in here

00:09:40Than other places

00:09:42With an air of sadness as well

00:09:45Because there would have been

00:09:46So many happy times

00:09:48That people had in here

00:09:50The Chernobyl No. 4 reactor

00:10:00Exploded in the early hours

00:10:02Of April 26th, 1986

00:10:03When Pripyat awoke

00:10:05Toxic levels of radiation

00:10:07Were already engulfing the area

00:10:09But no warning was given

00:10:11People continued their lives as normal

00:10:14Alexander Sirota

00:10:18Was a nine-year-old schoolboy

00:10:20At the time

00:10:20So what are your memories

00:10:24From the 26th of April 1986

00:10:26So this is a school here

00:10:55This is my class

00:10:57Right through here

00:10:59Yes

00:11:00This is you

00:11:01Yes

00:11:01This is poignant

00:11:03Wow

00:11:05We heard a siren

00:11:09In the open window

00:11:10And I

00:11:12So my one-year-old

00:11:13So my friend

00:11:13So my one-year-old

00:11:13So I

00:11:14Well

00:11:14I was in the same window

00:11:15And we went to the sound of siren

00:11:16We started

00:11:19With the kids

00:11:19With the questions

00:11:20What happened

00:11:21DADINKA

00:11:21What happened

00:11:22And

00:11:24Who-one of them

00:11:25In the end

00:11:25On us

00:11:26On us

00:11:26And said

00:11:27What are you doing

00:11:29On the fire

00:11:30Why are you not

00:11:30At home

00:11:31Or not in school

00:11:31Alexander was sent back to school

00:11:38Despite the fact

00:11:40That radiation levels

00:11:41In the city

00:11:41Had reached alarming levels

00:11:43Incredibly

00:11:44The Soviet authorities

00:11:45Waited 36 hours

00:11:47Before starting an evacuation

00:11:48Can I ask

00:11:51If you

00:11:52Or your family

00:11:52Suffered long-term

00:11:54Health implications

00:11:55I really can't even imagine

00:12:13What he went through

00:12:15That 36-hour delay

00:12:17So much is made about that

00:12:19Without doubt

00:12:20That cost people

00:12:22Their health

00:12:22And probably their lives

00:12:24The Soviet Union

00:12:26Did not want to admit

00:12:28It was embarrassing

00:12:29It wasn't

00:12:30It wasn't Soviet

00:12:32You know

00:12:33A reactor couldn't explode

00:12:34There was disbelief

00:12:35But there was also

00:12:37Denial

00:12:39And

00:12:40Denial

00:12:41Cost lives

00:12:42By the afternoon

00:12:48Confusion had descended

00:12:50On Pripyat

00:12:51No official information

00:12:52Was being provided

00:12:53Other than a small fire

00:12:55On the roof

00:12:56Of the power plant

00:12:57But there was one place

00:12:59In the city

00:12:59That had already been

00:13:00A witness

00:13:01To the terrifying events

00:13:02That were unfolding

00:13:03Oh hello

00:13:06Got company

00:13:07In my mind

00:13:10This is one of the most

00:13:10Significant

00:13:11Buildings really

00:13:13In Pripyat

00:13:13Because this is

00:13:15The hospital

00:13:16Hospital 126

00:13:18Everyone who went

00:13:22To the plant

00:13:22That night

00:13:23To fight

00:13:24The little fire

00:13:25On the roof

00:13:26That we now know

00:13:27Was this

00:13:27This

00:13:28World-shattering

00:13:30Explosion

00:13:30Would have been

00:13:32Taken

00:13:33In this door

00:13:34Remember to just

00:13:42Not touch stuff

00:13:43Yeah

00:13:43In the hours

00:13:49After the explosion

00:13:50108 firefighters

00:13:52And plant workers

00:13:53Suffering from

00:13:54Acute radiation

00:13:55Sickness

00:13:56Were taken

00:13:56Through these

00:13:57Corridors

00:13:58This is the

00:14:03Accident and

00:14:04Emergency

00:14:05Department

00:14:05I'm trying to

00:14:07Imagine

00:14:07The chaos

00:14:09And

00:14:09But also

00:14:10The unknown

00:14:10Really

00:14:11No one really

00:14:11Knew

00:14:12Why all these

00:14:13Firefighters

00:14:13Were coming

00:14:14And why

00:14:14They were

00:14:14Vomiting

00:14:15The contamination

00:14:18They left

00:14:19Is still

00:14:20A danger

00:14:20Today

00:14:21That's the reason

00:14:22I've got a mask

00:14:24On right now

00:14:24All those dust

00:14:25Particles

00:14:25Don't really want

00:14:27Those going

00:14:27Into my nose

00:14:28And mouth

00:14:28Because this is

00:14:29One of the most

00:14:30Radioactive parts

00:14:31Of Pripyat

00:14:31All the first

00:14:32Responders

00:14:32Were heavily

00:14:33Radioactive

00:14:35From fighting

00:14:35Those fires

00:14:36Anyone exposed

00:14:43To radiation

00:14:44At the power

00:14:44Plant

00:14:45Should have

00:14:46Been washed

00:14:46And dressed

00:14:47In uncontaminated

00:14:48Clothing

00:14:48Before they

00:14:49Arrived here

00:14:50That never

00:14:51Happened

00:14:52This is

00:14:53This is

00:14:54Kind of strange

00:14:54There are still

00:14:56The rags

00:14:57That the nurses

00:14:58Were using

00:14:58On the firemen

00:14:59If I use

00:15:00My dosimeter

00:15:01That is picking

00:15:01Up

00:15:02Beta

00:15:03It's already

00:15:08Gone the highest

00:15:09It's been

00:15:09The reading

00:15:11Is 60 times

00:15:12Higher than

00:15:13The average

00:15:13Background radiation

00:15:15Just outside

00:15:16The zone

00:15:16I'm not going

00:15:18To spend

00:15:18Very long

00:15:18In here

00:15:19I'm obviously

00:15:19Being very

00:15:20Sensible

00:15:20But it's

00:15:22The invisibility

00:15:23Of radiation

00:15:24That they would

00:15:26Have had as well

00:15:26They wouldn't

00:15:27Have had a clue

00:15:27They didn't

00:15:28Have these

00:15:29These were

00:15:30Just firemen

00:15:31Who had

00:15:32Burns

00:15:33And an

00:15:33Unknown

00:15:34Symptom

00:15:35That caused

00:15:35Vomiting

00:15:3628 people

00:15:41Brought to

00:15:41This hospital

00:15:42After the

00:15:42Explosion

00:15:43Lost their

00:15:44Lives

00:15:44Within three

00:15:45Months

00:15:46It's unclear

00:15:47How many

00:15:48Would later

00:15:48Suffer ill

00:15:49Health

00:15:49As a result

00:15:50Of their

00:15:50Exposure

00:15:50To radiation

00:15:51That night

00:15:52I think

00:15:57Of all

00:15:58The buildings

00:15:58I've been

00:16:00Into

00:16:00In Pripyat

00:16:01This is

00:16:01The most

00:16:03Chilling

00:16:03The most

00:16:05Haunting

00:16:05Imagine the

00:16:07Horrors

00:16:08That went

00:16:08On in here

00:16:08The number

00:16:09Of lives

00:16:09That were

00:16:10Lost

00:16:10Because this

00:16:11Was a town

00:16:12Of 48,000

00:16:14People

00:16:14In fact

00:16:14They called

00:16:15It a city

00:16:15So there

00:16:16So there would

00:16:16Have been

00:16:17Many

00:16:17Pregnant

00:16:18Women

00:16:18Lots of

00:16:19Newborns

00:16:21And just

00:16:2236 hours

00:16:23After the

00:16:25Accident

00:16:26This

00:16:26Along with

00:16:27The whole

00:16:28City

00:16:28Was evacuated

00:16:30A whole

00:16:30Working

00:16:31Hospital

00:16:31Gone

00:16:32Look at it

00:16:34Now

00:16:34I've been

00:16:42I've been

00:16:42Told that

00:16:42Beneath

00:16:43This pile

00:16:43Of rather

00:16:44Innocent

00:16:44Looking

00:16:45Sand

00:16:45Is the

00:16:45Entrance

00:16:46To the

00:16:46Basement

00:16:46One of

00:16:47The most

00:16:47Toxic

00:16:48Parts

00:16:49Of the

00:16:49Whole

00:16:49Of

00:16:49Chernobyl

00:16:50All of

00:16:50The uniforms

00:16:51From the

00:16:51First

00:16:52Responders

00:16:52The

00:16:53Firefighters

00:16:54So their

00:16:54Boots

00:16:55Their

00:16:55Tunics

00:16:56Their

00:16:56Hats

00:16:56Was

00:16:57Taken

00:16:57Down

00:16:57Into

00:16:58The

00:16:58Basement

00:16:58Where

00:16:59It

00:16:59Was

00:16:59Left

00:17:00Because

00:17:01They

00:17:01Were

00:17:01So

00:17:02Toxic

00:17:03So

00:17:03Radioactive

00:17:04They

00:17:05Couldn't

00:17:05Let

00:17:05Anyone

00:17:05Go

00:17:05Near

00:17:06It

00:17:06The

00:17:07Basement

00:17:07Was

00:17:08Only

00:17:08Sealed

00:17:08A few

00:17:09Years

00:17:09Ago

00:17:09To

00:17:10Stop

00:17:10Trespassers

00:17:11Intent

00:17:12On

00:17:12Venturing

00:17:12Into

00:17:13One

00:17:13Of

00:17:13Chernobyl's

00:17:14Deadliest

00:17:14Sights

00:17:15Nikolai

00:17:16Wants

00:17:16To

00:17:17Show

00:17:17Me

00:17:17Some

00:17:17Footage

00:17:17Of

00:17:18What's

00:17:18Actually

00:17:18Down

00:17:19There

00:17:19This

00:17:21Is

00:17:21The

00:17:21Basement

00:17:22Of

00:17:22The

00:17:22Hospital

00:17:22Before

00:17:23It

00:17:23Was

00:17:23Buried

00:17:23Levels

00:17:25Of

00:17:25Radiation

00:17:25There

00:17:26Are

00:17:26Insanely

00:17:27High

00:17:2772

00:17:30700

00:17:31That's

00:17:31Off

00:17:32The

00:17:32Scale

00:17:32Now

00:17:32You

00:17:33See

00:17:33And

00:17:33That's

00:17:34A

00:17:34Pair

00:17:34Of

00:17:34Fireman's

00:17:35Boots

00:17:36The

00:17:37Main

00:17:37Risk

00:17:37Is

00:17:37Not

00:17:38Even

00:17:38The

00:17:39Dose

00:17:39Of

00:17:39Radiation

00:17:40You

00:17:40Obtain

00:17:40There

00:17:40It's

00:17:41Dust

00:17:41All

00:17:42Those

00:17:43Tiny

00:17:43Particles

00:17:44Of

00:17:44Radiactive

00:17:45Material

00:17:46If

00:17:46You

00:17:46Ingest

00:17:47Any

00:17:47Of

00:17:47Those

00:17:47Even

00:17:48The

00:17:48Microscopic

00:17:49Ones

00:17:49You

00:17:49Cannot

00:17:50See

00:17:50They

00:17:51Are

00:17:51Capable

00:17:52Of

00:17:52Killing

00:17:52Human

00:17:53Be

00:17:53Are

00:17:55These

00:17:56Authorized

00:17:57Individuals

00:17:58No

00:17:59I

00:17:59Pretty

00:18:00Sure

00:18:00They

00:18:00Are

00:18:00Trespassers

00:18:01Because

00:18:02It's

00:18:02Strictly

00:18:03Forbidden

00:18:03To

00:18:03Go

00:18:03There

00:18:04Although

00:18:05In

00:18:05Recent

00:18:06Years

00:18:06Authorities

00:18:07Have

00:18:07Allowed

00:18:07Some

00:18:08Very

00:18:08Strictly

00:18:09Controlled

00:18:09Tours

00:18:10Inside

00:18:10The

00:18:10Wider

00:18:11Zone

00:18:11Area

00:18:11Illegal

00:18:14Thrill

00:18:15Seekers

00:18:15Driven

00:18:16Driven

00:18:16Largely

00:18:16By

00:18:17Social

00:18:17Media

00:18:17Continue

00:18:18To

00:18:18Be

00:18:19A

00:18:19Problem

00:18:19Here

00:18:19I

00:18:20Think

00:18:20These

00:18:21Guys

00:18:21Are

00:18:21Doing

00:18:21It

00:18:22For

00:18:22Adrenaline

00:18:22Attention

00:18:23In

00:18:24Social

00:18:24Media

00:18:25Showing

00:18:25Off

00:18:26That's

00:18:26What

00:18:26Drives

00:18:27People

00:18:27To

00:18:28Take

00:18:28The

00:18:28Risk

00:18:28And

00:18:29Go

00:18:29Down

00:18:30There

00:18:30What

00:18:33About

00:18:33The

00:18:33Fireman's

00:18:34Helmets

00:18:34Are

00:18:35They

00:18:35Down

00:18:35There

00:18:36Was

00:18:36One

00:18:36Helmet

00:18:37That

00:18:37Somebody

00:18:38Took

00:18:39From

00:18:39The

00:18:40Basement

00:18:40And

00:18:41Put

00:18:41On

00:18:41The

00:18:41Ground

00:18:42Floor

00:18:42Of

00:18:42The

00:18:42Hospital

00:18:43Building

00:18:43In

00:18:44Pripyat

00:18:44That

00:18:44Was

00:18:45In

00:18:45Front

00:18:46Of

00:18:46The

00:18:47Main

00:18:47Entrance

00:18:48For

00:18:48Years

00:18:48Now

00:18:49It's

00:18:49Gone

00:18:49Somebody

00:18:50Took

00:18:50It

00:18:51So

00:18:51Somewhere

00:18:52Out

00:18:52There

00:18:52Is

00:18:52A

00:18:53Highly

00:18:53Radio

00:18:54Active

00:18:54Fireman's

00:18:55Helmet

00:18:55Yeah

00:18:56And

00:18:56I

00:18:56Hope

00:18:56That's

00:18:57Within

00:18:57The

00:18:58Zone

00:18:58I

00:18:59Really

00:18:59Hope

00:18:59They

00:19:00Didn't

00:19:00Take

00:19:00It

00:19:00Out

00:19:01Because

00:19:01That's

00:19:02The

00:19:02Worst

00:19:02Case

00:19:03Scenario

00:19:03Because

00:19:03If

00:19:04You

00:19:04Take

00:19:04Something

00:19:04Radiactive

00:19:05From

00:19:05Here

00:19:05It

00:19:06Can

00:19:06Cause

00:19:07A

00:19:07Lot

00:19:07Of

00:19:07Trouble

00:19:08Radiation

00:19:09Has

00:19:09No

00:19:09Taste

00:19:09It's

00:19:10Invisible

00:19:10You

00:19:11Can't

00:19:11See

00:19:11It

00:19:11You

00:19:11Can

00:19:11Smell

00:19:12It

00:19:12The

00:19:13Levels

00:19:13Of

00:19:13Radiation

00:19:14In

00:19:14The

00:19:14Uniforms

00:19:15Are

00:19:15A

00:19:15Sobering

00:19:16Reminder

00:19:16Of

00:19:17Just

00:19:17How

00:19:17Toxic

00:19:18Some

00:19:18Parts

00:19:18Of

00:19:18The

00:19:19Zone

00:19:19Still

00:19:19Are

00:19:19Scientists

00:19:21Predict

00:19:21The

00:19:22Chernobyl

00:19:22Reactor

00:19:23Site

00:19:23Will

00:19:23Be

00:19:23Uninhabitable

00:19:24For

00:19:24At

00:19:25Least

00:19:2520,000

00:19:26Years

00:19:26Containing

00:19:28The

00:19:28Disaster

00:19:29Is

00:19:29Ongoing

00:19:30Almost

00:19:303,000

00:19:31People

00:19:31Still

00:19:32Work

00:19:32At

00:19:32The

00:19:32Power

00:19:32Plant

00:19:33No

00:19:34One

00:19:34Can

00:19:34Stay

00:19:34Within

00:19:3410

00:19:35Kilometers

00:19:35Of

00:19:35The

00:19:35Site

00:19:36And

00:19:36For

00:19:36Some

00:19:36Workers

00:19:37This

00:19:37Is

00:19:37A

00:19:38Way

00:19:38Of

00:19:38Life

00:19:38So

00:19:40You

00:19:40Do

00:19:40This

00:19:40Every

00:19:40Day

00:19:41Basically

00:19:41When

00:19:41You

00:19:42Go

00:19:42Into

00:19:42The

00:19:42Control

00:19:43Zone

00:19:43Clean

00:19:45This

00:19:47Just

00:19:48Analyses

00:19:49What

00:19:50I've

00:19:51Got

00:19:51On

00:19:51Me

00:19:51If

00:19:51I'm

00:19:51Contaminated

00:19:52Or

00:19:52Not

00:19:52That

00:19:53So

00:19:53I'm

00:19:53Clean

00:19:53It's

00:19:55Good

00:19:55News

00:19:56I'm

00:20:01Spending

00:20:01My

00:20:01First

00:20:02Night

00:20:02At

00:20:02One

00:20:02Of

00:20:02The

00:20:02Few

00:20:03Lodgings

00:20:03In

00:20:03The

00:20:04Zone

00:20:04Yes

00:20:09Of

00:20:09Okay

00:20:13To

00:20:13Limit

00:20:18My

00:20:18Dose

00:20:18Of

00:20:18Radiation

00:20:19I'm

00:20:20Only

00:20:20Allowed

00:20:21To

00:20:21Stay

00:20:21In

00:20:21The

00:20:21Zone

00:20:21For

00:20:22Up

00:20:22To

00:20:2214

00:20:22Days

00:20:23At

00:20:23A

00:20:23Time

00:20:23Wow

00:20:30It's

00:20:31Actually

00:20:31A

00:20:31Lot

00:20:31More

00:20:31Comfortable

00:20:32Than I

00:20:32Thought

00:20:32This

00:20:33Was

00:20:33Going

00:20:33To

00:20:33Be

00:20:33But

00:20:38It

00:20:38Is

00:20:38Very

00:20:38Weird

00:20:38That

00:20:39I

00:20:39Am

00:20:39Just

00:20:40A

00:20:40Few

00:20:40Kilometers

00:20:41From

00:20:41The

00:20:43Chernobyl

00:20:44That I

00:20:44Remember

00:20:45Melting down

00:20:46When I

00:20:46Was

00:21:16The

00:21:18The

00:21:18Invisible

00:21:18Threat

00:21:19Of

00:21:19Radiation

00:21:20Is

00:21:20Ever

00:21:20Present

00:21:21In

00:21:21The

00:21:21Zone

00:21:21Tomorrow

00:21:23I'm

00:21:23Going

00:21:24To

00:21:24The

00:21:24Very

00:21:24Heart

00:21:25Of

00:21:25Where

00:21:26It

00:21:26All

00:21:26Started

00:21:26The

00:21:37Chernobyl

00:21:37Exclusion

00:21:38Zone

00:21:38Is

00:21:39A

00:21:39Strange

00:21:39And

00:21:40Unsettling

00:21:40Place

00:21:41Filled

00:21:42With

00:21:42Haunting

00:21:42Human

00:21:43Stories

00:21:43Of

00:21:44A

00:21:44Paradise

00:21:44Lost

00:21:45I

00:21:48Want

00:21:49To

00:21:49Get

00:21:49Closer

00:21:49To

00:21:50The

00:21:50Events

00:21:50That

00:21:50Actually

00:21:51Unfolded

00:21:51In

00:21:52The

00:21:52Early

00:21:52Hours

00:21:52Of

00:21:53April

00:21:5326th

00:21:541986

00:21:54And

00:21:55So

00:21:55That

00:21:56Can

00:21:56Only

00:21:56Lead

00:21:57Me

00:21:57To

00:21:57One

00:21:57Place

00:21:58The

00:22:01Chernobyl

00:22:01Nuclear

00:22:02Power

00:22:02Plant

00:22:02Itself

00:22:03This

00:22:07Back

00:22:07In

00:22:081986

00:22:08Was

00:22:10Ground

00:22:11Zero

00:22:11When

00:22:13The

00:22:13Roof

00:22:13Blew

00:22:14Off

00:22:14That

00:22:15Was

00:22:15One

00:22:16Of

00:22:16The

00:22:16Things

00:22:16That

00:22:17We

00:22:17Were

00:22:17Most

00:22:17Fearful

00:22:18Of

00:22:18Thousands

00:22:20Of

00:22:20Miles

00:22:20Away

00:22:20In

00:22:21The

00:22:21UK

00:22:22I

00:22:22Remember

00:22:23Being

00:22:23Terrified

00:22:23Of

00:22:23It

00:22:23What

00:22:24Happens

00:22:24If

00:22:24That

00:22:25Reached

00:22:26Me

00:22:26Now

00:22:28I'm

00:22:28Here

00:22:28I'm

00:22:30Gonna

00:22:32Go

00:22:32In

00:22:32There

00:22:33How

00:22:34Mad

00:22:34Is

00:22:34That

00:22:35An

00:22:44An

00:22:44Enormous

00:22:44Steel

00:22:45Arch

00:22:45Now

00:22:45Shields

00:22:46The

00:22:46Highly

00:22:47Radioactive

00:22:47Remains

00:22:48Of

00:22:48Chernobyl's

00:22:49Doomed

00:22:49Number

00:22:49Four

00:22:50Reactor

00:22:50Unit

00:22:50I've

00:22:52Been

00:22:52Given

00:22:52Special

00:22:53Permission

00:22:53To

00:22:53Go

00:22:53Inside

00:22:54The

00:22:54Actual

00:22:55Control

00:22:55Room

00:22:55Where

00:22:56The

00:22:56Disaster

00:22:57Unfolded

00:22:57Which

00:22:58For

00:22:58Decades

00:22:59Has

00:22:59Been

00:22:59Completely

00:23:00Off

00:23:00Limits

00:23:00I'm

00:23:05Heading

00:23:05Into

00:23:05The

00:23:06Inner

00:23:06Workings

00:23:07Of

00:23:07Chernobyl

00:23:08So

00:23:09You

00:23:09Have

00:23:09To

00:23:09Make

00:23:09Sure

00:23:10There

00:23:11Is

00:23:11Nothing

00:23:12That

00:23:14Can

00:23:14Be

00:23:15Contaminated

00:23:16So

00:23:16I've

00:23:17Had

00:23:17To

00:23:17Anything

00:23:18I'm

00:23:18Wearing

00:23:18Of

00:23:18My

00:23:19Own

00:23:19Is

00:23:19My

00:23:19Pants

00:23:19They

00:23:22May

00:23:22Need

00:23:22To

00:23:22Be

00:23:22Changed

00:23:23After

00:23:23This

00:23:23Okay

00:23:26Are

00:23:27You

00:23:27Ready

00:23:27I

00:23:28Think

00:23:28So

00:23:29From

00:23:35Now

00:23:36On

00:23:36We

00:23:36Have

00:23:36To

00:23:37Move

00:23:37Quickly

00:23:37The

00:23:38Power

00:23:38Plant

00:23:39Is

00:23:39Vast

00:23:39And

00:23:40My

00:23:40Permitted

00:23:40Dose

00:23:41Of

00:23:41Radiation

00:23:41Strictly

00:23:42Controlled

00:23:43This

00:23:46Is

00:23:46Pretty

00:23:46Extraordinary

00:23:47This

00:23:47To

00:23:47Be

00:23:49Given

00:23:49Access

00:23:50Into

00:23:51The

00:23:52Workings

00:23:53Of

00:23:54Chernobyl

00:23:54Pretty

00:23:56Amazing

00:23:56Lots

00:24:00Of

00:24:00Activity

00:24:00Here

00:24:01There's

00:24:01Lots

00:24:01Of

00:24:01People

00:24:02Working

00:24:03Here

00:24:04Obviously

00:24:04Ensuring

00:24:05That

00:24:05It's

00:24:06Safe

00:24:06Wow

00:24:08It's

00:24:09Endless

00:24:09This

00:24:09Is

00:24:10The

00:24:10Golden

00:24:10Corridor

00:24:11The

00:24:12800

00:24:13Metre

00:24:13So

00:24:14Called

00:24:14Golden

00:24:14Corridor

00:24:15Links

00:24:16What

00:24:16Remains

00:24:16Of

00:24:17Chernobyl's

00:24:17Reactor

00:24:18Four

00:24:18To

00:24:18Its

00:24:19Three

00:24:19Other

00:24:19Reactors

00:24:20Which

00:24:20Were

00:24:20Largely

00:24:21Undamaged

00:24:21In

00:24:22The

00:24:22Explosion

00:24:22I'll

00:24:34Only

00:24:34Have

00:24:34A

00:24:34Very

00:24:35Limited

00:24:35And

00:24:35Restricted

00:24:36Time

00:24:36Inside

00:24:37The

00:24:37Heavily

00:24:38Contaminated

00:24:38Shell

00:24:39Of

00:24:39Control

00:24:39Room

00:24:40Four

00:24:40So

00:24:45Engineer

00:24:46Valery

00:24:47Kuleshenka

00:24:47First

00:24:48Takes

00:24:48Me

00:24:49To

00:24:49See

00:24:49What

00:24:49It

00:24:49Would

00:24:50Have

00:24:50Looked

00:24:50Like

00:24:50Feels

00:24:57Like

00:24:58Going

00:24:58Back

00:24:58In

00:24:58Time

00:24:59Now

00:24:59So

00:24:59This

00:24:59Is

00:25:00The

00:25:00Control

00:25:01Room

00:25:01Of

00:25:02Reactor

00:25:02Number

00:25:03Three

00:25:03The

00:25:04Sister

00:25:04Reactor

00:25:05To

00:25:05The

00:25:05One

00:25:06That

00:25:06Exploded

00:25:06On

00:25:07The

00:25:07Night

00:25:08Of

00:25:08The

00:25:08Accident

00:25:08Up

00:25:09The

00:25:09Corridor

00:25:10In

00:25:10Control

00:25:10Room

00:25:11Number

00:25:11Four

00:25:11Engineers

00:25:12Were

00:25:13Carrying

00:25:13Out

00:25:13Complex

00:25:14Reactor

00:25:14Tests

00:25:15That

00:25:15Were

00:25:15Spiraling

00:25:16Out

00:25:16Of

00:25:16Control

00:25:17As

00:25:18An

00:25:18Exact

00:25:18Mirror

00:25:19To

00:25:19Control

00:25:19Room

00:25:20Number

00:25:20Four

00:25:20This

00:25:21Was

00:25:22The

00:25:22Button

00:25:22That

00:25:23Doomed

00:25:24Chernobyl

00:25:24This

00:25:25Unprecedented

00:25:26Chain

00:25:26Of

00:25:27Events

00:25:27Had

00:25:27Begun

00:25:27And

00:25:28The

00:25:28Final

00:25:29Decision

00:25:29Was

00:25:29Made

00:25:29To

00:25:30Shut

00:25:30It

00:25:30Down

00:25:31The

00:25:31Button

00:25:31Was

00:25:32Turned

00:25:32And

00:25:36That

00:25:36Was

00:25:36It

00:25:37Disaster

00:25:38The

00:25:46The

00:25:46Shut

00:25:46Down

00:25:46Triggered

00:25:47A

00:25:47Massive

00:25:47Power

00:25:48Surge

00:25:48Oh

00:25:49My

00:25:49Goodness

00:25:50The

00:25:51Core

00:25:51Overheated

00:25:52And

00:25:52Seconds

00:25:53Later

00:25:53The

00:25:54First

00:25:54Explosion

00:25:55Followed

00:25:56Soon

00:25:56After

00:25:56By

00:25:56A

00:25:57Second

00:26:57The

00:26:58Hairs

00:26:58Were

00:26:58Killed

00:26:59Instantly

00:26:59In

00:27:00Explosion

00:27:00While

00:27:00The

00:27:00Night

00:27:00Shift

00:27:01In

00:27:01Control

00:27:01Room

00:27:01Number

00:27:02Four

00:27:02Were

00:27:02Exposed

00:27:03To

00:27:03Lethal

00:27:04Levels

00:27:04Of

00:27:04Radiation

00:27:05So

00:27:07There's

00:27:07A

00:27:07Little

00:27:08Hatch

00:27:08Here

00:27:08It

00:27:09Looks

00:27:09Like

00:27:09I'm

00:27:09Going

00:27:09To

00:27:09Be

00:27:10Given

00:27:10Another

00:27:10Dosimeter

00:27:11Kind

00:27:12Of

00:27:12Shows

00:27:12That

00:27:13I'm

00:27:13Now

00:27:13Heading

00:27:13Into

00:27:13More

00:27:14Vulnerable

00:27:14Parts

00:27:15Of

00:27:15Chernobyl

00:27:16Much

00:27:17Higher

00:27:17Radiation

00:27:18Where

00:27:18We're

00:27:18Going

00:27:19Now

00:27:19I'm

00:27:21Now

00:27:21Heading

00:27:22Into

00:27:22The

00:27:22Heart

00:27:23Of

00:27:23The

00:27:23Chernobyl

00:27:23Story

00:27:24Through

00:27:24Here

00:27:24Where

00:27:25Many

00:27:25Of

00:27:26The

00:27:26Decisions

00:27:26And

00:27:26Actions

00:27:27That

00:27:27Led

00:27:27To

00:27:27The

00:27:28Disaster

00:27:28Played

00:27:29Out

00:27:29So

00:27:30This

00:27:30Door

00:27:31Into

00:27:31Control

00:27:32Room

00:27:32Number

00:27:33Four

00:27:34I

00:27:34Mean

00:27:37This

00:27:37Is

00:27:37Pretty

00:27:37Extraordinary

00:27:38Because

00:27:38Beyond

00:27:39This

00:27:39Door

00:27:40Is

00:27:41A

00:27:41Control

00:27:42Room

00:27:42That

00:27:42Changed

00:27:43The

00:27:43World

00:27:43I

00:27:44Mean

00:27:44This

00:27:45Is

00:27:46Unbelievable

00:27:46Goodness

00:27:57Me

00:27:57I

00:28:00Don't

00:28:01Have

00:28:01Long

00:28:01To

00:28:01Take

00:28:02It

00:28:02In

00:28:02We

00:28:03Have

00:28:04Not

00:28:04More

00:28:04Than

00:28:04Five

00:28:05Minutes

00:28:05Five

00:28:06Minutes

00:28:06To

00:28:07Absorb

00:28:07All

00:28:07Of

00:28:07This

00:28:08Wow

00:28:08In

00:28:13Terms

00:28:14Of

00:28:14Places

00:28:14Of

00:28:15Historical

00:28:16Significance

00:28:18This

00:28:18Is

00:28:18Right

00:28:19Up

00:28:19There

00:28:19Because

00:28:20Arguably

00:28:21This

00:28:22Was

00:28:23The

00:28:23Location

00:28:24Of

00:28:24The

00:28:24World's

00:28:24Greatest

00:28:25Mistake

00:28:25This

00:28:53This is Wiccan area of reactor operator.

00:28:57Oh, my goodness. It's a time capsule.

00:29:00Lots of things have been removed.

00:29:02Where are they?

00:29:04Stolen over the years.

00:29:07It's hard to even imagine the terrifying events

00:29:10that took place here.

00:29:12The panic, the fear, the horrific effects of radiation.

00:29:17The reading's pretty high in here.

00:29:18It's about as high as I've seen during my whole time.

00:29:23Around Chernobyl.

00:29:25But what a profound, extraordinary, moving place.

00:29:31Look at this.

00:29:34One minute only.

00:29:37Soviet authorities blamed the disaster

00:29:39on an inexperienced night shift failing to follow safety protocols.

00:29:44But was it human error?

00:29:46Flaws in the design?

00:29:47Or was the Soviet nuclear program's technology just unstable?

00:29:52Time to go.

00:29:54Then my time was up.

00:29:58OK, we've got to go.

00:30:00I doubt I'll ever come back into here.

00:30:02But, wow.

00:30:04What an experience.

00:30:06It's a reminder, I suppose, of our mortality.

00:30:10I'll be returning to the power plant later in my journey

00:30:20to see something perhaps even more extraordinary.

00:30:23The tomb of the doomed reactor deeper inside the huge steel arch.

00:30:28There are very few people who witnessed firsthand the events of that night

00:30:44and lived to tell their story.

00:30:46I'm returning to the ghost town of Pripyat to meet one person that did.

00:30:54So this is the police station.

00:30:58A former policeman called Alexei Moskalenko.

00:31:01Alexei was a 29-year-old officer with a young family when the disaster happened.

00:31:16This is a so-called monster.

00:31:20Incredibly, he was on patrol directly outside the power station when reactor 4 exploded.

00:31:26시 the storm came into his arms.

00:31:28He did not know that the reactor was exploded.

00:31:32He does not know.

00:31:33He could fly with red holes and I started to feel that my face constantly burns.

00:31:39All the blood cells were visible, at least for a moment.

00:31:42As a wound, I started to see the validity of the dead skin.

00:31:44Well, then, there was a pain in the face, and a radioactive pain in the face.

00:31:52Despite his injuries, long after his own family had been evacuated,

00:31:57Alexei stayed on in Pripyat to police the enormous, life-threatening clean-up operation.

00:32:04Where are we going now?

00:32:14So, this, this is the claw.

00:32:19Apparently, this grappling claw was attached to a crane

00:32:23and used to handle large chunks of ultra-radioactive graphite ejected by the explosion.

00:32:29Does that not mean that this is highly radioactive?

00:32:32Of course.

00:32:38There's more in the middle, but there's more.

00:32:42Oh, yeah.

00:32:48OK.

00:32:49I don't want you to overdo it.

00:32:51That was as high as I've seen it.

00:33:04Toxic debris was scattered all over the roof of Reactor 3,

00:33:08spewing out lethal doses of radiation.

00:33:12Attempts to use robots to clear the area failed.

00:33:15So, another method was needed.

00:33:17The army of people drafted in for the deadly task became known as the liquidators.

00:33:20Every shovel they used, and every item of makeshift

00:33:24and every item of makeshift gunpowder,

00:33:27the army of people drafted in for the deadly task became known as the liquidators.

00:33:33Every shovel they used and every item of makeshift protective clothing they wore

00:33:38had to be safely disposed of after each potentially fatal mission.

00:33:42Thousands of liquidators are thought to have died as a result of exposure to radiation.

00:33:47Do you think people sacrificed their lives because they had to, or did they do it for their country?

00:34:08Did you sacrifice your health?

00:34:21Did you sacrifice your health?

00:34:29You were given five years.

00:34:31That's just incredible.

00:34:42I mean, to meet someone who not only experienced it firsthand,

00:34:46but came back, was given five years to live,

00:34:50I really can't even imagine what he went through.

00:34:54It was just a duty of humanity.

00:35:00So, what he did was arguably for all of us, really, to help contain it,

00:35:05and that's what the liquidators did.

00:35:08And they're the real unsung heroes of this whole sorry story.

00:35:20Cleared by the liquidators as best they could,

00:35:23deep in the Chernobyl exclusion zone,

00:35:26it's still referred to as a toxic dead zone.

00:35:30But just how true is that?

00:35:32Tomorrow, I'm going somewhere that might well turn everything on its head.

00:35:37Could people actually still be living here?

00:35:53My exclusion zone lodgings are in the tiny town of Chernobyl,

00:35:58after which the power plant itself was named.

00:36:02Still inside the zone, it was also evacuated.

00:36:05But being 14 kilometres away didn't suffer the total abandonment seen in Pripyat.

00:36:10It has a very strange feel here.

00:36:15It feels like we're the only people here.

00:36:19Showing me around is Kate Goncharienka,

00:36:22whose father and grandparents were forcibly relocated after the accident.

00:36:26This looks like it's a working building over here.

00:36:29Yeah, yeah, exactly.

00:36:30This is the post office of Chernobyl town.

00:36:33And generally, that's the one post office for the whole area.

00:36:37And above the window, you can see the screen.

00:36:41Usually, when we see such a screen at the post office,

00:36:43we expect to see the time there.

00:36:45But as long as we are in the exclusion zone,

00:36:47we see the level of radiation in the different parts of the exclusion zone.

00:36:54That's kind of mad.

00:36:55So, basically, what my little dosometer is doing here,

00:36:59that's telling me every single part and region of the entire exclusion zone.

00:37:05Exactly. You're getting it right.

00:37:09No-one is allowed to stay here for more than two weeks at a time.

00:37:13But there is a local shop.

00:37:14This is a proper supermarket. Hello.

00:37:18Hello.

00:37:19Look, everything you could need.

00:37:20Knives, biscuits, a lot of alcohol.

00:37:23Yeah.

00:37:27Do you just come here for two weeks at a time?

00:37:30No.

00:37:31How do you feel working here?

00:37:36I think I'm going to get myself a little something sweet.

00:37:40Do you fancy anything, Kate?

00:37:41I guess one of this.

00:37:42Yeah.

00:37:43Yeah.

00:37:46I love that she's using an abacus.

00:37:48Yeah.

00:37:50Well, it's stepping back in time.

00:37:5226.

00:37:55Thank you so much.

00:37:56Bye-bye.

00:37:57Bye-bye.

00:38:02It's against the law to live inside the zone,

00:38:04but Kate is taking me to the crumbling outskirts of Chernobyl to meet one woman who is defying the authorities.

00:38:12Look at all these derelict houses here.

00:38:17This is the house of Valentina, one of the resettlers, the people who came back and continue living in their homes.

00:38:24Let's go.

00:38:25Look, she's got a cat.

00:38:26Yeah.

00:38:27I didn't really think that there were resettlers, as in people who moved back here permanently.

00:38:41It still feels like this is a dead zone.

00:38:45You know, the fact that I'm walking around with this, monitoring the amount of radioactivity that I'm absorbing, but Valentina lives here.

00:38:54It's kind of quite a lot to get your head around.

00:38:57Shall we?

00:38:58Yes.

00:39:00Thank you very much for letting me come into your house.

00:39:04Valentina moved back to the zone soon after the disaster.

00:39:07Her late husband found work here as a liquidator.

00:39:11Hello, little dog.

00:39:12Who ate all the pies?

00:39:14Valentina, what is your dog called?

00:39:16Dana.

00:39:17Dana.

00:39:18I can't quite work it out.

00:39:19It's like a chihuahua corgi cross.

00:39:21There's lots of bottles of water.

00:39:24Do you drink from the tap?

00:39:35Valentina does have electricity, and friends bring food in from outside, but it's a humble existence.

00:39:43So, Valentina, why did you choose to return to a place so close to Chernobyl power station?

00:40:01Does it ever feel sad here or lonely here?

00:40:04Will you ever leave here?

00:40:05No, no, no, no.

00:40:06Will you ever leave here?

00:40:07No, no, no.

00:40:08I'm here.

00:40:09I live here, as if there are siblings and siblings next to us.

00:40:13Many people suffered, and many of them died.

00:40:17It was very difficult when you were left of your mother, not because you wanted yourself, but it was a big one.

00:40:24And this gave more pressure than the nuclear radiation.

00:40:29Will you ever leave here?

00:40:30No, no.

00:40:31Never.

00:40:32I'm here.

00:40:33I'm here.

00:40:34I'm here.

00:40:35I'll die.

00:40:36All right.

00:40:37Around 200 resettlers still live in the zone, one of the most toxic places on earth.

00:40:44Already, they've lived longer on average than those who never returned.

00:40:48She also offers us some vodka.

00:40:51When in Ukraine, I feel like I must take a little bit of vodka.

00:40:55These labels look a little bit scary.

00:40:57Isn't that for electricity?

00:40:58Electricity, yeah.

00:41:01I think Valentina is keen to show me that there can be a kind of normality here.

00:41:06Is this Ukrainian hospitality?

00:41:08Exactly.

00:41:09My goodness, that's quite a lot.

00:41:12Is she trying to get me drunk?

00:41:14Exactly.

00:41:15Thank you very much.

00:41:16How do we say cheers in Ukrainian?

00:41:18Budjmo.

00:41:19Budjmo.

00:41:20OK.

00:41:27Wow.

00:41:28And you should eat something as well.

00:41:30Oh, should I eat something as well?

00:41:31Yeah.

00:41:32OK, I need to.

00:41:33That was quite strong.

00:41:37Valentina has one more treat for me.

00:41:40Oh, my God.

00:41:41Is this the entertainment?

00:41:44It's a lot of poi.

00:41:45Ably assisted by Dana.

00:41:46BIRDLE

00:41:47BIRDLE

00:41:53BIRDLE

00:41:54BIRDLE

00:41:57BIRDLE

00:42:08BIRDLE

00:42:10I'll never forget that.

00:42:17Take care.

00:42:24It's kind of amazing.

00:42:26So much love and humor and humanity and normalness.

00:42:32And then this, which is kind of what people expect to see in Chernobyl,

00:42:37abandonment and derelict buildings,

00:42:41it's kind of a tale of two worlds, isn't it?

00:42:43And it's just completely unexpected,

00:42:46that, because that's such a sign of kind of hope and beauty

00:42:50amid such wretchedness, kind of flips it all on its head.

00:43:02Self-settlers like Valentina show that life can still exist here.

00:43:06But I'm learning of a newer generation who also want to connect to this strange place.

00:43:12This evening, I'm returning to the ghost town of Pripyat.

00:43:16No-one can enter here without a government permit.

00:43:20But not everyone heeds the rules.

00:43:22What I've slowly realised being here is that although it is a deserted city,

00:43:28stuff still happens here.

00:43:31And police patrols are one of the realities,

00:43:34because a deserted city attracts people for the wrong reasons.

00:43:40And I'm curious to find out what sort of people do come here and why.

00:43:43Ukrainian police carry out 24-hour surveillance at Pripyat.

00:43:49Wow.

00:43:50Officer Mihaela Kuznienka and his team are on the night shift.

00:43:54So what kind of things do people get up to here?

00:43:56The illegal trespassers are known as stalkers.

00:44:11There is security.

00:44:12They operate in groups, creating makeshift living quarters inside buildings.

00:44:17So this is our home.

00:44:18And even sleeping there.

00:44:19Oh.

00:44:20Stalkers seek out the most dangerous and inaccessible places.

00:44:21Ooh.

00:44:22Better as well.

00:44:23To get their thrills.

00:44:24150 meters.

00:44:25The dangers of the dangerous and inaccessible.

00:44:26The dangerous and dangerous are known as stalkers.

00:44:27They operate in groups, creating makeshift living quarters inside buildings.

00:44:32So this is our home.

00:44:36And even sleeping there.

00:44:38Oh.

00:44:40Stalkers seek out the most dangerous and inaccessible places.

00:44:44Ooh.

00:44:45Better as well.

00:44:47To get their thrills.

00:44:48150 meters.

00:44:51The dangers are clearly massive.

00:44:54OK.

00:44:55We need to go.

00:44:56Tonight, Mihaela's team believes some have been staying in a high rise on the outskirts of

00:45:03the city.

00:45:04Going in.

00:45:21This is so strange.

00:45:22Kind of going from apartment to apartment.

00:45:31Looking for people.

00:45:34People have been graffitiing here.

00:45:49They're pretty certain that there is someone around.

00:45:54There's fresh footprints.

00:45:56Fresh signs of people being here.

00:45:59Oh, look.

00:46:00Oh, you can see someone's been staying in here.

00:46:01Oh, yes.

00:46:02This is the Chernobyl squatter.

00:46:03Who would have thought?

00:46:04It's a sight to Chernobyl.

00:46:05I never even considered that people would be attracted here for the thrill of staying

00:46:22over.

00:46:23I mean, pretty astonishing views.

00:46:25I'm drawn to the window.

00:46:26Wow.

00:46:27There's a little sledge, right?

00:46:30Very easy to lose face of the fact that this was once a thriving block of flats.

00:46:48Oh, yeah, look.

00:46:55So this is pretty strange.

00:46:57I can't quite make heads nor tails.

00:47:00I don't think any books or anything were left in this building.

00:47:03Everything was kind of taken.

00:47:04So it's almost like they've created this little thing.

00:47:08It's got the original Soviet flag.

00:47:10It's got a map of Pripyat.

00:47:12This is the social media effect.

00:47:15And it's even reached Chernobyl.

00:47:18Because people want to come here.

00:47:20They want to make videos.

00:47:21They want to show off.

00:47:23They want to create dangerous stunts.

00:47:27And actually, this is sort of their playground.

00:47:31That's a post-disaster effect nowadays.

00:47:41The problem is so widespread.

00:47:43It's common for the police to arrest at least one stalker on every patrol.

00:47:48If they get caught, do they get arrested?

00:48:18The darkness has set in and it has a whole different feel now.

00:48:25It's getting late.

00:48:28And with no arrests tonight, the police head off to patrol other parts of the zone.

00:48:33I think it's fair to say that's the strangest, most surreal night patrol I've ever been on.

00:48:40Yeah, it's just a whole other face to Chernobyl.

00:48:43The stalkers might have eluded us tonight, but we have another plan to track them down.

00:48:52Car, you're running.

00:48:55Nikolai Maiminder reckons that tomorrow morning will definitely snare us our stalker.

00:49:01I'm spending a week living inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

00:49:16A toxic wasteland that I've discovered is now a major attraction for illegal sightseers and thrill seekers.

00:49:23I want to understand why these so-called stalkers come here and what Chernobyl means to the generation who weren't around at the time of the accident.

00:49:36Nikolai has managed to track down a stalker through social media and he's willing to talk to me.

00:49:42He's there.

00:49:44Down here somewhere?

00:49:45Yes, on his way back from the zone.

00:49:49Stalkers enter the zone illegally, so we're meeting just outside the border.

00:49:54Apparently they're on their way back from Pripyat.

00:49:57So they may well have been there when I was there.

00:50:01Hey, look out there.

00:50:03Hey!

00:50:06No, no, we're good.

00:50:07OK.

00:50:08How long were you in Pripyat for?

00:50:13Four days.

00:50:14Four days.

00:50:15And when you're in Pripyat, where do you stay?

00:50:18In my apartment.

00:50:19Yes.

00:50:20I can show you my videos from there.

00:50:22Oh, yes.

00:50:23This is my house where we live.

00:50:27Good morning.

00:50:28So we leave this house.

00:50:31How did you get in?

00:50:33The legal way.

00:50:34From the perimeter fence, it's around 30 kilometres to Pripyat.

00:50:43The zone is a vast wilderness.

00:50:45To avoid the police, stalkers must trek through toxic forests and cross ice-cold rivers.

00:50:52Now it's maybe zero degree.

00:50:55So crossing the river in your pants, it's going to be cold?

00:50:59Water was this deep.

00:51:01And this backpack, I turn in my hand and go across this river.

00:51:08You don't understand how it's cold.

00:51:12Why do you do it?

00:51:14For me, this is like new adventure.

00:51:16And every time, it's very different.

00:51:18For example, I find police and run away.

00:51:21The second time, I meet many stalkers also illegally.

00:51:26It's like adventure and shock for me.

00:51:29Reaching Pripyat is the stalker's holy grail.

00:51:33I show you the highest point.

00:51:35A place where they can share their extreme thrill-seeking on social media.

00:51:39You can see how this construction move.

00:51:42The dangers of this illegal trespass are clear.

00:51:46That must be scary up there.

00:51:48Wow, look at that.

00:51:49Look at that.

00:51:53Do you not worry about radiation?

00:51:55I know various dangers.

00:51:57And it's like four days of radiation that kill you.

00:52:00So why not?

00:52:03See you.

00:52:04Fascinating, that.

00:52:05Here, I suppose, is a modern Ukrainian youth who's embracing 2020, 2021 and social media and making videos and keeping stories alive.

00:52:21It's a form of history-telling, isn't it?

00:52:24Really.

00:52:26It's the new world meeting the old world.

00:52:28It's kind of cool.

00:52:30And weird.

00:52:32And unexpected.

00:52:33I'm back inside the zone.

00:52:42Its size still astounds me.

00:52:45A thousand square miles of crumbling villages, toxic forests and abandoned farmland.

00:52:52But when the eyes of the world turned to Chernobyl, they found far more here than just a ruined nuclear plant.

00:52:59In a remote part of the zone, Nikolai has special knowledge of something that was once classified at the highest level.

00:53:10We're off to see something secret.

00:53:13Remain of the Cold War.

00:53:15It's truly amazing.

00:53:17I'm going to a site that, at the time of the Chernobyl disaster, was marked on Soviet maps as a children's camp.

00:53:26Wow.

00:53:29It had quite a climbing frame.

00:53:32You guys don't do things by halves.

00:53:35This is an amazing feat of Soviet engineering.

00:53:38The scale of this place, I feel dwarfed by it.

00:53:42It's like a 50-storey building.

00:53:47So what exactly is this?

00:53:49During the Cold War, this was able to detect incoming missiles in case of nuclear strike.

00:53:54The purpose of this was to give a seven-minute warning to the Soviet authorities.

00:54:01And this was a technology available only in the Soviet Union.

00:54:05So Americans didn't have anything like this.

00:54:07The huge radar receiver was built around the same time as the power plant, helping to conceal from the Americans the 14,000 tons of steel that needed to be brought on site for its construction.

00:54:20It stands 150 meters high and nearly a kilometer wide.

00:54:25So how did this actually work?

00:54:27Radio waves?

00:54:28Yes.

00:54:29And the radio geeks in the 80s, with their radio scanners, could hear the sound of the radar station.

00:54:35Some people were calling it a Russian woodpecker because it sounded a bit like woodpecker, and it was clearly coming from Russia.

00:54:43So that's why Russian woodpecker.

00:54:45If you were picking that up, if you're a ham radio operator in America, I can see how you'd start thinking, what is this?

00:54:53Did the Americans know about this? When did they first see it?

00:54:56After the meltdown, when all the spy satellites turned their eyes here, they suddenly discovered this massive frame in the middle of nowhere.

00:55:04That was quite a surprise, because of its size and weird look.

00:55:11There are many conspiracy theories, so some people believe that this was a mind controller, like a brain scorcher of the Soviet Union,

00:55:21that was operating radio waves to control and change human behavior.

00:55:25I'm trying to imagine the people who thought it could control your mind.

00:55:29I feel I need a vodka now.

00:55:31You do.

00:55:32Has it affected me?

00:55:34We're 100% sure it's not operating now, and we can sleep tight tonight, you know.

00:55:40We're not zombies yet.

00:55:48The radar network is another example of the Soviets looking the wrong way.

00:55:53While they scanned the horizon for the incoming threat, it was actually the failure of their own nuclear technology

00:55:59that ultimately led to the disaster they all feared.

00:56:02Now, there's just one truly extraordinary place I'm yet to visit, somewhere that very few will ever get the opportunity to see.

00:56:17Tomorrow, I'm going directly beneath the vast Chernobyl radiation shield, getting as close as is possible to the very epicenter of the explosion.

00:56:26I'm returning to the Chernobyl power plant to gain access to something off-limits to almost all outsiders.

00:56:46Deep inside the enormous steel arch known as the new safe confinement is the entombed remains of the ruined reactor itself, the very epicenter of the explosion.

00:56:59After months of discussion, I've been granted just a few minutes inside.

00:57:11This is pretty special to be allowed to go into there.

00:57:14That's why there's kind of lots of people keeping an eye on me, lots of paperwork.

00:57:19It's taken a long time to get these permissions.

00:57:24Directly underneath the arch, radiation levels are even higher than control room number four.

00:57:29It's kind of like going to war.

00:57:30I think we're about to head into the final area.

00:57:36Oh, wow.

00:57:37Oh, my goodness.

00:57:38This, this is unbelievable.

00:57:43I mean, I can't, I can't quite believe I'm actually in here.

00:57:51This is unbelievable.

00:57:56I mean, I can't, I can't quite believe I'm actually in here.

00:58:04Behind the scaffold is the crumbling concrete sarcophagus that was hastily erected to entomb the blown apart reactor.

00:58:14If you could hear that beeping, that was everyone's dosimeters from outside going off because it's off the scale in here.

00:58:20You are up to 85, almost 90.

00:58:25Over time, and exposed to the elements, the concrete sarcophagus has deteriorated and is teetering on collapse.

00:58:35The entire structure will be painstakingly disassembled.

00:58:39It's still hot radioactive core removed and placed in special storage facilities.

00:58:44So, when the workers eventually start to dismantle this, how long can each worker spend doing their job?

00:58:54Most of the stuff during dismantling will be done remotely using that cranes and all equipment which you could put on cranes.

00:59:03Well, it will all be robotics? Yeah.

00:59:07Very slowly, everything will be picked apart.

00:59:11This is modern-day liquidators. This is history repeating itself.

00:59:15All those men that were sweeping the debris off the roof, it's going to happen again.

00:59:19Spearheaded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, over 40 countries came together to fund the £1.3 billion arch.

00:59:29For at least the next century, this extraordinary feat of mega-engineering will protect and enable the radioactive ruins of Reactor 4 to eventually be made safe.

00:59:40I'm trying to explain to you now my emotions. It's really weird because I feel surprisingly emotional.

00:59:48To see what is arguably a wretched, terrible place.

00:59:55But what I see coming in here is hope. And that's what I love.

00:59:58Because this is the hope of what technology can do.

01:00:02This is the hope of what people collaborating, multi-nations came together to create this dome and protect it for another hundred years.

01:00:11And isn't that incredible that over the next couple of decades, robots, you know, AI, artificial intelligence that so many people think could ruin the world, could actually help save it and preserve it.

01:00:26So my emotions right now are of great pride for this country, for everyone who worked on it.

01:00:36And showing what humanity can do.

01:00:39We've got about 30 seconds left in here. You can hear everyone's dosimeters going off.

01:00:51Whew, gosh. Chris, we have to get out.

01:00:55Chris, we've got to go. Yeah.

01:00:58Our time is up.

01:01:04Everything is checked for contamination.

01:01:08But we are all clear.

01:01:09The Chernobyl exclusion zone is still a long way

01:01:18from being a safe, habitable environment,

01:01:21but slowly green shoots are emerging.

01:01:24The wider zone itself has become a giant laboratory

01:01:27where scientists and conservationists

01:01:30can now safely study the effects of radiation

01:01:33and what happens to nature when humans disappear.

01:01:36What is this we're going into now, Marina?

01:01:49Biologist Marina Skrivria has been studying wildlife in the zone.

01:01:55So all of this here has grown since this was abandoned.

01:02:06What's interesting is when I look at my dosimeter,

01:02:12it's a little bit higher in here, perhaps.

01:02:14And I know that if I go down towards the moss,

01:02:17it goes up quite a lot.

01:02:19And yet nature has flourished here.

01:02:22Sometimes nature needs to give a little bit of time,

01:02:28and it will be able to recover from it.

01:02:31And the zone of the odour is a very interesting,

01:02:34natural landscape, where you can see it.

01:02:42If there was snow here,

01:02:44you would have seen the birds of the sea,

01:02:46the birds of the sea, the birds of the sea,

01:02:49the birds of the sea, or the birds of the sea.

01:02:53Marina and other scientists believe that without hunting,

01:02:57farming, and the destruction of natural habitats,

01:03:00the zone is becoming an unlikely wildlife sanctuary.

01:03:07We're tracking wolves.

01:03:13Have you found anything, Marina?

01:03:14Yeah, you can see tracks?

01:03:18Yeah, this one?

01:03:19Oh, yes, I've got it.

01:03:21How many wolves do you think have come through here?

01:03:32There are plenty of wolf tracks.

01:03:34But in an area the size of Luxembourg,

01:03:36seeing them was always going to be a long shot.

01:03:38Luckily, Marina and her team have caught glimpses

01:03:46of the wildlife that live in the zone on remote cameras.

01:03:50Now, one second.

01:03:53So this is from a drone?

01:03:56That's a beautiful shot.

01:03:58Wow, look at that.

01:03:59Galloping off across the landscape.

01:04:02How beautiful is that?

01:04:04Marina, how did these horses get here in the first place?

01:04:09Were they introduced?

01:04:10After the crash, when it was a while,

01:04:13the idea of a re-wilding project.

01:04:16First they thought about the birds,

01:04:18then about the local breeds of horses.

01:04:20And in the end, they decided to take the horses from Przhyvalska.

01:04:23It's not a Ukrainian type, it's a Mongolian horse.

01:04:26But they were well adapted to our conditions and live there.

01:04:30And wolves, look at that, incredible.

01:04:34Just amazing to see the array of animals on those camera traps.

01:04:41Moose, deer, wolves, lynx, there's even bears.

01:04:45So many animals living in this extraordinary exclusion zone.

01:05:04The planet faces unprecedented challenges.

01:05:09Many of them, like Chernobyl, of our own making.

01:05:14I came here looking for hope.

01:05:17What I've discovered here at Chernobyl is that this is supposed to be

01:05:21a radioactive wasteland for tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of years.

01:05:26And yet, nature's reclaiming it.

01:05:37Look at this.

01:05:38This, for me, is the really exciting part of the Chernobyl story

01:05:42because it's the accidental hope that came from it.

01:05:46Some people are calling this the European Amazon.

01:05:49And this is almost the greatest accidental rewilding project in the world.

01:05:55Because where there was wretchedness and disaster

01:06:00has come this extraordinary return to the wild.

01:06:05I'm sorry.

01:06:06But actually, just to be seen…

01:06:11...

01:06:27Transcription by CastingWords

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