17 anniversary of Chernobyl disaster

Posted by: Vlad ® , Apr 30,2003,13:02	Post Reply				Main Forum Page

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Alexander Naumov: "I AM CHARGED IN CHERNOBYL"

The Chernobyl's mysticism. The Stalker's story

Yanina Sokolovskaya, Kiev

Alexander Naumov – Chernobyl's stalker with 15 years old of standing. Now he is number one and only one. Those, who began with him, either died, or become ill and retired. Naumov guided to the Zone of alienation, closed by radiation, block posts and barbed-wire, more then 200 “devoted".
This year Days of Chernobyl are coincided for the first time with Days of Commemoration and there is particular demand for Naumov. Day of April 26, 1986 year transformed Chernobyl from provincial city to memorial-necropolis, the "customers" of stalker named Naumov's Day – by the man, disclosed Zone to them.

About stalkers' help

To get into Chernobyl, former Ukrainian District Center, health resort, in former times remarkable only by the base of Inland Water Transport and by pier, is very difficult and expensive now. It is necessary to supply a claim on the trip in special created organization “ChernobylInterInform", beforehand to declare the route – and dare not a step aside it.

It's simpler with Naumov: he has his own ways, and knows every bit
of Zone. And he does not take money: "To earn a living by excursions on
Chernobyl's cemeteries is a blasphemy".

On the eve of the anniversary of disaster Chernobyl's Zone was expanded
having acknowledged the victory of "pacific atom" over human mind. Now
it encloses 65 settlements and 2540 square kilometers of territory.

There live 2.3 million men at "Chernobyl's black earth", and 1.6 million – in the Zone of intense radiation monitoring. Directly near reactor - more then 400. These people have nowhere to go: they have nothing to do and no place to live on clean territories. They divided
earth on “large" (outside Zone) and their, diseased.

Naumov got to the Zone in 86-th: then he, 36 years old captain of
militia guarded Yanov station at Pripyat. "When reactor exploded, I have been put on alert, and had been told: it was seriously and for long".

Already then I had mastered to differentiate stalkers and thieves:
“Stalker risks his life, but does useful job - makes people to
sense Zone, to understand, how it lives. And looters merely steal everything, that badly lie's.“ Practical Ukrainian's mentality cannot assume anything “valuable“ was wasted in the Zone. Neither non–ferrous metals nor cans with marinade abandoned by evacuated
landladies, - every bit of it was taken and carried away to neighboring villages, everything was made use of. Even embossing from post-office was tear off. "It was last memory of Chernobyl. People were praying on this embossing as on an icon - waiting for letters from clean land", - Naumov distressed.

Informed man can easy get in Chernobyl: "Wooden fence with barbed-wire was rotten and ruined. It was changed to concrete but only on Ukraine side. 147 kilometers bordering on Belorus side are not closed. There is by pass road in the Zone. There are 60 kilometers from this line to militia's district department – impossible to keep an eye on everything ".

Naumov cannot stop visiting the Zone: "Wherein I am charged". He says,
he has gain margin of safety from his "battle and labor past": in his
pre–Chernobyl life Alexander - graduated of Physical Training Institute
and Militia's Academies, the master of sports at boat–race and first–grade sportsman at volley–ball, cross–country race and bicycling. Now "Zone does not dismiss, hinders to breathe".

Stalking has not prevented him to become a colonel of Ukrainian MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS. Authorities got used to his campaigns in Zone. And in Ukrainian legislation criminal responsibility for stalking is not existed. There is an article "for spread and export nucliar waste“ that envisages penalty. But Naumov is not a looter, but stalker, and he take out nothing radio-active from Zone.
Unless himself.

“Zombie" in zone

Chernobyl's stalking generates legends. About “wolfendogs“ with
peculiar shagginess, supposedly multiplied after disaster. About
“kysyas“ – grown wild domestic cats, probably lived in forests around
power plant. About zombie allegedly generated by secret object “Chernobyl-2“ - the station of long range revelation and prevention of rocket hazard, one out of a three located in the Soviet Union. According to local legend, this station affected population so much, that they began to roam around Zone mindlessly - "kind of main idea interrupted to them".

The stalker Naumov does not acknowledge legends, and not saw “kysyas“ and wolfendogs. But he is familiar by hearsay with Zone's mutations. As to scientists' data, animal-freaks in Chernobyl are breeding in 120 times more often, than in clean places. Radiation strikes a people too.
In Zitomir's region, the nearest to Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, professor Konovalov gathered museum Chernobyl's mutants – non–lived babies with two heads and without hands. Compared with his collection Kunstkammer - the room of laughter.

Íàóìîâ not likes such talks - too painful for a man, living by Zone and
taking in it his daughter twice: "I guide her to the most
clean places and shall not take to Chernobyl no more. This is not a place for excursions".

And "zombie" in Zone really exists. After the abolition of dry law
“Stolichnaya" [vodka] that is "good from strontium" pour out in two Chernobyl cafes. (Bread and vodka remained as “currency" for
Chernobyl till now, where long ago is built its own, radiation communism, where many things for coupons and lots of uninhabited housing - come in any home.) And on dark streets staggered "zombie" emerges trying hold out till home not to leave clean road.

“Do not leave clean land" - the first rule Naumov ascribes to
his customers". Step aside from washed asphalt towards
uninhabited houses of Chernobyl overgrown by huge grass, - and you get
into radiation spot. "I distinctly know, where they are situated: behind
stele with inscription “Chernobyl", near Militia's city department in
Pripyat. Get plunge into such spot - traditional mistake in Zone. But
many believe, that know all better me, and behave in their own way. I have controlling higher polluted dots in Chernobyl, wherein
I measure radiation: on cemetery, there was the tree in the form of emblem-trident (the symbol of post–Chernobyl Ukraine), the recreation area for radioactive equipment. Someone in 1986 decided, that fire–engines, “Krazes", “Kamazes", bulldozers and protected with lead vehicle extinguishing Chernobyl, soon may be used again.

(to be continued)