A portrait of Chernobyl three decades on from the disaster

Ghosts of the past — In 1986, Chernobyl became the site of the worst nuclear accident in history. 30 years on, photographer Jake Millers travelled to the town to capture the relics of a former way of life.

On 26 April 1986, a nuclear disaster of previously unimaginable scale took place at the Chernobyl Power Plan in Ukraine. With a number of immediate casualties and toxic radiation spreading out across Europe, the devastating impacts of the disaster have, rightfully, been well documented, standing as a reminder of the potential dangers of nuclear energy. 

Many years later, the abandoned city of Chernobyl is now open as a macabre tourist location where travellers can learn more about the disaster. Here, disused buildings stand in juxtaposition with the daily influx of new visitors, as well as crews of power plant workmen, still working to contain the threat of the remaining nuclear plant.

Over three decades on from when the disaster broke out, Manchester-based photographer Jake Millers travelled to Chernobyl himself. Much like any other tourist, he was drawn to Ukraine due to a fascination with the former USSR and “its architecture, design and culture, and how it differs so much to Western Europe and the rest of the world,” he explains.

Welcome sign for the town of Chernobyl

While he began his trip elsewhere in Ukraine, Millers eventually gravitated towards Chernobyl and the nearby city of Pripyat, taking pictures on his film camera of what he saw there. As someone who originally developed his photographic practice through urban exploring, the unusual location sparked an interest in Millers, who saw what he describes as a “beauty and a realism” in the area’s deteriorating buildings and parks. 

The resulting photographs paint an eerie portrait. With an atmospheric stillness, Millers’ camera enshrines relics of a former way of life, such as Soviet era sports halls and the original “Welcome To Chernobyl” road sign, alongside a parred-down hotel room, radiation detectors and busloads of power plant workers – all monuments to the reigning “new normal”.

Kiev institute of information

Soldiers waiting in bus station, Kiev

While the state of contemporary day Chernobyl is no secret, what’s far less commonly discussed is the trauma left behind, particularly for those ripped from their communities after being forced to evacuate. Surrounding the site of the blasts is an exclusion zone of 2,600 kilometres squared, where villages and towns were evacuated in order to protect the public from the effects of radiation. Yet while many individuals were torn from all they knew and forced to begin again, others fought to remain.

While visiting to the area, Millers came across one such person: a nun hitchhiking to Kiev who had been forced to leave the area but who had returned out of a reluctance to leave behind her home forever. One of an elderly population of “samosely” (or self-settlers) who defy the risk of radiation to live in Chernobyl and other ghost towns in the exclusion zone, she features in a portrait in Millers’ series, speaking with him via a translator.

With the nun drawing on her faith and the power of prayer to overcome the challenges of living in such a depopulated area, Millers recalls the sentiment she was able to imparted, despite the language barrier. “She always wished to return to her motherland, which [eventually] she did, because home will always be home no matter the circumstances,” explains Millers.

Hotel room in the town of Chernobyl

The stark images from Millers’ series evoke a vision of a post-apocalyptic future. But sci-fi movie scenes aside, the realities of climate change may well create many Chernobyl like cities, rendered uninhabitable for humans due to rising sea levels, spiking temperatures and drought. The hysteria which followed the Chernobyl disaster and, years later, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, have been replaced by the creeping, omnipresent threat of environmental annihilation.

“The possibilities of climate change could force people to evacuate their homes [in future] just like it did the people of the Chernobyl disaster,” Millers suggests. “The fear for many people in the 20th century was nuclear, now it is extreme climate.”

Gates to Duga Radar tower, Chernobyl

Abandoned supermarket, Pripyat

The local supermarket in Chernobyl town

Sports hall in the abandoned city of Pripyat

Power plant workers being dropped off at reactor Number 4. Behind, the destroyed reactor is now housed by the new Sarcophagus.

A radiation detection device

Abandoned dodgems ride, Pripyat

Follow Megan Wallace on Twitter

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Latest on Huck

Smiling person in black wetsuit riding surfboard on calm ocean with rocky hills in background.
Sport

Maryam El Gardoum is breaking new shores for Morocco’s indigenous surfers

The Amazigh Atlantic — Through her groundbreaking career and popular surf school, the five-time Moroccan champion is helping women find their places in the waves.

Written by: Sam Haddad

Dimly lit underground carpark, long winding corridor with concrete walls, floor, and pipes above.
Activism

Youth violence’s rise is deeply concerning, but mass hysteria doesn’t help

Safe — On Knife Crime Awareness Week, writer, podcaster and youth worker Ciaran Thapar reflects on the presence of violent content online, growing awareness about the need for action, and the two decades since Saul Dibb’s Bullet Boy.

Written by: Ciaran Thapar

Colourful embroidered jackets worn by two people, with skateboarder visible in background. Bright colours and graphic designs on the clothing.
Sport

Volcom teams up with Bob Mollema for the latest in its Featured Artist Series

True to This — The boardsports lifestyle brand will host an art show in Biarritz to celebrate the Dutch illustrators’ second capsule collection.

Written by: Huck

Black and white image showing a group of shirtless men socialising, some laughing.
Culture

A visual trip through 100 years of New York’s LGBTQ+ spaces

Queer Happened Here — A new book from historian and writer Marc Zinaman maps scores of Manhattan’s queer venues and informal meeting places, documenting the city’s long LGBTQ+ history in the process.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Four persons - three women and one man - posing outdoors. The women are wearing elaborate clothing and jewellery.
Culture

Nostalgic photos of everyday life in ’70s San Francisco

A Fearless Eye — Having moved to the Bay Area in 1969, Barbara Ramos spent days wandering its streets, photographing its landscape and characters. In the process she captured a city in flux, as its burgeoning countercultural youth movement crossed with longtime residents.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A person wearing a black cap and holding a sign that says "What made me"
Music

Tony Njoku: ‘I wanted to see Black artists living my dream’

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s avant-garde electronic and classical music hybridist Tony Njoku.

Written by: Tony Njoku

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.