Lost Places

This selection of my spring photos of the Chornobyl Zone became in some measure unexpectedness for me. No, I certainly understood that having begun a cycle "Seasons in the Zone" and already having shown its autumn, winter, I need to make as well "Spring in the Zone"... But for any known reason for me, I have been assured that for all these years have not made any really "spring" photo of the Zone. Such as anybody, without having seen in a shot a blossoming cherry or a lilac, at once could feel - yes, it is SPRING! Nevertheless I have decided to try and have look over the archives. Unexpectedly it has appeared much, too much of spring photos. It was necessary to choose from already selected the most "spring". Here that has turned out from all this: "Spring in the Zone".  

Our winters have deteriorated over recent years... The temperature was about zero, snow was just a few and all around sad tarnish. But the winter of 2009 – 2010 has appeared as real frosty, white sparkling fairy tale. Though my photos of different years in Chornobyl Zone have entered into this selection, their big part of them is made in the winter of 2010 in Pripyat and Chornobyl Zone. Even in last winters with little snow it was difficult enough to move in the Zone... It became simply impossible this winter. The most necessary roads in the Chornobyl Zone have dozed with bulldozers, but further... Further snowdrifts, sometimes waist-deep. In the middle of January, we have decided to go for a walk in a small group to the river Pripyat on the Chornobyl Podol (lap). By clear road we have reached stadium, then about an hour we floundered in deep snowdrifts, have crept with difficulty two hundred metres till the end of park... And have shamefully retreat back to the hotel. Yes, the winter of 2010 has appeared as the real WINTER.

These photos are made by me in different years and in different corners of the Chornobyl Zone of Alienation. I was going to make such autumn selection for a long time and always stopped on a choice of a title. I have already prepared photos, I have already seen them infinite quantity of times, in expectation of inspiration... But except trite "Mellow autumn", I had no other "flash of inspirations". After that from memory sad school memoirs at once came up, got tired teacher of primary school mutter: - Children, write down: "The mellow autumn has come". No, just not "mellow". And what is it, this autumn? Yellow, claret, red, wet... Like this is even worse. That’s all, stop. My autumn will be just "Autumn".

Coming 2009 is the year of the ox.
Let it become the year of the European bison rescue!

(Open letter of appeal to the newspaper readers, which has been written for the purpose of information. Materials by International Chornobyl Center)

  In this time of troubles, when Ukraine is weltering in a morass of economic and political problems, when the lawmakers and state officials do not care a curse of both the state’s laws and fate, when the sayings “sink or swim” or “if one may, am I red-headed?” have become life concepts for the many, there are always hostages of the situation in such times of troubles. Survival of the hostages depends on remnants of conscience, responsibility, and humaneness of the rest. The case for our state is as follows: if charitable actions for people are still possible, animals may only rely upon their natural capacities.