Zhytomyr Region, Narodychy District.
The Kiev Region, Ivankiv District.
Bober, Shevchenkove, Kotovske, Rudnia-Ososhnia, Mali Minki.
In difference from other our trips, we did not plan at all this trip and did not develop a route. We have simply sat down in the car and have gone on the north.
Ivankiv, we turn off in a direction of Poliske and Ovruch, we pass Krasjatychi, we move the bridge through a small rivulet the Bober (Beaver) and here we are already in village with the same name.
The village Bober was famous by the creamery in a Soviet period. And not so much because of the factory constructed directly on the bank of small river in 1928, but much more because of its production - a butter. Bober’s butter was known in all the USSR. And when in 1958 at an exhibition in Brussels, Bober’s butter has received the Gold medal, I can only imagine how proud were citizens of Bober.
From ChNNP to village approximately 48 km... But these kilometres have not rescued Bober... Radioactive fall-out of "the Western track" have made these places dangerous and people have left the Bober.
Gamma background average level nearby 40 mcR/h (0,4 mcSv/h), but you can meet places, in which level reaches 500 - 600 mcR/h (5 - 6 mcSv/h), and quantity of Beta - 140 - 160 cpm.
This is not the first our visit to village Bober. Here some more photos made in these places in the winter of 2005.
We leave Bober and we move in a direction of Poliske. Ours GPS the navigator has failed and Natalia route with the atlas of Ukraine. "And what, if we will turn here on the West? Here it looks like there is some path..." Without hesitation I tern - we will go and will see. If the path really exists, we can get to Rudnia-Ososhnia and Mali Minki, and even reach to Zvizdal.
I remember, that we somehow already tried to reach these villages from outside the Bazar and Velyki Minki, but the first route has imparted us to the destroyed bridge through a rivulet Zvizdal, and on other route we have got stuck in sand on wood road between Velyki Minki and Rudnia-Ososhnia. Eventually it was necessary to come back and go round through Shishelivka.
We go... The track though also very narrow, but asphalted and has quite decent condition. Here through an underbrush began to look through the destroyed houses – village Shevchenkove.
Gamma background level slowly starts to grow. I stop and I leave the car to measure the level in wood: by Gamma - 500 mcR/h (5 mcSv/h), quantity of Beta - up to 150 cpm. Such levels, to tell the truth, in these parts are the news for me... And not the local stains in some metres, but rather big, in some kilometres. We pass a maximum pollution, the background gradually decreases to 150 - 200 mcR/h (1,5 - 2 mcSv/h), we move the bridge through a rivulet of Bucha and we get to village Rudnia-Ososhnia.
Improbably beautiful places. We stand on the bridge and as fascinated look around. The village was stretched along coast of a rivulet Bucha and wood already absolutely has absorbed it. Near to us, in fifty metres, warily moves ears and with suspicion looks out from canes the roe... At last caution wins curiosity and roe promptly disappears in a the depths of the forest. And it is necessary. "The human - the enemy" is a rule of a life of all animals and birds. In these places, unfortunately, it is enough poachers. The considerable part of village has burnt down in the late nineties during forest fires, and till now the mutilated with bulldozers ground reminds of them. Gamma background level in village 150 - 200 mcR/h (1,5 - 2 mcSv/h). Inhabitants have left this village in 1990. In the summer of 1987 gamma background level in village reached 1,1 mR/h (11 mcSv/h).
We move further. The next and last our stop today - village Mali Minki.
We leave the car in the centre of village and we go the central street. Tablets anywhere are not present, but I do not doubt that once she bore V.I.Lenin’s name :). This is also not the first our visit to Mali Minki. We already were here last summer. Having got here from an opposite side, through Shishelivka.
Local School
On the average gamma background level in village not too high 20 - 40 mcR/h (0,2 - 0,4 mcSv/h), but there are stains, as for example in a court yard of this house up to 150 mcR/h (1,5 mcSv/h).
And here this small house, has not endured the winter... At the left a photo was made in the summer of 2006.
The autumn sun uncontrollably slides for horizon, yellow autumn leaves become hot gold and shades are stretched on tens metres.
The sun hides for tops of pines and woodlands shroud in twilight. Our not planned travel has ended. We sit down in the car and on the slowly roll in the opposite direction. Already almost in full darkness we pass Kotovske. And I have the thought at the tip of the tongue: how good is to move down from route, at the proper time, on some unknown footpath.
