The Samosely are the people who never accepted the mandatory
evacuation after the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl.
In defiance of the laws, they returned to their houses in the Exclusion Zone.
According to the official reports, there are about 150 of them.
In fact, there are no more than 50 of them living there.
April 26, 1986...
Chernobyl
This is where the biggest nuclear disaster ever took place.
As a result of a botched safety test, the reactor No. 4 exploded...
which caused radioactive pollution of the scale previously unknown.
The area inhabited by 145.000 people was affected most.
This event has since become a milestone in the history of the entire planet.
The people who lived nearby were affected most.
Most of them did not understand the urgency of what had happened
until the moment they were ordered to leave their houses.
The mandatory evacuation of Pripyat and nearby villages
was launched no sooner than 36 hours after the explosion.
This is how the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone came to existence.
An area of 2600 square kilometers...
contaminated and encompassed by barbed wire.
Locked down.
Nonetheless, some decided to come back.
They walked through the woods and swamps to, again, live in their own huts.
They were so attached to this soil that they chose living in the abandoned villages
over anywhere else.
"I was born here and I will die here too" - they say.
They are facing the age-related issues as well as loneliness.
This is why, every winter for the past 5
years, a group of Poles from Napromieniowani.pl
comes to visit the babushkas of Chernobyl and help them
by bringing food, warm clothes, chopping firewood
and, simply, by spending time with them. Priceless time...
In the abandoned world.
Three decades ago, there were about 3000 settlers living here.
Today, there are only a couple of dozens
and this number shrinks every year.
Those are the Last People of Chernobyl.
Produced by: XBestCinema
Directed by/Photography: Amadeusz Kocan
Narrator: Tomasz Knapik
Sound: Amadeusz Kocan
Music: Alan Bucki
Computer effects: Bartosz Wabno
Editing/colorization: Amadeusz Kocan
Additional computer effects: Robert Sawicki
Producer: Krystian Machnik
Graphics: Kinga Klakla
Photo report: Maciej Bogaczyk
Interpreter: Marek Baryshevskyi
Organization of the charity expedition: Krystian Machnik
- Good morning! - Good morning...
Do you remember us? We visited you last year...
Yes, yes... Oh, thank you... Good Lord... May God help you
- I know who you are! - Yes?
- Oh, my sweethearts!
Yes, it's a new one because I remembered how your
old one was fixed with adhesive tape and screws...
Have a try
It's still wet from the rain
- O, how nice... - And so light...
- Oh yes! Oh, thank you....
Do you remember our last year's photo?
Turn the light on!
It doesn't work?
I have no light here.
- We'll bring a bulb and fix it - There's no electricity here
It's all burned out
There was a storm
No, it doesn't work
Oh, this is where it's broken. Here...
- We'll see to it later... - What a nice photo!
- Look, here we have soap, washing liquid...
And some bread for your mother
Oh, how beautiful... Open it and eat it
She says that we should open it and eat...
No, no, no, it's for you. It's not for us...
We have already eaten
- And this is for the cat
- Fish, sausage and lots of other things that need
to be kept in the fridge A tasty sausage for you
Oh, my sweethearts... Oh my God...
There's some pasta too
And lots of those... it needs to go the freezer...
This should be kept in the freezer
Pancakes and dumplings filled with meat
So that you don't forget, this is how it works
Like this, it's on
And once again. This big button here
- Oh... yes, I see, I see, I see...
(laughing) How nice!
Let's put it on your table...
That's a nice one!
- Should it be like this or should we fold it?
- It's fine as it is now...
Or maybe here... no, it's fine. You've done a good job...
It works
- This is how they built it...
- Yes, maybe the electricity is on...
The problem is here, because it's attached to each other...
We should switch the mains off and take a look at the wires.
I suppose that they got loose, after all that moving.
Be careful, don't get electrocuted!
You said that you didn't have a clock, and the other one is broken so...
- You said that you had no clock
- A clock...
- So we bought one for you
- Oh God...
- Does it have a hanger or...
- We'll hang it up - Just tell us where you want it
- Tell us where you want it and we'll hang it up
- Oh, maybe here...
Oh, it's good like that
- Can you see it well? - It's good
Look, it's shaky - Maybe a little bit more?
Yes, a little...
- I will pay you for that
- She says that she wants to pay - No, no way. It's a gift for you
- This is a gift. For you.
- A little bit higher please
- A bit
Good...
Yes, it's good like that...
- It's fine, isn't it? - Yes! It's fine!
We can put it even higher if you want to
- If it's needed, we can put it higher... - No, just leave it as it is now...
- I could use a jacket...
... with buttons
I'd buy one myself... Because it bothers me that I don't have it...
But we never go anywhere and nobody brought anything... (for us to buy)
- This one is slightly bigger... This one is good...
You can roll up your sleeves
- Oh... this one is good! - Yes, this one is good
As if it were made just for you
- Oh... it's like a cloak...
Some water... a bucket or two. And firewood...
Right, so we'll bring this and...
We'll bring you some
- Oh, poor you...
No problem
- We got evacuated in 1986, but I returned in 1987... We spent there one year
- When did you realize, after the evacuation, that there was no coming back?
- Well... we knew it right away
And then nobody stayed here
And we went away... Then they looted the farm here....
I worked here at the farm for 10 years. With pigs.
And the girls... I mean Hania... and Tania... and Sonia Bezwiercha
They worked together with me... And it was good...
Initially, there were 50 people... And now there are 15 of us
Baba Hania there... Marusia there
We're all scattered here. It's not so easy to go and visit each other...
They never opened some houses here in the area
And I wasn't doing well at all...
One day I will die, nobody will come and I'll be lying here and stinking (laughter)
- What happened to your leg?
- What should I say... I don't really know...
After my first surgery... I stayed at the hospital in Chernobyl
They ran some tests, did an X-ray and they said that they needed to operate
I don't know... When I was working with the pigs. One day there
was a storm, they pigs were outside, and I opened the door
The pigs started running, and one boar hit me...
Right here
Bloody bastard... The boys who worked there came,
picked me up and took me to the hospital in Chernobyl
And probably this is when something got damaged there
I have a problem with my joint too... Look, I can't raise my leg
I can lift the right one, but this one won't go
There are some degenerative changes in it
When I injured my ankle, it was so bad that it needed to be tied in three places
- How do you spend your days? From morning to night?
- Oh, my boy...
Back in the day I'd do laundry... When I came
back from the hospital, I cleaned everything...
When it rained, I'd put some buckets out, to catch some rainwater
Because there's nobody who could bring me some water...
Well... my cousin does it sometimes. She visits me every couple of days
Last time I saw her was 2 days ago...
Maybe she'll come tomorrow
For the rest... I don't do anything. What is there to do, anyway?
I have no cows
Cats and crows keep me company (laughter)
- Would you like people to come and visit you more often?
- Oh, I'd love that so much... If they only could
bring me some bread, if anyone could come...
- How often? - Often...
And I was so sad, that nobody visits me here... (laughter)
And if somebody comes, we are all so happy
that somebody came...
And now it's getting hard to live here
I have enough food for one month... it's good that there's at least a foodtruck
(Bread) once for two weeks, it gets stale very quickly
So, I'm happy that there's food... there was no bread here
Oh, God... it's been 7 years since I went to a store
They left me here...
There's nobody, no children...
I'd like to thank you... and wish you good health for the years to come
I hope you will come again
May God help you (cries)
Thank you! See you!
Best wishes! May God protect you, my children...
- Good morning! - Good morning...
We've brought you flashlights... A bigger one and a smaller one...
Oh, thank you!
- Here's the switch... - Oh, good... fine... yes...
Here, here, here...
We've spent our entire lives here....
Well, I'd sometimes go places, but my mother spent her entire life here
Do you know how hard it was for her, when we were being evacuated?
- What do you remember from that day? How was it?
- That very day, when it happened, I was in Kyiv... I knew about nothing
- Until the buses came... - Yes... - And they were taking people away
- Yes... We came here on May 29th... Wait! April 29th...
And on May 4th we had to leave
We helped our parents here... But we didn't take anything with us
- My landowner stayed at his base because he had animals, they were loading them...
They didn't take me away. I was a crane operator so, after the
disaster, we were transferred to Kyiv, by a hydroplane boat "Meteor"
They examined us and sent us to Chernobyl, first thing in the morning.
- They sent you here right after the disaster?
- Yes, immediately. We were sent to work here on May 1st
There were trucks spraying the streets with water...
They sprayed the houses, streets...
They'd do it 2-3 times per day...
It was at night... I was in charge then and they called us that there was an emergency
They rounded everyone up and we started preparing solutions with iodine
- It was here, right? - In Poliske, at the pharmacy
We were making lots of things... Solutions with iodine, for
the thyroid... and then we'd bring those kits to Pripyat
Straight away, during the first night (after the disaster)
Initially, they told us "You'll be gone for 4 days"
And they said not to take anything with us, apart from
our sheets because we might have to sleep outside.
They brought us at night, so I went to Kyiv...
At night, they put us all in the cars and took us where
the government told them to... Oh, that was terrible...
They started rounding people up... There came buses from Pripyat, with kids and
whole families... They started evacuating people. They brought them here, to Poliske
At night, my wife would pick those people up and would relocate them...
People helped as they could. We put up 2 families.
When they relocated us... I was a crane operator
At that time, the harbors in Kyiv and the one
that was ours were owned by the same company
There it was Kyiv and here - Chernobyl...
So they gave us an apartment in Kyiv
Whoever used to own a house, was to receive a two-bedroom flat.
But well, at that time, we received a one-bedroom flat
But after one year... no... after two years, they gave us another one.
I mean, we were removed from here… and they gave us an apartment in Osokorki
area... So, we stayed in Kyiv and lived at the Institute of Chemistry
One-bedroom flat on the 7th floor
And then they gave us a bigger flat, also in Kyiv, a little bit further away.
They would come and ask: "Where would you like to go?"
And I said: "My good people - nowhere!"
"How's that!? Don't you know!? People will be dying here!"
They will be crawling on the ground, nobody will come and pick them up...
And how will it be there where you are taking me... I
said... "What will be, will be! I'm not going anywhere"
When it comes to dying... The best place to die is my own home.
Aren't you afraid of the radiation?
You know, we didn't know about anything… And we should've known…
The dust landed on those tall buildings...
In Kyiv, to be specific... on those skyscrapers
All this radiation settled down...
That's where... my sister's son lived...
My sister is already dead...
And he said to me: "Aunt Alla, there's more radiation in our fridge...
...than where you live, in Poliske!"
So we came, and they were unloading the waste from the coal stoves...
and before you reached the canteen on the three-storey boat, you
had to be checked. There was a man measuring the radiation levels.
And he would say: "Oh, you're contaminated!"
What to do now? He took a broom and scratched that...
...person with it. "Come in!" The radiation was gone...
- And what do you think? Why did they relocate you?
Well... so... well as they say: "One goes to war, and
some other stays with his mother" (Russian proverb)
That's how it was in different situations... There are
uranium ores here - that's what they said in 1973-74
There was an airport here, operating on two routes: Kyiv - Chernobyl, Kyiv - Poliske
So, well, when the geologists were examining the soil, from a helicopter,
as they were expecting to find some uranium ores, right at the surface
I still have a newspaper with an article about it. If I find it, you can have it
There was a sewage pumping station here
They would pump water, drain swamps... Oh, there were canals here too...
They would pump this water into the sea, to the Dnieper...
And then the pumping station was closed down...
At the beginning, our basement was still dry...
But then the water levels went higher again... and water regained its terrain...
Well... the basement started getting wet...
All the food that we placed there... it was...
...all gone.
And here everything was overgrown! But, apart from that, nobody came here
But here, behind our hut, lived our aunt.
Their house was buried.
There came bulldozers, dug it out, tore it down and buried it... That's it.
We had a nice life...
Sometimes a car would come. Totally filled with gas bottles.
And they'd shout: "WHO NEEDS GAS!? WHO NEEDS GAS!?"
Anyway, Kyiv is Kyiv... And I like it here... There's a small river here...
I would go there to go fishing. That's what brought me joy...
But I need to be honest here. I don't eat what I catch
There were so many cars here!
There were lots of them... My mother lived here too.
Oh, God! So many cars. Going up and down! From Chernobyl, to
Chernobyl.... bringing people to work... They spent so much money...
- Some of them would go to their duties...
- And they brought so many goods!
- That road was so busy... as many as 70 buses...
- On both sides of the road... - Yes, they would go up and down!
- Well... and I used to mow the grass for the cows, across the road ...
Because we had cows...
And then it was all gone ....
- If there only were some hope... that there'd be some life here...
If only they started building something here...
But it is the way it is...Life goes by...
And that's it...
We try to make the best of what we have...
- This is what he looked like last year... - Well, yes (laughter)
- Haha, he got old!
- But the mug is still the same... - Only you didn't get old, babushka...
- The same uniform - Look at my hair, how long it was...
Attention. Done
Let's see what it's like
We look good here
I'm like a monkey
- Best wishes and may you live 200 years!
- Goodbye! We'll visit you again! - Oh... oh...
- Come and give me a hug... - Thank you... Thank you!
- All right boys, let's go to sleep...
- Wait for us because we'll come again. Thank you! Best wishes!
We've brought lots of bread
Sausage, some milk... It's all for you... And those detergents too.
Oh gosh, thank you so much for everything...
- Not at all!
- Cheers! "It's not for pleasure, but to stay healthy!"
- Where are you going? - I'm taking you to Marusia...
- We've come by car...
Oh, it's not far away. You can go by car, and we'll walk with the lady
- Good day! - Good day!
- It's your door [the other babushka's house]
We have lots of things for you
- Some detergents... Some jar lids, gardening
gloves... for when you have to work outside
Thank you...
Matches, washing powder, soap... And this is tinder
We didn't know what it was... When I visited Olga, she showed it
to me and we'd smell it and lick it, to see what it was (laughter)
- Thank you, children... thank you...
This is for babushka Hania. Could you give her
this picture? I forgot to give it to her...
- Yes, sure I'll give it to her... - Oh, and this is for you
- I was here with you... how many years ago...? (laughter)
Thank you!
May God be with you! Thank you so much! Thank you, children....
- Good evening!
- Ooh! A flashlight! I was about to ask you for one!
- Because I have none now
It's a very good flashlight
- Oh, thank you... - And this is from the regular customers...
If he doesn't open, we'll leave his gifts at your place.
- Or put it in his shed. Nobody goes there, even cats and dogs avoid that place
- Oh.. I know where it is
How is he doing?
- His arms are still strong, Krystian... He chops his own firewood
- Oh, really!? By himself? - Yes! But his legs are weak...
He uses two walking sticks.
- Good evening!
We'll change the bulb, you'll have more light
Where's the bulb?
We'll give you a new one...
Fine then...
This one is new
And here... some cat food, because you have many cats
What is this?
This... for the cats - Oh... for the cats....
Oh, there's one over there
- The cats went somewhere outside!... - No, they are here...
- Kitty! Kitty! Kitty! Kitty!
There are two of them
And I have...
...five in total
Maybe they are outside... there's some she-cat out there...
It's possible, I haven't seen any...
The photo...
- It's you, right? - Yees....
As you can see...
My fingers...
Are weak...
They don't work properly... that's it...
- Like this. Oh, on the count of three... maybe four (laughter)
- Is it going to shine like that? - That's the best way!
There's somebody shining outside...
Those are our people. We'll bring you a new axe.
- He needs to mind his forehead... because he's tall...
- Sir, look how sharp it is! - It's very sharp! Just be careful...
- It's sharp, you have to be careful... Not to chop your fingers off
- It's a Polish one, right? - Yes, it is...
- It's for you, you can keep it...
From Poland...
A gift?
Thank you! Thank you!
- Don't mention it! - How's that!?
But what about the axe? - It's just a gift for you!
So you're giving it to me (laughter)
- Food...? How's that?
- Yes, just take a look, sir. Milk, sausage... Bread...
- Bread too? - Yes, bread!
Thank you so much! So, so much!
I wish you lots of good luck!
Whole lot of good luck!
- We wish you the same too!
- Me? Who cares? I'm old... I don't have much time left...
- You're not that old... You're young at heart!
- Oh... well... you're right!
Yes, the boys need to go...
I would like to say...
Mom, the boys need to go... Wait a bit...
- There was a girl standing outside...
And the boy said to that girl... it's an old song... a sad one
Farewell, my dear girl, One day I will return!
And when they put me in a dark grave, I will be yours forever.
She waited and waited, Years went by, and the boy didn't come
She made a small altar for him, Has he departed from his earthly path?
He will never come back again, As he died in a bloody battle.
Good people buried him, In a far and foreign land…
A Cossack was coming back, Apparently, by mistake
He was rushing to see his girl Who forgot about his love...
And.... and.... I don't remember the rest... - (laughter)
I will just sing it to myself
My elder brother died during the war. He was born in 1922
And my mother was denied pension
I went to fight for it, to no avail...
There was a major, Yablokov
And he said to me: "Who can prove that he died!?"
And I replied that, indeed, I never experienced war but
I knew very well how our army would attack and retreat...
The first time, the Germans entered this area without firing a single bullet
They entered Chernobyl on bicycles, with their guns
Yes, I was still a baby, I was 13... In 1941...
They came here to the river...
And I came closer to look... all that technology, the pontoon bridge...
And cars that could drive on any surface...
We also had tanks here.
So I thought that I would go and look at the tanks
I came closer and I saw a soldier with a rifle.
I came even closer. "DON'T DO IT BOY! DON'T COME HERE!"
And there was a machine gun, covered with a piece of plywood
And they just went forward, for Stalin...
During the war… When they people were dying or got killed
They would transport corpses on horse-drawn carts…
- Of course, many died at the front, especially men…
- It was a small village, but we had 72 casualties…
My father was killed… And my brother was hanged…
- In Vienna… - In Germany...
- No, not in Germany… He was in Vienna…
- No idea, but they took him to Germany!
- Yes, to Germany, but then he went to Vienna, to work in a factory
- When they took him the first time, He managed to escape… He was born in 1923…
He hadn't been in the army yet
And when he escaped, they signed me up instead, to do forced labor in Germany.
My father pulled some strings, so that I wouldn't have to go…
We came back home, in the middle of the night…
And I had to hide at home. And he was at home too – after he escaped.
And he said to our mother: „Mom!
If she goes to Germany, it will be too late...They will kill her there!”
And so he went... He went...
He would send us... postcards, not letters but such postcards
I still have them...
But I left them in Kyiv
- And he would write that there, on the field, where I would pick mushrooms...
...there was a frontline
- That's where they were crossing the Dnieper...
When they were marching from Belarus...
They marched forward and shouted:
"For the fatherland! For Stalin! Hooray! Hooray!
They stayed in the forest... That's where they fought and shot...
And he would write in those letters... or
postcards, that he worked in a furniture factory
And that they made the same furniture as what we had here on our field
The war was in full swing, bombs would fall... He worked in some
military factory, but it was forbidden to mention it openly...
He would only send us those postcards...
- Oh, this big they were... I have them...
Yes... But they hanged him...
There was an underground organization
Because there were also other people from our village
And when they came back, they told us...
...that they carried him outside and they hanged him in the presence of everyone...
- There is one more thing...
Our village experienced some war activity
Yes, just like Khatyn... Where they shot people, would
lock them up in the houses and burn them alive...
The Germans were here at that time...
I went to school... I was a first-grade pupil when the Germans entered...
And they burned the school down... they burned
everything... They left nothing behind...
They took us to Chernobyl
For some time we were kept at the school over there. Somehow we managed to escape
And some of us had to go to Germany, to do forced labor
They would burn people and the entire village...
they would shoot people dead... for nothing.
My father was at war, just like my brother... And I stayed with my mother...
And I survived.
The frontline was not far from here
They were crossing the river... The Dnieper...
They would fire their automatic rifles, carbines...
We've had our share of misery during the war!
And nobody came to us, we were left to our own devices...
They suffered a lot during the war, but the
government didn't grant them any reparations
People died at the frontline... In the Finnish War... the Great Patriotic War...
Many people died in Ukraine... 7 million
7 million died...
And they tried to turn us and the Poles against each other...
Poland and Ukraine are not guilty... It's their fault...
They tried to divide us
It's Stalin's fault
He murdered so many people...
So many...
Poland suffered by him too... we all suffered...
You and us, we all suffered
Now they turn us against each other again...
We aren't guilty, Poland isn't guilty. Nobody
is guilty. They are the ones who are guilty!
The did this on purpose
And during the war... They came here once again in 1943
There were 5 soldiers in the house... The sixth one was
a soldier too - but he was Jewish. I didn't know that
And he asked: Listen, did they kill Jews here?
I said: Well, yes. They did...
Where I went to school, there were Jews too... but those
were poor ones, who hadn't left. And Germans killed them
There is a street there... International Street
And we went there. And it was early December ...or late November...
... and we had a neighbour. And his father, during the German occupation, was a mayor
And he said: "Let's go and see them shoot Jews dead"...
It was in 1943
And when I reached International Street...
I saw my friend on a cart, passing me by. He
was waving at me and shouting "Lonia! Goodbye!"
I couldn't help him...
How could I help him, where should I take him? I was 13...
And that one Jew got angry: why didn't you take him anywhere?
Where should I've taken him? I was just a boy...
13 years old! Where could I take him and put him up?
So they took them and shot them dead...
How many were killed... I don't know but people say
that it was 500 people. Is it the truth - I don't know
Where's the wood?
- Right there... - Good, let's go...
- No, dear Krystian... this is not what you came for...
Hi Mukhtar! You recognize me?
We came here to give, not to take, so...
- No! It's me whot took from you...
You didn't take anything. It was a gift
- Oh, thank you so much...
A gift... from Natasha
- From Natasha... - Yes! - Thank you...
This is another gift for you. There was another girl, Małgosia...
She remembers you too
- How can I do anything in return... I am so happy...
No need to cry! Many people in Poland remember you
- Strangers [remember me]... Krystian, how
should I not cry, when I'm all alone here...
- But we remember you
- But I... you know...
Good morning!
We have some things here... Take whatever you need.
Thank you.
You can put Paracetamol inside
Thank you all... for what you do...
As you can see, there are almost only elderly people here...
There should be some organization that would
take care of the people here... oh well...
- But nobody comes... - Well... maybe some social workers...
I am really grateful that you don't forget about me...
We hope that you like it
- Oh, sure I like it! May God give health to all those who remember us...
Yes, they do and they help us...
It's good that somebody comes to visit her. She can't go anywhere on her own
And the pension of 1000-1800 Ukrainian Hryvni [33-59 Euros]... It's next to nothing!
It's like tears and not a real pension
I saw it on TV... The ministers earn 2 million each
Maybe they are good people... but they don't have conscience...
You have some bread here, some milk...
- Very good! I don't have any bread anymore!
I have no bread
I remember you... Very well.
You came here last winter
And you gave me a blanket. It's so nice and warm.
And now nobody comes here anymore... Well... Apart from you.
You came here last year. Further, there was nobody.
Of course, I was grateful... And I prayed... God help those people...
Forever and ever.
Because they help us.
Because they understand that we live here...
And we simply found ourselves in this situation...
I've been praying to God for some time. I say:
"God, protect those people, as they still have humane souls..."
"... a tiny particle of sanctity in their souls..."
They understand what sorrow is and that it's hard...
And what can I do? After the surgery, I'm not so mobile anymore and I feel limited.
Anyway, I do what I can do
For example, I go... oh, my mistake! I walk outside,
take my chainsaw and chop or cut some firewood.
When it's done, I put it on a barrow and carry it back... I
borrow the barrow from my relative who lives in the area...
We load it and carry it, that's it
Sometimes a friend of mine comes by car, so we put it in his car then
And when we're back, I chop it into smaller pieces
Anyway, I can be happy if I'm able to do it for 30 minutes...
It says that they came to the Zone with a ballot box. The box is transparent
And there's a picture of babushkas throwing their votes in...
It's at babushka's place! Here! Here!
She can be seen throwing her vote into the box
Well, this picture is from 2012. Recently, we
had another election and this time nobody came...
- Good morning!
I'm so happy!
We have a picture for you too
We came here last year, around the same time
- Oh, thank you...
- You'll remember us - Yes, yes...
When we came here for the first time, the babushka was still alive...
Yes, she was...
Yes, I remember that you have very tasty honey here
- Good old friends! - Haha! Hi!
- Good morning!
This is from that girl, Magdalena
And she... wrote you a letter
- Oh! It's her!
- She visited me 4 times or something!
We visit you every year with the same group
- One year ago. Do you remember?
- Some more bread, an oilcloth - Oh, that's a nice one
- Tanya, come here!
- Come on... - We have a towel... it's red and nice
- Take it! - Oh, thank you...
- There's no winter, but still... - Thank you...
Here you have some detergents, some tea-towels...
Thank you...
Batteries... Please, don't forget your flashlight. You'll need it.
Thank you...
- Your driver doesn't drink, does he? - No, the driver doesn't
- And in Warsaw? Don't drivers drink there? - No, they don't (laughter)
- Oh, it fits well! - It's warm...
Is it locked?
The boys from Poland have come. They've brought you some things
Look, they are prepared for the Orthodox New Year
- Thank you... - There are jar lids...
And here's some food
- Good evening! - Good evening!
Well, we have lots of food, some sausage...
So, boys, what will it be? Do you fancy a shot of vodka?
- Thank you very much, sir.... - And I thank you too, thank you
- We'll come again - Please do, please do...
- Good morning! - Good morning
Oh, my dear children...
We took a picture of you last year. Do you remember that?
We promised to give it to you
- Oh, yes!
And we've brought you a new flashlight. It's a good one
- Good morning!
We came to you from Poland, to help you! We've brought some goods
- You may like it... - Thank you, my children...
- Ooh! Now I'll sleep like a queen!
- It'll be much warmer! - Very warm and cosy!
I'm alone! Alone...
Look at this, as if it were made just for you...
- It'll be warmer, just like back in the day!
Thank you so much... Thank you, my son...
May God help you...
I will help you button it up...
Oh, it's good now... here you have the buttons...
Oh, that's fine... I can also make it tight...
- Will it fit? - Oh, yes, it's good...
Here you have a nice picture from that movie "The Babushkas of Chernobyl"
It's a beautiful picture of you...
There's a proverb, children...
God loves us, God is with us
May you live as long as I do!
And may you come to my funeral...
She is blind in one eye. Indeed, it's noticeable that her eyesight has deteriorated
And this, my children, I chopped by myself...
I chopped it and I carried it...
- We wish you good luck! - May God be with you!
May you come here again, next year!
- May I live long enough to see you again! - We'll visit you, every year!
When I hear a car coming, I'll know it's my boys...
May God help you! You and your families!
There were terrible fires here
They didn't reach us but the situation was dire in the spring
You see how dry it is here...
and in the summer it was 40 degrees here, almost like in Australia
There were aeroplanes flying by... no, those were helicopters...
Poliske was on fire
There are forests here, everywhere
They tried to control the fire from the air, there were firefighters too.
The fire didn't reach us
- Are you responsible for fire prevention here?
- Yes, yes
Oh... there were fires in the summer… Sokoly, Bychky [villages]... There's a monastery
Sokoly, Bychky... it's on the way to Rosokha
Yes. In the summer there were fires there and
we thought that the fire would reach Rosokha too
But we'd managed to prevent it
- I think it was in August? - Yes, I think so
We're removing the fallen trees... to keep the roads clean
- So it's sanitary forest maintenance - Yes
- How long did you work here?
Well.... I worked here for 19 years...
I started when they were creating "Backwoods of Chernobyl Organization",
Then it was called "Chernobyl-Woods"
Yes... it became operational in 1992
They established it in 1992 and in 1993 I came to work here.
I worked here for 19 years. Then I left to
work near my place of residence, in a factory
I came back here 2 years ago
- How many firefighters are here, more or less?
- Three drivers, and some other people...
We are short of people here
The team is incomplete - I see...
- So there are three trucks, right?
Can we look around here? We've never been here before to take a look...
We'd always pass this place by and just go further...
My favourite childhood TV series: "Four Tank-Men and a Dog"
Oh yeah! Four tank-men with that dog! An old TV show!
Yes, yes
There was that Janek... wait a sec... Gustlik
- And the dog? What was he called?
- And Szarik, the dog - Szarik, yes, yes
Oh yeah, I watched it when I was little...
You repaired it on your own, right?
No... only partially. I brought the windows and installed them
- And the floor?
Well, yeah... There was a big hole in here
It was quite a challenge. But it had to be done, there was no time to be sad about it
We once had a beautiful Orthodox church here... We had an airport...
Even a beacon pole
Well... It could use some painting here or there...
We try to keep it in a good condition
- What's the role of religion in your life? What does it mean to you?
You know...
My mother was a believer, my father was a believer and I'm a believer too
And I'll tell you one thing...
When I was in the army, they came here from Rivne area, from western Ukraine
There are also other areas as Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv...
They killed people there...
There were two commandants, machine gunners... Semyachuk and...
and Perelchuk
And they asked me: "Hey man! Do you believe in God?"
And I said: "How should I prove it to you?"
The said: "We are believers. Look, we have holy pictures here" (icons)
And then I produced a crucifix out of my pocket
And they were like "Oh... so you're one of us!",
and I said: "Well... yes, I am! I hope you are too"
Well... it doesn't matter if you believe or you don't. You don't believe - it's
not my business, but if you do believe, then it's like having some extra power...
I believe and my faith helps me a lot.
I always say: "Forgive me, I'll now pray to God...and you can do as you please."
- Thank you, sir! - And I thank you too!
- Stay healthy - Thank you
- It's important for you to stay healthy!
Please forgive me but I've already lived my life, for 90 years...
And you still have a life to live...
I won't take anything from here with me, when I'm dead
There's an Ukrainian song... I forgot its title...
About people who die and who don't take anything with them, to the coffin
And I won't take anything with me, either...
- Welcome! - Good morning!
- What a surprise! - It's us!
- May we enter? - Lady Hania! You have guests!
- The Polish boys have come!
- There are guests for you...
...and she's sitting here and singing...
- Good morning! It's us!
- Come in! (laughter)
- Good morning... please, don't get up for us!
- Good morning! - Good morning!
I told you that we'd come...
- And we all wondered where you've been... - You didn't know where I stay...
Thank you that you came to me... Thank you so much...
I don't know if I can make it home or not...
I can't walk. My legs hurt a lot...
And, where I live, one needs to carry water and firewood...
And what can I do when it snows?
That's true....
In the summer it's not bad... But in the winter, I'm helpless on my own.
- When are you going home?
- Tomorrow... back to Poland
- My children, thank you so, so much...
...that you came here and paid me a visit...
- Thank you... - Thank you for remembering us...
Last year we came here and took a picture of you...
- (laughter) Thank you... - It's a keepsake! - Thank you
- Thank you... I won't forget you...
- Is it him...? - No, it's him!
- Oh, it's him... And this is me. - It's you...
- And this is me, this woman! And this one? - He was our guide, he works for COTIZ
- Do you have a phone? - A phone? Yes.
We tried to call you
Oh, did you? And when?
- A week ago, or something...
- That's possible. Probably I left my phone and I was somewhere else...
- Maybe you didn't hear it ring...
- That's possible, because I never carry it
on me... I go out and the phone stays here...
- We tried to call you to ask where you were staying
It works!
- Is it your number? - Yes
How come did you have to go to hospital?
To hospital? One time I woke up and couldn't stand on my feet
Some 'dachnik' from Kyiv called an ambulance
The ambulance came and they took me to the hospital
I stayed there for 15 days... then I wanted to go home but they brought me here...
Because at home... there'd be nobody to help me
Nobody would come...
So they brought me here...
- And who, in Teremtsy (her village), called an ambulance?
Those people from Kyiv... There was that 'dachnik' and he made a phone call.
(Dachnik - a Samosel who leaves the Exclusion Zone for the winter)
The ambulance came and they took me.
- To the hospital in Ivankiv? - Yes, in Ivankiv...
I fell twice... I fell and couldn't get up...
There was nobody to pick me up... And I couldn't do it on my own
In the past, there was that Vasil who would visit
me... But now he's gone. He doesn't come anymore...
My legs give out on me. The legs are the main problem...
I couldn't get up at all... I spent 15 days in Ivankiv, in the hospital
And then they brought me here...
Otherwise, I'd have died and I'd have been gone...
I wouldn't mind that either
- Don't say that! - Why not, my son...
Which place do you like more?
Well... my house... it's where my home is.
My own home...
Everything there is mine...everything is familiar...
And here?
Nothing is mine... there are only strangers here... I'm alone.
Thank you, son, that you came to visit me here...
I...
I am...
I am so, so happy that I can see you all...
That you visit me...
I am so grateful...
Thank you... for finding me...
I don't know what to say...
I don't need anything anymore
It's time for me to pass away...
- Please stop crying... You don't need to die.
- You have to live!
No...
I've had enough...
The Last People of Chernobyl
Produced by: XBestCinema
Organization of the charity expedition: Krystian Machnik, Napromieniowani.pl
Directed by/Photography: Amadeusz Kocan
Music: Alan Bucki
Narrator: Tomasz Knapik
Sound: Amadeusz Kocan
Computer effects: Bartosz Wabno
Additional computer effects: Robert Sawicki
Editing/colorization: Amadeusz Kocan
Producer/Texts/Drone: Krystian Machnik
Graphics: Kinga Klakla
Photo report: Maciej Bogaczyk
Interpreter: Marek Baryshevskyi
Implementation of the Polish language version
Screenplay: Amadeusz Kocan, Krystian Machnik
During production of this movie, grandpa Ivan from Parishev passed away.
On his 85th birthday.
Ivan Ivanovich Semenyuk 25.03.1935 - 25.03.2020
In memory of those who passed away and are forgotten
The charity expedition was organized thanks to the voluntary donations and support from
the readers of Napromieniowani.pl, our families,
friends and other contributors. Thank you.