The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Exclusion Zone, also known as the 30-Kilometre Zone or simply "The Zone," was created shortly after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the Ukrainian SSR, which was part of the Soviet Union.

At first, Soviet leaders created an exclusion zone covering a 30-kilometre (19-mile) area around the power plant. This area was used for evacuations and controlled by the military. Over time, the zone's boundaries were changed to include more land in Ukraine, such as parts of Vyshhorod Raion in Kyiv Oblast and areas near the Polesie State Radioecological Reserve in Belarus. Today, the exclusion zone is managed by an agency of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, while the power plant, its sarcophagus, and the New Safe Confinement are handled separately.

The current exclusion zone in Ukraine covers about 2,600 square kilometres (1,000 square miles), where radioactive contamination is highest. Public access and living in this area are not allowed. Other regions in Ukraine have areas where people were required to move or chose to leave, but these are not part of the exclusion zone. In February 2019, discussions began about adjusting the zone’s boundaries due to lower radiation levels in some outer areas.

Access to the exclusion zone is limited to protect people from radiation, prevent contamination, and allow monitoring of the environment. Today, the zone is one of the most radioactive places on Earth, drawing scientific study because of high radiation levels. It has also become a habitat for wildlife, with rich biodiversity and dense forests, largely because no people have lived there since 1986.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, fighting has occurred in the exclusion zone. Russian forces captured Chernobyl on February 24, 2022. By April 2022, as Ukrainian forces advanced, Russian troops left the area. Ukrainian authorities have kept the exclusion zone closed to tourists until the conflict in the region ends.

History

The area is the central part of the Polesia region. This mostly rural forest and wetland area once had 120,000 people living in the cities of Chernobyl and Pripyat, as well as 187 smaller communities. Now, it is mostly empty. All the towns and villages are still shown on maps but marked as "uninhabited." The forest near Pripyat was a place where groups fighting against the enemy during World War II hid and helped people escape. Near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, there was a tree called the "Partisan's Tree" or "Cross Tree," where captured fighters were hung. The tree fell in 1996, and a memorial now stands where it was.

The Exclusion Zone was created on May 2, 1986, after the Chernobyl disaster. A Soviet government group led by Nikolai Ryzhkov decided to make an area 30 kilometers (about 19 miles) from Reactor 4 the evacuation zone. This area was divided into three parts: the area closest to Reactor 4, a smaller area 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) from the reactor, and the rest of the 30 km zone. The type of protective clothing and facilities available differed in each part.

Later in 1986, after new maps of radiation levels were made, the zone was split into three areas based on updated safety rules. These areas were:
– The "Black Zone" (more than 200 μSv·h), where people were never allowed to return.
– The "Red Zone" (50–200 μSv·h), where people could return once radiation levels dropped.
– The "Blue Zone" (30–50 μSv·h), where children and pregnant women were evacuated in 1986.

Special permission and military control were added in late 1986. Although not everyone left right away, 91,200 people were eventually moved from these areas.

In November 1986, a new group called Kombinat took control of the area. Based in the abandoned city of Chernobyl, Kombinat was responsible for running the power plant, cleaning the 30 km zone, providing supplies, and building homes for workers in the new town of Slavutych.

In March 1989, a plan called the "Safe Living Concept" was made for people living in areas with radiation outside the Exclusion Zone in Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. In October 1989, the Soviet government asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to review this plan. During the Soviet era, some areas were kept empty through planned relocations and clear boundaries.

In February 1991, a law was passed to update the Exclusion Zone’s borders and define areas where people had to leave, areas where they could choose to leave, and areas needing extra monitoring. These borders were based on radiation levels in the soil and calculated radiation doses. The Ministry of Chernobyl Affairs was given responsibility for managing the zone.

Studies from 1992 to 1993 updated the 1991 law and led to more evacuations in the Polesia area. New zones were created: the "Exclusion Zone," the "Zone of Absolute (Mandatory) Resettlement," the "Zone of Guaranteed Voluntary Resettlement," and areas for radiation monitoring. From 1990 to 1995, about 53,000 people were moved from contaminated areas in Ukraine.

After Ukraine became independent, funding for protecting the zone was limited, leading to more people illegally returning to live in the area.

In 1997, the areas of Poliske and Narodychi, which had been evacuated, were added to the Exclusion Zone. The zone now covers about 2,600 square kilometers (1,000 square miles) and is managed by the 'Administration of the Exclusion Zone and the Zone of Absolute (Mandatory) Resettlement' within the Ministry of Emergencies.

On December 15, 2000, nuclear power production at the plant stopped after the last reactor, number 3, was officially shut down by then-President Leonid Kuchma.

In May 2025, it was reported that about 100 hectares of land in the Exclusion Zone had radiation levels low enough to allow farming.

The Exclusion Zone was a battle site during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russian forces captured the plant on February 24, 2022.

Facilities at Chernobyl still need care to keep spent nuclear fuel cool. About 100 workers and 200 Ukrainian guards at the plant were unable to leave when Russian forces arrived. They had limited supplies of food, medicine, and electricity.

Ukrainian reports said radiation levels in the zone increased after the invasion. This may be because military activity disturbed radioactive dust or because of incorrect readings from cyberattacks.

On March 10, 2022, the International Atomic Energy Agency said it had lost contact with Chernobyl.

On March 22, the Ukrainian agency in charge of the Exclusion Zone reported that Russian forces destroyed a new laboratory at the plant. The lab, opened in 2015, helped manage radioactive waste. The agency said the lab had dangerous materials now in enemy hands.

On March 27, Lyudmila Denisova, then–Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, said 31 fires covering 10,000 hectares were burning in the zone. These fires increased radioactive pollution. Firefighters could not reach the fires because of Russian forces. Wildfires in the area are common, like an 11,500-hectare fire in 2020 and smaller fires in the 2010s.

On March 31, reports said most Russian troops at Chernobyl had left. A Chernobyl worker posted online that Russian soldiers might have radiation sickness, based on photos of buses near a hospital in Belarus. Chernobyl operator Energoatom said Russian troops dug trenches in the most contaminated parts of the zone, getting high radiation doses. BBC News reported unconfirmed claims that some were treated in Belarus.

On April 3, 2022, Ukrainian forces regained control of the Chernobyl power plant.

Population

The 30-kilometre zone is estimated to have about 197 Samosely, who live in 11 villages and the town of Chernobyl. This number has decreased over time, from 1,200 in 1986 to 314 in 2007. These residents are mostly older people, with an average age of 63. After many attempts to move them out, the government allowed them to stay, but they receive only limited support. The Ukrainian government now permits their presence in the zone informally.

Approximately 3,000 people work in the Zone of Alienation. Their tasks include building the New Safe Confinement, decommissioning the reactors, and monitoring the area. These workers do not live in the zone but travel there for shifts. Some work "4-3" shifts (four days on, three days off), while others work 15 days on and 15 days off. Others commute daily from Slavutych. Shift schedules are tracked carefully for pension and healthcare purposes. All workers are tested regularly for radioactive materials in their bodies.

The town of Chernobyl, located outside the 10-kilometre Exclusion Zone, was evacuated after the disaster but is now used as a base for workers. It has buildings for administration, stores, a cafeteria, a hotel, and a bus station. Unlike other areas in the Exclusion Zone, the town is kept clean and maintained by workers, such as mowed lawns and collected leaves.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion, many visitors came to the Exclusion Zone each year, including daily tours from Kyiv. Multi-day trips are also available through Ukrainian tour companies. Most overnight visitors stay in a hotel in Chernobyl, which is inside the Exclusion Zone. As of 2017, there were about 50 licensed tour guides working for nine companies. Visitors must show their passports to enter the zone and are checked for radiation when leaving at both the 10 km and 30 km checkpoints.

Access to the Exclusion Zone is also possible by applying directly to the zone administration.

Some residents who were evacuated from Pripyat visit their old homes and schools each year as part of a remembrance tradition. In the Chernobyl zone, one church, St. Elijah Church, is still active. Liquidators who helped clean up the disaster say radiation levels there are "well below the level across the zone," a fact that Yury Andreyev, president of the Ukrainian Chernobyl Union, calls a miracle.

The Exclusion Zone has been open to scientists, journalists, and others since its creation. One early example was Elena Filatova’s online account of a solo bike ride through the zone, which gained her internet fame. However, it was later claimed she was part of an official tour. Regardless, her story brought attention to the disaster. After her 2004 visit, media outlets like The Guardian and The New York Times reported on tours to the zone.

Tourism increased after Pripyat was featured in video games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Fans of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, called "stalkers," often visit the zone. The terms "The Zone" and "stalker" come from a science fiction novel, Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, which was written before the disaster. The novel and its film adaptation, Stalker, inspired public imagination about Chernobyl.

Trespassing in the Exclusion Zone became more common, leading to stricter penalties in Ukraine’s laws and the addition of horse patrols to protect the area.

In 2012, journalist Andrew Blackwell wrote a book titled Visit Sunny Chernobyl: And Other Adventures in the World's Most Polluted Places, describing his visit to the zone.

On 14 April 2013, the TV show River Monsters featured an episode where host Jeremy Wade caught a wels catfish in the cooling pools of the Chernobyl power plant.

On 16 February 2014, an episode of Top Gear showed presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May driving into the Exclusion Zone.

A part of the Netflix documentary Our Planet, released in 2019, was filmed in the Exclusion Zone. The area was shown as an example of how ecosystems can recover quickly without human interference.

In 2019, the Chernobyl Spirit Company released Atomik Vodka, the first consumer product made from materials grown in the Exclusion Zone.

On 11 April 2022, the zone administration suspended access passes during Ukraine’s martial law.

Illegal activities, such as poaching, logging, and stealing materials, have been problems in the zone. Despite police efforts, people have entered the area to remove items like televisions and toilet seats, especially in Pripyat, where residents left behind belongings when they were evacuated. In 2007, Ukraine introduced stricter laws and added more police units to address these issues. The population of Przewalski’s horses, introduced to the zone in 1998, has decreased since 2005 due to poaching.

Administration

In April 2011, the State Agency of Ukraine on the Exclusion Zone Management (SAUEZM) took over the responsibilities of the State Department – Administration of the exclusion zone and the zone of absolute (mandatory) resettlement, as decided by the president. The SAUEZM is, like its previous organization, part of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

The area is policed by special units from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Near the border with Belarus, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine also helps with security.

The SAUEZM is responsible for:
1. Checking the environment and radiation levels in the zone.
2. Managing the long-term storage and disposal of radioactive waste.
3. Renting land in the exclusion zone and the zone of absolute (mandatory) resettlement.
4. Managing government funds for handling radioactive waste.
5. Keeping records and documents related to radiation.
6. Coordinating the process of shutting down the nuclear power plant.
7. Keeping a list of people who were harmed by the disaster.

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is located inside the zone but is managed separately. As of 2009, about 3,800 workers at the plant lived mainly in Slavutych, a city built far from the Exclusion Zone in Kyiv Oblast, 45 kilometers (28 miles) east of the accident site.

There are 11 checkpoints in the zone:
– Dytiatky, near the village of Dytiatky
– Stari Sokoly, near the village of Stari Sokoly
– Zelenyi Mys, near the village of Strakholissia
– Poliske, near the village of Chervona Zirka
– Ovruch, near the village of Davydky, Narodychi settlement hromada, Korosten Raion
– Vilcha, near the village of Vilkhova
– Dibrova, near the village of Fedorivka
– Benivka, near the city of Pripyat
– The city of Pripyat itself
– Leliv, near the city of Chernobyl
– Paryshiv, between the city of Chernobyl and the border with Belarus (route P56)

The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is an area focused on environmental recovery. Work is being done to clean up the site and protect it. Plans have also been made or carried out to help the areas around the disaster zone recover economically and socially.

In November 2007, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to help the areas affected by the Chernobyl disaster recover and develop in a sustainable way. Officials from the UN Development Programme mentioned plans to help local people become self-sufficient, revive agriculture, and develop ecotourism.

It is unclear whether these plans, created by the UN and then-President Victor Yushchenko, apply to the most contaminated area of the exclusion zone or only to less affected areas nearby, such as the Narodychi District in Zhytomyr Oblast.

Since 2011, tour companies have taken tourists into the Exclusion Zone (some tours may have started earlier). Tourists are always guided by tour guides and cannot travel far on their own because of radioactive "hot spots." Pripyat was considered safe for short visits in the late 2010s, but visitors must take precautions.

In 2016, the Ukrainian government declared part of the exclusion zone on its territory the Chernobyl Radiation and Environmental Biosphere Reserve.

In 2016, it was reported that a heavily contaminated area within 10 kilometers of the plant would be used for storing nuclear waste. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) studied the area in 2018 to see if the waste management system could be expanded.

In 2017, three companies planned to build solar farms in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. High payments for electricity, available land, and access to old power lines from the nuclear plant made the area suitable for solar farms. The solar plant started working in October 2018.

In 2019, after a three-year study by scientists from UK and Ukrainian universities, one bottle of vodka made from grain grown in the exclusion zone was produced. The distillation process ensured the vodka had normal radiation levels. Researchers believe selling the vodka and similar products, like "Atomik" apple spirit made from apples in the Narodychi District, could help communities affected by the disaster recover economically.

Radioactive contamination

The area is polluted unevenly. At first, wind and rain spread radioactive dust after the accident, creating areas with very high pollution. Later, burial sites for materials and equipment used during cleanup added to the pollution. Zone officials try to protect these dangerous spots from tourists, scrap hunters, and wildfires, but some burial sites remain unmapped and are only remembered by aging Chernobyl cleanup workers.

Scientists have debated how much the plants and animals in the area were affected by radiation. Researchers like Baker and Wickliffe note that it is hard to tell if the harm to wildlife came from radiation or from changes in farming after people left the area.

Near the facility, a radioactive dust cloud killed many Scots pine trees. The dead trees turned rusty orange, leading to the nickname "The Red Forest." This area was one of the most radioactive places in the world. Workers bulldozed the forest and buried the radioactive wood, but the soil still gives off strong radiation. Birch trees in the same area survived, showing that different plant species react differently to radiation.

Some animals in the zone show signs of mutation, such as partial albinism and other physical changes in swallows and insects. A study of birds from 48 species found that birds in highly radioactive areas had smaller brains than those in clean areas.

Fewer animals live in highly radioactive areas, including birds, insects, spiders, and mammals. Birds, which are good indicators of environmental health, show a link between high radiation and fewer species. Scientists like Anders Pape Møller and Timothy Mousseau say birds and small animals like voles may be especially harmed by radiation.

Møller has written many important studies on wildlife in the Chernobyl area. However, some of his research has been criticized. He once retracted a paper for false data and was found guilty of scientific dishonesty by a Danish group. A French research center later said there was not enough proof of guilt. These controversies make it hard for scientists to agree on the effects of radiation on wildlife.

In recent years, large mammal populations have grown because humans no longer live in the area. Animals like gray wolves, badgers, wild boars, and others have multiplied and moved outside the zone. The area is now seen as a park that formed by accident.

Scientists like Marina Shkvyria, Sergey Gaschak, and Jim Beasley study the return of animals like wolves. Camera traps help track wildlife. Research on wolves near the center of the zone may help scientists understand how radiation affects animal health and population changes.

The area also has European bison and Przewalski’s horses, which were released after the accident. Some rare animals, like lynx, have returned, and videos show brown bears and their cubs, which were not seen in the area for over 100 years. Special teams protect these animals, but no studies have looked at how their populations change over time.

Rivers and lakes in the zone can spread polluted soil during spring floods. Dikes are built to prevent this.

Fires can move radioactive materials into the air. Scientists like V.I. Yoschenko found that fires can increase the movement of cesium, strontium, and plutonium. Experiments showed that fires raised radiation levels in the air downwind.

Fires have occurred in the zone, including a large fire in 1986 that destroyed 2,336 hectares of forest. Another fire in 1992 burned 500 hectares, raising radiation levels in the air. In 2010, wildfires near Bryansk and borders with Belarus and Ukraine caused concern. Russia said radiation levels did not rise, but Greenpeace disagreed.

In April 2020, a fire burned 20 hectares of forest in Ukraine. Firefighters and planes helped put it out. Officials said the fire did not harm nearby people. The last major fire was in 2018.

Although the disaster harmed human lives, some scientists believe the ecosystem has improved. With no people in the area, biodiversity has increased.

After the disaster, radiation hurt plants, animals, rivers, lakes, and groundwater. Conifer trees, soil creatures, and mammals died, and reproduction rates dropped.

The forest was covered in radioactive particles, killing 400 hectares of pine trees. Radiation damage affects tens of thousands of hectares. As dead trees in the Red Forest decay, radioactive material may leak into groundwater.

Professor Nick Beresford, an expert on Chernobyl and ecology, said the overall effect on wildlife was positive.

Studies on how radiation affects individual animals are limited, but cameras show more mammals, including rare lynx and European bison.

Research on the health of wildlife in the area continues. Scientists are concerned that some animals may still suffer from radiation effects.

Infrastructure

Since 1986, the industrial, transport, and residential structures in the area have mostly fallen apart. There are at least 800 known "burial grounds" (Ukrainian singular: mohyl'nyk) where contaminated vehicles are buried, including hundreds of abandoned military vehicles and helicopters. River ships and barges are found in the abandoned port of Chernobyl. The port is clearly visible in satellite images of the region. The Jupiter Factory, one of the largest buildings in the area, was used until 1996 but has since been abandoned, and its condition is getting worse.

Infrastructure directly connected to nuclear-related facilities is kept in good condition and improved, such as the railway link to the outside world from the Semykhody station, which is used by the power plant.

The Chernobyl-2 site (also known as the "Russian Woodpecker") was a former Soviet military installation near the power plant. It included a large transmitter and receiver that were part of the Duga-1 over-the-horizon radar system. About 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the surface area of Chernobyl-2 is a large underground complex that was used for missile defense, space monitoring, communication, and research. Military units were stationed there.

In popular culture

• On 26 April 1986, after the explosion at Chernobyl, Russian photographer Igor Kostin took pictures of the event from the air. For the next 20 years, he returned to the area to record the stories of people affected by the disaster. He later published a book titled Chernobyl: Confessions of a Reporter.
• In 2014, the official music video for Pink Floyd’s song “Marooned” included scenes of the town of Pripyat.
• In the 1998 film Godzilla, the main character, scientist Nick Tatopoulos, is shown in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, studying how radiation affects earthworms.
• In late 1999, British photographer John Darwell was among the first foreign photographers to take pictures inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. He visited Pripyat, nearby villages, a landfill, and areas where people still live. His work was later displayed in an exhibition and published in a book titled Legacy: Photographs Inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2001. ISBN 978-1-899235-58-2). Many other photographers have since visited the area.
• In the 2013 movie A Good Day to Die Hard, the main characters drive to Pripyat to retrieve a file from a safe deposit box. Instead of finding a file, they discover a secret passage leading to a vault containing weapons-grade uranium worth €1 billion. The file was a trick by the villains to steal the uranium.
• In a 2014 episode of Top Gear, the hosts were challenged to make their cars run out of fuel before reaching the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
• Jeremy Wade, a host of the fishing show River Monsters, attempts to catch a large fish believed to live near the cooling ponds of the Chernobyl power plant near Pripyat.
• Much of the 2004 crime novel Wolves Eat Dogs by Martin Cruz Smith is set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. It is the fifth book in a series featuring Russian detective Arkady Renko.
• The 2005 horror film Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis begins in Chernobyl, where canisters of a zombie chemical called 2-4-5 Trioxin are found.
• The video game S.T.A.L.K.E.R., released in 2007, uses real photographs and visits to recreate parts of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, such as bridges, railways, and abandoned vehicles. Some details are changed for gameplay.
• In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007), two missions, “All Ghillied Up” and “One Shot, One Kill,” take place in Pripyat.
• In a 2009 episode of Destination Truth, Josh Gates and his team explore the ruins of Pripyat to look for signs of paranormal activity.
• In 2011, Guillaume Herbaut and Bruno Masi created the web documentary La Zone, which focuses on people who live in or visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The project was funded by CNC, LeMonde.fr, and Agat Films.
• The PBS program Nature aired a documentary titled Radioactive Wolves in 2011. It shows how wildlife, including wolves, have returned to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
• In the 2011 movie Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Chernobyl is shown as a location where the Autobots investigate suspected alien activity.
• In 2011, the short film Seven Years of Winter was directed by Marcus Schwenzel. It follows a boy named Andrej who is sent into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone by his brother to search abandoned homes. The film won the Best Film Award at the Uranium International Film Festival in 2015.
• The 2012 horror film Chernobyl Diaries is set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. It follows a group of tourists who get stranded in Pripyat and encounter creatures mutated by radiation.
• The 2015 documentary The Russian Woodpecker, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, includes footage from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. It explores a conspiracy theory related to the disaster and a nearby radar installation.
• In 2015, Markiyan Kamysh wrote the book *Stalking the