Chernobyl is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in the Kiev Oblast (province) near the border with Belarus ( [show location on an interactive map] 51°16%u2032N, 30°13%u2032E).

The city was evacuated in 1986 due to the Chernobyl disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant under the then USSR, which is located 10.85 kilometers (9 miles) north-northwest. The power plant was named after the city, and located in Chernobyl Raion (district), but the city was not the residence of the power plant workers. At the time of the construction, a twin city of Chernobyl, Prypiat, was built to be close to the plant for workers.

Though the city is today mostly uninhabited, a small number of inhabitants reside in houses marked with signs stating that the "Owner of this house lives here". Workers on watch and administrative personnel of the Zone of Alienation are stationed in the city on a long term basis. Prior to its evacuation, the city was inhabited by about 55,000 residents.

An other resource about of chernobyl

During last decade numerous attempts to understand essence of Chernobyl accident and the reasons of its occurrence have been made. The completed and experimentally confirmed version of Chernobyl accident not exists till now.

State Specialized Enterprise " Chernobyl NPP" ensures maintenance in safe condition shutdown Units 1, 2, 3, "Shelter" object and facilities of Chernobyl NPP’s industrial site.

Preparation for ChNPP decommissioning

Transition from functions and structure of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to Specialized Enterprise

Ukraine, showing good will and confirming the intention, stated in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Ukraine and G7 countries Governments and Commission of the European Union, dated December 25, 1995, made the decision on ahead of schedule Chernobyl NPP decommissioning. The decision on a final shutdown of the Unit 1 was made on November 30, 1996, Unit 2 - on March 15, 1999.

"Shelter" peculiarity is determined by its potential hazard, significantly higher, than permitted by existing norms and the rules for facilities, containing nuclear and radioactive materials. Safety assessment of any nuclear engineering or industry facility, as a rule, is based on practical operating experience of this and similar facilities.Shelter don’t have even close analogues, and experience of its maintenance makes only 18 years.

In the middle of May, 1986 the Governmental Commission has made a Decision on long-term conservation of destroyed Unit 4.

Chronology of accident