How many self-settlers have left in Chornobyl — life in the exclusion zone

The self-settlers who live in the Chornobyl exclusion zone are regularly visited by the reserve's employees. As of now, there are about ten of them left.

This was reported in the Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve on Wednesday, October 16. 

How many of self-settlers have left in Chornobyl

"During the visits, the reserve's employees also do not forget to visit the self-settlers who live in the exclusion zone in their native places. There are very few of them left — up to ten elderly people. However, they need attention, solving everyday problems, and ordinary communication," the statement said.

Who are self-settlers?

The self-settlers of the exclusion zone are the civilian population of the Chornobyl exclusion zone, a group of people who returned to their native places after the Chornobyl disaster. Journalists began to call them "self-settlers" in the 80s of the twentieth century. In 2007, 314 people lived in the exclusion zone. 

Another interesting fact is that the self-settlers do not live compactly in one village or town, but are spread over 11 settlements in the exclusion zone. Most of them are elderly. The average age of the self-settlers is 63 years. The main reason for the decrease in the number of self-settlers in the Chornobyl zone is their advanced age.

How people live in Chornobyl

According to a number of historians and eyewitnesses, there is life in Chornobyl, which is located 17 kilometers from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. 

Serhii Myrnyi, a liquidator, former commander of a radiation reconnaissance platoon, ecologist, writer, and employee of the National Museum of Chornobyl, said that after the accident, the wind carried radioactive materials to the west and north, and not much reached the east. Of course, the inhabitants of the town of Chornobyl were evicted, but after the accident it became the capital of the exclusion zone. Even in 1986, there were headquarters, various organizations and dormitories there. 

In addition, one of the two offices of the State Agency of Ukraine for Exclusion Zone Management is located in Chornobyl. There are dormitories for employees of the Agency's institutions and enterprises, shops, canteens and a bus station.

There is also St. Elias Church in Chornobyl. Before the full-scale invasion, two local museums were also opened to visitors: the museum Star of Wormwood — an installation dedicated to the disaster, and the ethnographic museum Memory of the Motherland — an exhibition telling the story of Polissia (historical and geographical region within the Polissia lowland — ed).

Recently, we wrote about the dismantling of an old sarcophagus at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. 

In addition, a resident of the Cherkasy region shared his memories of the cleanup of the Chornobyl accident.