image: watson
A power plant is once again in danger, soldiers and wild animals. This is what I saw during my trip to the exclusion zone in Ukraine, which is now closed to the public.
January 31, 2026, 7:47 p.mJanuary 31, 2026, 7:47 p.m
Joel Espi, Chernobyl
As my two-day exploration showed me, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine has many faces. The area around the power plant, where an accident occurred in 1986, and especially the ghost town of Pripyat are like a time capsule. But the war and the threat from the Belarusian border, which is only fifteen kilometers away, are omnipresent.
An overview of today’s Chernobyl.
The Duga antenna
Anton, my tour guide and photographer, who has a large following on social media, emphasizes: The best way to enjoy the experience of this gigantic antenna is from the ground. No photo can do justice to this massive and now completely useless structure.
translation
This text was written by our colleagues from French-speaking Switzerland and we translated it for you.
We drive for over 30 minutes through forest areas on a narrow road that is only used by soldiers. “Don’t stop,” Anton advises me when we see some people on the side of the road.
About halfway along the trail, a huge area of forest has been devastated. “The fires,” Anton summarizes. In 2020, the fire raged across tens of thousands of hectares of the zone. The traces of this destruction are still visible today.
At one point we see Duga appearing in the distance, the complex that is 150 meters high and 700 meters wide. According to my calculations, the Titanic could fit six times into the rectangle formed by this antenna.
When we arrive, we are greeted by a post-apocalyptic backdrop.image: watson/joel espi
In the 1970s, this massive metal structure was able to send and receive radio signals over thousands of kilometers. Its distinctive sound gave it the nickname Woodpecker – a sound that could even be heard on the telephone and sparked complaints around the world.
The rest of her story is obscure, and their actual purpose remains unclear. It is also not clear why the Soviet Union gradually stopped its use towards the end of the 1980s. It stands to reason that the detente in the Cold War played a role.
The impressive Duga antenna doesn’t quite fit into the picture.Image: watson/joel espi
When we arrive at the foot of the antenna, two soldiers are leaving the area in a car. The area around the antenna is of little interest today and is only used by the military for training purposes. The facility is surrounded by sand and is therefore ideal for target practice.
We walk around the impressive structure. Cables hang down and trees grow both on the ground and in the upper areas of the structure, which resembles a giant wire frame. Wires as thick as a car.
Cables and circuits once ran through this tunnel.Image: watson/joel espi
After a walk we return through a tunnel. This concrete structure once housed all the antenna cables and electronic circuits. Today everything has been removed, even the vehicles used to traverse the several hundred meter long tunnel.
The Ukrainian army
On the road, in the cafés – We meet soldiers everywhere. They certainly don’t happily settle in the zone, because it is still contaminated.
Anton gives me the few details he knows – you can never reveal too much so that no information gets to the enemy. What is certain, however, is that the once again wild forests and the abandoned city offer an ideal training ground for soldiers.
As an exercise – and for the photo – this soldier shoots towards the Belarusian border, March 2024.
image: ANADOLU
We return to the center of Pripyat. Regiments were quartered there in a block in the city center. On the roof of one of the few buildings that has not been taken over by wild growth, we see antennas like those used for cable television. Exactly what you shouldn’t photograph.
Anton leads me to the former cultural center of Pripyat. There is devastation on the first floor. It is impossible to say whether the military destroyed the hundreds of square meters of glass. Anyway, everything is on the floor now.
Who put a throne here?
Thousands of pieces of rubble, a tree growing at the top and a throne placed there. Yes, it’s absurd.image: watson/joel espi
We then drive to the Hotel Polissia, named after this wooded region. Our goal – despite the risks – is to climb the eleven floors. The local authorities do not appreciate this as the top of the building is in danger of collapsing. So I set off full of anticipation.
On the way we find the battery of a small drone on the ground. As we climb the stairs, I notice that some furniture has been moved. It seems clear: this building is actively used.
Like other places, it is great for exercise. The deserted city of Pripyat is often completely closed during military exercises, even to those who are authorized to use it. Anton gets to the point:
“At that moment you can hear the explosions.”
There is a special atmosphere on the top floor of the Hotel Polissia. Not only because you can see the surroundings – nuclear power plant, Ferris wheel, Red Forest – but also because a tree has grown on this eleventh floor, exposed to the cold and wind.
Even on the eleventh floor, nature always takes back its place.image: watson/joel espi
The nuclear power plant
The “sarcophagus” of the nuclear power plant, which encloses reactor block 4, is visible from many places, including from the roof of the Hotel Polissia. We approached it several times, but the viewing angles allowed are limited. As a reminder, I have to show all my photos to the military when I leave the restricted zone.
At Chernobyl, the last cone characteristic of nuclear power plants was never completed. image: des
However, some photographs are possible, particularly of the ejection cone, which was never completed. Construction began in 1970 and the power plant began operations in 1981. After the explosion of reactor 4 in April 1986 and the evacuation of the area, construction of reactors 5 and 6 was interrupted.
The dome over the power plant serves several purposes. It holds back radiation, secures the power plant in the event of another incident and protects the site from external threats. Ukraine may not have been aware of this when installing it. But when a Russian drone was stopped by the structure last February, the dome proved its usefulness.
During my visit the pit is still gaping. For Ukraine, starting construction was only conceivable with foreign help, so the necessary funds had to be raised first. My guide exclaims:
“They have finally started work!”
Anton tells me that financiers from various countries, including Switzerland, traveled to Chernobyl and viewed the interior of the power plant, which finally ceased operations in the early 2000s.
Workers can only observe the damage, February 14, 2025.Image: Keystone
Due to a misunderstanding, I was unable to see the inside of the reactor. As Anton explains to me, that would have taken another day. The guide and photographer likes to show off the inside of this huge structure on social media. He says:
“It’s so unbelievable that many people accuse me of using artificial intelligence to create fake images.”
As we walk past the dome, we also see the “remains” of reactors 5 and 6, the construction of which was never completed.
The wild life
Anton, my guide on my two-day trip, bombarded me with information almost non-stop. As I listened, observed, walked, filmed, and photographed, I tried to capture as much information as possible, both on my phone and in my head.
The photographer and tour guide from Chernobyl’s heyday told me:
“Have you ever heard of the famous Przewalski horses?”
These are, so to speak, the only completely “wild” horse species in the world; all others are or were domesticated in the past.
Chernobyl has indeed become a fantastic natural paradise as human presence is very rare today. You can therefore encounter feral cats, wild boars, bears, wolves…
We didn’t have much luck in the two days of our trip. I suspect that the shots and explosions, the vibrations of which we feel several times, scare the mammals away.
But suddenly, in the middle of the street, we come across a family of horses. Anton shudders as I stop the car so I can get the cameras ready. Anton explains:
“It’s extremely rare that you get to see a family so close.”
The animals are not particularly shy; they just keep their distance. The herd takes a look in our direction, but a military vehicle speeds past. Fortunately, the horses don’t get frightened and calmly seek refuge on the side of the road, adjacent to the forest. We take out our cameras and enjoy this simple, wild encounter.
A beautiful, rare sight from the car.Image: watson/joel espi
What is less romantic is that we often encounter stray dogs, especially in the city. The first night we hear them howling from all directions. Unless of course they are the infamous wolves…
In Chernobyl you will meet many stray dogs.image: watson/joel espi
Identify one last time
When leaving the restricted zone you still have to go through security checks. That’s all well and good, but when the agents come at you with a Geiger counter, you can’t help but wonder if you’ve done something stupid.
Before we are allowed to leave the exclusion zone, we have to show our photos to an officer on site. I have my camera and cell phone ready, but the soldier just examines my Nikon and finds nothing suspicious. I followed the rules meticulously. Not only do I want to potentially return to Chernobyl myself, I also don’t want Anton to get in trouble for my visit.
Is there a risk of getting stuck in Chernobyl?image: watson/joel espi
We have to go through one last check, a security check like at the airport, which makes me swallow empty. What would happen if we were a little too exuberant and the alarm went off at the checkpoint? Ultimately everything goes smoothly. I leave the zone with a head full and a body overwhelmed with emotions.