Inside the beast
As the author writes this in Kiev in March, he can imagine what life will be like on April 26, 1996. The streets of Ukrainian cities will be decorated with flags of mourning to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station. On this day, Ukrainians will drink vodka without clinking their glasses together. They will remember once again the day that split their lives in two: They now measure time {open_quotes}before Chernobyl{close_quotes} and {open_quotes}after Chernobyl,{close_quotes} in the same way an older generation measures life {open_quotes}before the war{close_quotes} and {open_quotes}after the war.{close_quotes} It is still so much easier to immortalize the names of those who perished than to provide for the living. There are liquidation workers who literally saved the world from the Chernobyl disaster at the cost of their own lives. Inhabitants of the Chernobyl zone, and children who in the past 10 years have been exposed to monstrous levels of radiation. Unfortunately, the government remembers them only on anniversaries. Most of the men the author interviewed have been silent for 10 years - not because they were scared to talk about what happened at Chernobyl, but because no one wanted to listen. And, to be honest, they have been more concerned with how to survive and how to provide for their families in these complicated times. The author interviewed many of them in their apartments. He was struck by the fact that their homes were all decorated `Chernobyl style,` that is, in a somewhat provincial fashion. More striking still was the fact those who suffered the most from the explosion at the nuclear power station were convinced that it should not be shut down.
- OSTI ID:
- 391370
- Journal Information:
- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Journal Name: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 52; ISSN BASIAP; ISSN 0096-5243
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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