We did not have any specific plans and aims for this trip. We have decided that we will look according to circumstances. I have noticed that the most interesting and productive trips turn out then when you do not build any grandiose plans, and operate on intuition.
7.30 AM We leave Kyiv. This week was hot. Weather forecasters assert that these days even the temperature record keeping 64 years has been broken! Early morning, but the sun is rather hot and the conditioner in the car works at full capacity. Folk in shorts and sandals lazy creeps on a beach, and we in the closed clothes (relentless NRB - Norms of radiating safety) go to the Chornobyl Zone.
And so - legendary "Chornobyl-2". An over-the-horizon radar station for detection of start of rockets from territory of the USA (its reception part). It never begins its fighting watch because of failure on ChNPP in 1986. Last time I was here in the autumn of 2007 and has written about this trip the small report
Chornobyl-2
In that report of three summers remoteness almost was not photos of antennas. I have considered that such grandiose structures are senseless for photographing at close quarters, and photos of these huge antennas is published enough. Afterwards I began to regret a little that in my photoarchive of the Zone there is no intelligible photo of it. It like as being in India, and has not photographed Taj Mahal. This time I have decided to meet this lack.
I already wrote in the previous report “Chornobyl-2” about the general condition of metalware of the antennas. For three years, abundantly clear, it has not improved. In this report I would like to mention such complicated theme, as the further destiny of these unique antennas. It is necessary to admit fairly that their destiny actually is predetermined. Nobody will restore, support them in more less a normal state. Actually, that those antennas are not dismantled till now – it is only a matter of time, search of technology and money.
Most cheaply and easier to dismantle, and bluntly speaking to "fell" such contraction by explosion. Just like they brought down similar, though the smaller one antenna, near a city of Mikolaev. As well as the transferring aerial near Lubech has been dismantled in 90.
But here, in the Chornobyl Zone, in 10 km from ChNPP, explosive works is impossible to carry out - falling of such large-tonnage huge object will cause small earthquake, and the dust cloud which will rise will not be small... In general this variant is dismissed. There is an accurate dismantle by means of special cranes. Such for example as huge Demags with which help built "Sarcophagus" of the destroyed 4th block. To put it briefly, expensive technics, a lot of people and money is required.
Well for now from all above-listed by me "Complex" (the organisation under which jurisdiction the given object is) have not, antennas silently rust, creak on a wind and occur in dreams of bungee jumpers, paraglider pilots and simply extreme people of all entire World.
At last there is some photo in premises of a hardware complex and a military camp.
The military camp has overgrown thoroughly, and absence of wide streets disable to make a good photo and also simply to discern buildings in dense foliage. Only four objects more are less looked through in thickets: shop, the club, one of hostels and an apartment house.
In the second part of my report we will visit a cemetery of Podlesnoe, Pripyat’s cargo port and village Stari Shepelychi.
