1 00:01:05,439 --> 00:01:10,830 During the night of April 26, 1986 2 00:01:11,416 --> 00:01:15,375 in 4th block of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant 3 00:01:15,375 --> 00:01:18,602 a long-scheduled safety test is under way. 4 00:01:19,666 --> 00:01:23,375 As a result of human error and design flaws 5 00:01:23,459 --> 00:01:27,777 the RBMK-1000 nuclear reactor explodes. 6 00:01:28,368 --> 00:01:33,665 Explosion releases radioactive contamination on an unprecedented scale. 7 00:01:35,291 --> 00:01:38,375 Radioactivity in the nearby city of Pripyat 8 00:01:38,375 --> 00:01:40,750 rises with each passing hour. 9 00:01:40,750 --> 00:01:43,481 However, the evacuation takes place no earlier than 10 00:01:43,481 --> 00:01:45,452 one and a half days after the explosion. 11 00:01:46,288 --> 00:01:50,625 About 50000 people are evacuated from the city of Pripyat. 12 00:01:50,625 --> 00:01:53,375 As well as the nearby village of Yanov, 13 00:01:53,375 --> 00:01:56,356 and from a military town called Chernobyl-2. 14 00:01:58,353 --> 00:02:01,291 The situation deteriorates to such an extent 15 00:02:01,291 --> 00:02:05,250 that the mandatory evacuation is ordered. 16 00:02:05,250 --> 00:02:08,375 All people are evacuated from the area of ten kilometers 17 00:02:08,375 --> 00:02:11,073 and then 30 kilometers around the power plant. 18 00:02:12,875 --> 00:02:15,500 In the following months it becomes clear that 19 00:02:15,500 --> 00:02:20,356 the radioactive contamination has reached much further. 20 00:02:21,122 --> 00:02:25,166 As a result, the Exclusion Zone keeps gradually expanding. 21 00:02:26,416 --> 00:02:30,661 Meanwhile, the first people begin returning to their villages. 22 00:02:31,895 --> 00:02:35,791 Initially, they face up to a strong response from the authorities. 23 00:02:35,791 --> 00:02:39,000 However, the scale of this phenomenon becomes so great 24 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,320 that in the following years, authorities cease the evictions. 25 00:02:43,180 --> 00:02:46,180 Those people are named Samosely (self-settlers). 26 00:02:47,458 --> 00:02:52,236 35 years after the disaster, only a small group of them is still alive. 27 00:02:53,018 --> 00:02:56,250 Their number drops with each passing year. 28 00:02:56,250 --> 00:02:58,541 They live in abandoned villages. 29 00:02:58,541 --> 00:03:02,000 They are excluded and forgotten by the world. 30 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:06,139 A small group of Poles from Napromieniowani.pl 31 00:03:06,139 --> 00:03:08,883 made it their mission to go there regularly and help 32 00:03:09,703 --> 00:03:12,531 the last people of Chernobyl. 33 00:03:26,328 --> 00:03:27,875 Good morning. 34 00:03:27,875 --> 00:03:29,570 I told you that we'd meet again. 35 00:03:30,452 --> 00:03:32,584 We were wondering where you have been. 36 00:03:33,180 --> 00:03:35,100 You didn't know where to find me? 37 00:03:36,303 --> 00:03:39,678 Thank you so much for coming. Thank you so much. 38 00:03:41,627 --> 00:03:45,697 I don't know if I'll ever come back home. 39 00:03:46,478 --> 00:03:48,666 I can't walk, my legs hurt. 40 00:03:52,008 --> 00:03:53,071 I'm on my own. 41 00:03:54,291 --> 00:03:56,703 Thank you, my dear, that you've come. 42 00:04:07,147 --> 00:04:09,046 I'm so happy to see you... 43 00:04:10,022 --> 00:04:11,952 and that you've come. 44 00:04:32,846 --> 00:04:34,659 Visits are forbidden. 45 00:04:39,909 --> 00:04:41,198 We have no choice. 46 00:04:49,318 --> 00:04:50,412 Good morning. 47 00:04:51,217 --> 00:04:53,842 I know that it's forbidden. 48 00:04:54,342 --> 00:04:55,541 We're from Poland. 49 00:04:55,541 --> 00:04:57,125 You've come to see Czala? 50 00:04:57,125 --> 00:04:59,666 -How do you know? -You can't see her. 51 00:04:59,666 --> 00:05:03,250 We've brought some goods for her. 52 00:05:03,250 --> 00:05:06,993 I'll let her know that you have come, but you can't see her. 53 00:05:07,757 --> 00:05:10,239 You may greet her through the window. 54 00:05:11,048 --> 00:05:13,449 I told them that we have a quarantine. 55 00:05:13,449 --> 00:05:16,436 Especially now, that she has been tested positive. 56 00:05:17,897 --> 00:05:20,655 May they greet her through the window? 57 00:05:21,420 --> 00:05:26,858 Okay... here's some bread, paper, washing powder, milk, cakes. 58 00:05:34,421 --> 00:05:35,925 We didn’t expect that. 59 00:05:38,250 --> 00:05:40,340 Do you recognize us? Good morning. 60 00:05:40,996 --> 00:05:43,097 They don't let us go anywhere. 61 00:05:44,416 --> 00:05:47,000 We can't go anywhere, not even for a walk. 62 00:05:48,263 --> 00:05:50,786 We are not allowed to enter the building either. 63 00:05:51,380 --> 00:05:52,708 Nothing can be done. 64 00:05:52,708 --> 00:05:54,622 I'm glad to see you. 65 00:05:55,888 --> 00:05:59,364 So are we. How are you? 66 00:06:01,625 --> 00:06:03,208 How's your health?! 67 00:06:04,166 --> 00:06:05,210 Your health? 68 00:06:06,791 --> 00:06:08,538 What's the situation like? 69 00:06:09,416 --> 00:06:10,921 I can't hear you. 70 00:06:11,671 --> 00:06:13,414 Her ability to hear got worse. 71 00:06:13,922 --> 00:06:18,273 It's always been bad, but she never had any troubles with understanding me before. 72 00:06:18,958 --> 00:06:20,041 It upsets her. 73 00:06:21,022 --> 00:06:25,116 Nobody visits her. Others have families but she has nobody in fact. 74 00:06:27,194 --> 00:06:30,092 She said that she was not doing fine. 75 00:06:30,833 --> 00:06:33,000 It's because she is locked up in her room. 76 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:35,351 She is used to walking down the hall, 77 00:06:35,351 --> 00:06:37,689 to watching TV, going to the canteen. 78 00:06:39,282 --> 00:06:41,750 All babushkas are locked up in their rooms, right? 79 00:06:41,750 --> 00:06:44,833 She also caught the virus. Though, we don't know if it's real. 80 00:06:44,833 --> 00:06:46,039 Thank you, goodbye. 81 00:06:46,773 --> 00:06:47,781 Let's go. 82 00:06:51,049 --> 00:06:56,338 She's not fine because she can't go anywhere. 83 00:06:58,166 --> 00:07:02,750 She told us that her morale was getting lower and lower. 84 00:07:04,135 --> 00:07:10,221 No visits, no walking, no TV... They sit in the room all day. 85 00:07:20,132 --> 00:07:21,514 Why should we help them? 86 00:07:22,076 --> 00:07:24,250 Because they live in an abandoned world. 87 00:07:24,250 --> 00:07:26,442 There are places that had 500 inhabitants. 88 00:07:26,442 --> 00:07:28,715 Now there can be easily only 11 as I assume. 89 00:07:28,715 --> 00:07:31,809 Those are elderly people and it's hard for them... 90 00:07:33,458 --> 00:07:34,787 to help each other. 91 00:07:34,787 --> 00:07:40,505 They do their best but if you're 80 or so, things are not that simple. 92 00:07:41,489 --> 00:07:44,099 Additionally, no running water, 93 00:07:45,802 --> 00:07:48,794 frequent power cuts, 94 00:07:49,630 --> 00:07:52,375 the door-to door shop comes once every two-three weeks. 95 00:07:52,375 --> 00:07:54,888 If there's a lot of snow, it doesn't come at all. 96 00:07:54,888 --> 00:07:57,341 It all piles up and there is even more... 97 00:07:57,958 --> 00:08:02,500 Nobody visits them, they have no families. They miss talking to another human beings. 98 00:08:02,500 --> 00:08:05,125 They are stuck up into their huts. 99 00:08:05,125 --> 00:08:08,750 Sure, we bring them a lot of essential products. 100 00:08:08,750 --> 00:08:12,992 Like bread, warm clothes or even a pair of warm slippers to wear in bed. 101 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:19,000 But what they need the most is any kind of mental support. 102 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:23,541 For them it's the possibility to talk to someone else, to look at them. 103 00:08:23,541 --> 00:08:29,220 Babushkas often admit that it is just nice to be able to see another person. 104 00:08:30,148 --> 00:08:32,283 What's the plan for tomorrow? 105 00:08:33,264 --> 00:08:34,334 Kupovate. 106 00:08:34,334 --> 00:08:38,615 We're going to Kupovate, in the southern part of the Zone. 107 00:08:38,615 --> 00:08:41,291 We're going to visit babushka Hania. 108 00:08:41,291 --> 00:08:44,583 Who lost her sister, Sonya, a couple of weeks ago. 109 00:08:45,261 --> 00:08:49,000 I'd like us to be at the Dytiatky Checkpoint by 10 o'clock. 110 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:53,516 To make it happen, we need to wake up around 8 o'clock. 111 00:08:54,299 --> 00:08:58,815 There is a lot to do. We need to load the car and have some decent sleep. 112 00:08:59,922 --> 00:09:02,916 We haven't slept for two days. 113 00:09:03,750 --> 00:09:07,854 We don't want to waste too much daytime either. 114 00:09:08,623 --> 00:09:15,102 After all, we have to respect the curfew imposed by the local authorities. 115 00:09:21,282 --> 00:09:23,360 Here are our passports. 116 00:09:28,528 --> 00:09:29,927 Two jerrycans. 117 00:09:29,927 --> 00:09:31,906 We need to register two jerrycans. 118 00:09:33,296 --> 00:09:34,836 Will you open the trunk? 119 00:09:35,429 --> 00:09:38,046 Those are goods and clothes for the elderly. 120 00:09:41,250 --> 00:09:45,941 Last year, the officers luckily recognized you and they simply let us through. 121 00:09:55,041 --> 00:09:58,750 [No trespassing. The object is under surveillance.] 122 00:10:02,750 --> 00:10:05,250 [Pripyat] 123 00:10:06,916 --> 00:10:11,291 "Early in the morning, as the nightingale was singing in the orchard." 124 00:10:12,291 --> 00:10:16,875 "I quietly entered the house, where my father-in-law was reading a letter." 125 00:10:16,875 --> 00:10:21,000 "Come over here, my dear. Let's see what your beloved one has written.” 126 00:10:21,623 --> 00:10:25,250 "He writes that he loves someone else." "You must forget me!" 127 00:10:26,209 --> 00:10:29,795 "I couldn't say anything, apart from this:" 128 00:10:30,791 --> 00:10:34,291 "I have forgotten him, but it's his baby." 129 00:10:35,250 --> 00:10:39,166 "Oh baby, baby, it's time to go to sleep." 130 00:10:40,195 --> 00:10:44,125 "I'll sit at the table and write a letter to your daddy." 131 00:10:45,416 --> 00:10:49,375 "I kept on writing until it was time to end the letter." 132 00:10:49,375 --> 00:10:53,125 "I wrote only one thing: You'll come and bury me!” 133 00:10:54,125 --> 00:10:59,041 "Two weeks had passed since the father-in-law buried his daughter-in-law." 134 00:10:59,750 --> 00:11:04,375 "The lover is reading the letter. He says that it was the truth." 135 00:11:04,375 --> 00:11:08,076 "His Cossack heart is burning. His young blood is boiling." 136 00:11:09,232 --> 00:11:13,959 "He's thinking of his wife, his baby and the old love." 137 00:11:19,919 --> 00:11:21,294 I've messed it all up... 138 00:11:22,238 --> 00:11:24,058 That's no problem. 139 00:11:58,221 --> 00:11:59,721 Come in, come in. 140 00:12:01,041 --> 00:12:03,112 I think they need bread the most. 141 00:12:10,791 --> 00:12:12,668 We'll come shortly! 142 00:12:21,031 --> 00:12:24,041 -Come in, come in. -Maybe we should bring some firewood? 143 00:12:24,041 --> 00:12:26,531 No, I've done that already by myself. 144 00:12:27,281 --> 00:12:32,250 -Those are 100-Watt light bulbs. -You have an old one, right? 145 00:12:32,250 --> 00:12:35,655 This one is new. It's economical. 146 00:12:42,875 --> 00:12:44,541 To your health! And thank you! 147 00:12:44,541 --> 00:12:49,778 To your health, my boys. No need to thank me. My life is long already. 148 00:12:50,750 --> 00:12:54,375 May we pour some on the floor? In the memory of your sister. 149 00:12:54,375 --> 00:12:56,750 -For her eternal peace? -We'll pour some. 150 00:12:56,750 --> 00:12:59,000 Come on. Eat, my boys! 151 00:12:59,852 --> 00:13:01,271 To your health! 152 00:13:01,903 --> 00:13:05,950 May this be a medicine, not self-indulgence. 153 00:13:08,375 --> 00:13:12,250 May you be healthy and live 90-100 years. 154 00:13:12,250 --> 00:13:13,856 Just like babushka Czala. 155 00:13:14,668 --> 00:13:18,000 We wanted to ask you about the day after tomorrow. 156 00:13:18,500 --> 00:13:21,875 Could we hold a gathering of all samosely here at your place? 157 00:13:21,875 --> 00:13:24,375 -Here? -Yes. Is there enough space for everyone? 158 00:13:24,375 --> 00:13:29,098 Yes there is. There are only 12 people here. And I buried my Sonya... 159 00:13:30,226 --> 00:13:35,577 Maria Ilchenko came here to spend a night with me, to support me. 160 00:13:36,192 --> 00:13:39,625 I can recall when her husband, Ivan, died. 161 00:13:39,625 --> 00:13:44,270 I'm grateful for her help. After all, she has it hard too. 162 00:13:47,152 --> 00:13:50,165 Come closer, my boy, so that I can hear you. 163 00:13:50,844 --> 00:13:54,839 Do you remember the disaster, when the Chernobyl power plant exploded? 164 00:13:55,468 --> 00:13:57,535 In 1800... oh... 165 00:14:00,183 --> 00:14:01,375 In 1986. 166 00:14:01,375 --> 00:14:04,625 It happened in April, 26th. 167 00:14:05,184 --> 00:14:07,129 I was at home. 168 00:14:08,436 --> 00:14:09,881 In the morning... 169 00:14:11,350 --> 00:14:14,131 I was supposed to go to work. 170 00:14:14,921 --> 00:14:19,510 Here's the road, here's my booth and here the 4th reactor. 171 00:14:20,416 --> 00:14:22,466 There was a crane too. 172 00:14:22,466 --> 00:14:24,279 They haven't evacuated me. 173 00:14:24,279 --> 00:14:28,786 I was working on the crane at that time, it was my assignment. 174 00:14:29,395 --> 00:14:32,942 I went to Kiev by hydrofoil named "Meteor". They gave us a check-up. 175 00:14:32,942 --> 00:14:35,147 And immediately took us back to Chernobyl. 176 00:14:36,166 --> 00:14:39,416 Did you return right after the disaster? 177 00:14:39,416 --> 00:14:41,541 Yes, right after the reactor explosion. 178 00:14:41,541 --> 00:14:43,500 It was in May, 1st. 179 00:14:43,500 --> 00:14:46,352 It was night, at 1:30 AM. 180 00:14:47,899 --> 00:14:50,508 An ambulance came to my house. 181 00:14:51,227 --> 00:14:55,166 First, the phone rang, but I was too late to answer it. 182 00:14:55,166 --> 00:14:57,595 Those old phones were like this. 183 00:15:01,416 --> 00:15:04,502 I called and my mom picked it up. 184 00:15:05,213 --> 00:15:09,125 She said: "There's something going on, some malfunction," stuff like that. 185 00:15:09,125 --> 00:15:11,218 It was exactly in April, 27th. 186 00:15:11,827 --> 00:15:13,036 -Immediately? -Yes. 187 00:15:13,036 --> 00:15:16,041 They already knew on 26th April, but I called the day after. 188 00:15:16,041 --> 00:15:18,201 She said, that there was an accident. 189 00:15:19,068 --> 00:15:22,375 "At the nuclear power plant, in Pripyat, some malfunction." 190 00:15:22,375 --> 00:15:23,981 "Here everything is alright." 191 00:15:24,975 --> 00:15:27,522 "We still plant potatoes here." 192 00:15:28,916 --> 00:15:31,750 We didn't know any better, and we planted potatoes. 193 00:15:31,750 --> 00:15:34,500 And we worked in the field. 194 00:15:34,500 --> 00:15:36,916 At the kolkhoz they planted potatoes too. 195 00:15:36,916 --> 00:15:41,541 On Saturday, they brought the schoolchildren from Ladizyche. 196 00:15:41,541 --> 00:15:43,675 They were from Ladizyche. 197 00:15:44,276 --> 00:15:46,000 The doorbell rang. 198 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:47,666 I opened the door. 199 00:15:48,500 --> 00:15:51,860 ”Valentina Ivanovna, get ready. You have five minutes." 200 00:15:52,532 --> 00:15:55,375 "There was an accident at the nuclear power plant”. 201 00:15:55,375 --> 00:15:58,024 We have put up a sign. 202 00:16:01,853 --> 00:16:06,882 A warning against extreme situations. 203 00:16:10,312 --> 00:16:14,265 It was my duty to do so. 204 00:16:16,843 --> 00:16:20,916 [unintelligible] 205 00:16:23,075 --> 00:16:25,709 Drink your tea before it's cold. 206 00:16:25,709 --> 00:16:29,294 At night, people with all those bags... 207 00:16:30,410 --> 00:16:33,566 Bags, suitcases, everyone was going to the train station, 208 00:16:33,566 --> 00:16:35,246 which was already overcrowded. 209 00:16:35,879 --> 00:16:39,541 They took their kids with them. Terrible sight. 210 00:16:40,907 --> 00:16:44,633 I tried to call one more time, but I couldn't. They shut off the phones. 211 00:16:44,633 --> 00:16:47,072 They brought in firefighters from the reactor. 212 00:16:47,072 --> 00:16:50,730 The police encircled Pripyat. 213 00:16:51,541 --> 00:16:55,475 So that nobody could enter or leave. 214 00:16:56,203 --> 00:16:59,756 I was driving from Slavutych up to the power plant. 215 00:17:00,532 --> 00:17:03,500 They were shouting to me and I asked: "What's going on?" 216 00:17:03,500 --> 00:17:04,602 "Let's go and see." 217 00:17:05,219 --> 00:17:07,875 I was the deputy head. 218 00:17:07,875 --> 00:17:12,500 They called me at night, it was just after the explosion. 219 00:17:12,500 --> 00:17:15,983 They rounded us up, and ordered a batch of iodine solution. 220 00:17:16,562 --> 00:17:19,875 -Was it here? -At the pharmacy in Poliske, yes. 221 00:17:19,875 --> 00:17:23,182 We made lots of it, in jerrycans. 222 00:17:24,408 --> 00:17:25,500 Plenty of it. 223 00:17:25,500 --> 00:17:28,500 Iodine solution, it's for thyroid. 224 00:17:28,500 --> 00:17:30,750 Then we brought it to Pripyat. 225 00:17:30,750 --> 00:17:34,500 Right away, the first night after the disaster. 226 00:17:34,500 --> 00:17:35,668 I handed out iodine. 227 00:17:36,863 --> 00:17:39,385 Our doctors took iodine. 228 00:17:39,385 --> 00:17:42,041 On Monday, there came a bus. 229 00:17:42,041 --> 00:17:44,225 To bring the children to school. 230 00:17:44,916 --> 00:17:46,625 They took the kids 231 00:17:46,625 --> 00:17:49,225 and some time later they brought them back. 232 00:17:50,474 --> 00:17:52,500 I saw them walking home, and I asked: 233 00:17:52,500 --> 00:17:55,125 "Vala, why are you home?" 234 00:17:55,125 --> 00:17:58,219 "Mom, they are saying that the nuclear reactor exploded." 235 00:17:59,250 --> 00:18:02,752 It means that we found out about the explosion on Monday. 236 00:18:03,275 --> 00:18:05,500 They were throwing us out of our houses. 237 00:18:05,500 --> 00:18:07,299 It exploded on 26 April. 238 00:18:07,916 --> 00:18:09,749 We had to leave on 4 May. 239 00:18:10,252 --> 00:18:12,849 We were not aware of anything at that point. 240 00:18:12,849 --> 00:18:15,640 Until the buses showed up in front of our houses. 241 00:18:16,379 --> 00:18:18,496 And they started loading us onto them. 242 00:18:19,953 --> 00:18:24,752 We came here on 29 May... 243 00:18:25,572 --> 00:18:28,476 No! Actually it was 29 April. 244 00:18:29,203 --> 00:18:32,398 And on 4 May they were already taking us away. 245 00:18:32,398 --> 00:18:35,875 There were cars, spraying on the streets. 246 00:18:35,875 --> 00:18:38,625 They sprayed on the buildings, on the streets. 247 00:18:38,625 --> 00:18:40,839 Two-three times per day. 248 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:44,232 They were announcing through the megaphone: 249 00:18:46,974 --> 00:18:49,406 "To all inhabitants of Pripyat." 250 00:18:52,140 --> 00:18:55,375 "Due to the malfunction at the nuclear power plant," 251 00:18:56,818 --> 00:19:02,146 "it is necessary to leave your houses for three days." 252 00:19:05,765 --> 00:19:09,750 "Remember to close the mains, supply of the electricity, gas and water." 253 00:19:09,750 --> 00:19:12,541 "Take all important documents." 254 00:19:13,244 --> 00:19:16,267 It's been ringing in my ears ever since. 255 00:19:17,093 --> 00:19:21,546 They announced that it was only for three days. 256 00:19:22,140 --> 00:19:24,778 We were told that it was for four days. 257 00:19:24,778 --> 00:19:27,875 And that we shouldn't take anything more than clean sheets, 258 00:19:27,875 --> 00:19:30,731 because we might have to spend the night in the open air. 259 00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:34,500 They brought us at night. I went to Kyiv. 260 00:19:34,500 --> 00:19:36,270 And I slept in the car. 261 00:19:37,356 --> 00:19:41,707 The cattle was standing and bellowing in distress. It was Horrible. 262 00:19:42,341 --> 00:19:44,387 We were forced to leave on 4 May. 263 00:19:45,020 --> 00:19:46,325 For three days. 264 00:19:46,841 --> 00:19:49,958 Only for three days, but it turned out that it was forever. 265 00:19:50,750 --> 00:19:53,791 It's been 33 years, or even more. 266 00:19:56,416 --> 00:20:01,562 Could you tell us, what the evacuation was like? 267 00:20:03,100 --> 00:20:05,500 We already knew, that we'd have to go. 268 00:20:05,500 --> 00:20:08,500 We went and told everyone that we'd need to leave. 269 00:20:09,833 --> 00:20:13,625 Even though we were not in the 30-km exclusion zone. 270 00:20:14,541 --> 00:20:16,291 When they came for us, 271 00:20:16,291 --> 00:20:18,375 I was working on the crane. 272 00:20:18,375 --> 00:20:22,000 Our port and the Kyiv port were the same company. 273 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,791 One port was in Kyiv and the other one in Chernobyl. 274 00:20:24,791 --> 00:20:27,750 They gave us an apartment in Kyiv. 275 00:20:27,750 --> 00:20:30,166 Those, who used to live in the houses, 276 00:20:30,166 --> 00:20:32,541 were supposed to receive two-room apartments. 277 00:20:32,541 --> 00:20:35,223 They gave us only one-room apartment. 278 00:20:36,272 --> 00:20:40,166 And the next year... No, two years later, they gave us a different flat. 279 00:20:40,166 --> 00:20:43,523 They announced through a megaphone, 280 00:20:45,702 --> 00:20:49,958 that the buses would park by each stairwell door. 281 00:20:52,144 --> 00:20:56,500 And that we'd be driven to the nearby villages. 282 00:20:56,500 --> 00:20:59,995 To the districts like Ivankiv, Poliske and Chernobyl. 283 00:21:00,730 --> 00:21:04,250 The buses brought people with children. 284 00:21:04,250 --> 00:21:08,376 Whole families, everybody had to be placed somewhere. 285 00:21:09,063 --> 00:21:12,766 It was happening at night... They were allocated... 286 00:21:13,352 --> 00:21:18,967 Anyone who could, took some people in. Two families were living with us. 287 00:21:19,467 --> 00:21:25,514 Why do I need all these other places when I have my own home? 288 00:21:26,783 --> 00:21:29,869 This hut. Our house. 289 00:21:30,853 --> 00:21:32,416 My husband's house. 290 00:21:32,416 --> 00:21:35,375 They took you away after the disaster? 291 00:21:35,375 --> 00:21:39,446 Yes, those red city buses arrived. 292 00:21:40,571 --> 00:21:46,368 They brought us to Lukyanivka, in Baryshevskyi District. 293 00:21:47,177 --> 00:21:50,942 They allocated us with different families. 294 00:21:51,653 --> 00:21:53,625 They treated us like objects. 295 00:21:54,755 --> 00:21:57,669 This family - two people, that family - three people, 296 00:21:57,669 --> 00:21:59,755 and your neighbour - five. 297 00:22:00,382 --> 00:22:02,898 They came and asked: "Where would you like to go?" 298 00:22:02,898 --> 00:22:04,916 And I said: "My good people - nowhere!" 299 00:22:04,916 --> 00:22:08,625 "How's that?! If you stay here, you'll die!" 300 00:22:08,625 --> 00:22:12,476 "Corpses will lie on the ground, nobody will come and pick them up!" 301 00:22:13,429 --> 00:22:16,666 "How will it be where you want to take me?" 302 00:22:16,666 --> 00:22:19,666 "Well, God only knows." 303 00:22:19,666 --> 00:22:21,638 "I'm going nowhere!" 304 00:22:22,688 --> 00:22:25,427 "I'll die at home!" 305 00:22:25,993 --> 00:22:32,083 They built... for 500-600 people - the population of the entire Kupovate village. 306 00:22:32,935 --> 00:22:35,880 They built 100 huts. They stuffed those people in them. 307 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:38,250 117 women and men - old and lonely. 308 00:22:38,250 --> 00:22:41,041 They stuffed them all together. What else could they do? 309 00:22:41,041 --> 00:22:42,500 There was no gas supply. 310 00:22:42,500 --> 00:22:44,543 There was only steam heating. 311 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:47,046 You light up the stove, 312 00:22:48,031 --> 00:22:51,031 water starts boiling and you don't know what to do. 313 00:22:51,632 --> 00:22:54,791 We had coal boilers, they brought coal from Fastov. 314 00:22:54,791 --> 00:22:56,606 It was hard to survive. 315 00:22:57,145 --> 00:23:00,817 The winter of 1986/87 was very harsh. 316 00:23:01,809 --> 00:23:04,595 Lots of snow and sub-zero temperatures. 317 00:23:05,377 --> 00:23:06,666 People suffered. 318 00:23:06,666 --> 00:23:11,250 All they thought about were their own stoves, in their houses. 319 00:23:11,250 --> 00:23:12,791 So what did we do? 320 00:23:12,791 --> 00:23:16,982 We didn't wait for them to give us permission - we fled home. 321 00:23:17,623 --> 00:23:20,865 How long after the disaster did you come back home? 322 00:23:21,832 --> 00:23:23,037 After one year. 323 00:23:23,037 --> 00:23:25,666 We spent one winter away from home. 324 00:23:25,666 --> 00:23:26,666 One year. 325 00:23:26,666 --> 00:23:29,221 There was a barbed wire. 326 00:23:31,548 --> 00:23:32,627 Barbed wire. 327 00:23:32,627 --> 00:23:34,125 And some poles. 328 00:23:34,125 --> 00:23:37,041 There you have Opachychi Forestry. 329 00:23:37,966 --> 00:23:42,320 They placed them up to the forestry, but Kupovate village was not in the Zone. 330 00:23:42,906 --> 00:23:48,375 I came home in October 24, 1987. 331 00:23:49,382 --> 00:23:51,385 They asked: "Where are you going?" 332 00:23:51,973 --> 00:23:54,840 They wouldn't allow us, so we went illegally! 333 00:23:57,422 --> 00:24:01,867 We made a garden right there, we planted potatoes. 334 00:24:03,317 --> 00:24:06,349 It was time to come back home. 335 00:24:07,536 --> 00:24:12,911 One hundred and fifty families came back. They didn't allow any more. 336 00:24:13,692 --> 00:24:15,791 They threw us out several times. 337 00:24:15,791 --> 00:24:19,000 Every time they threw us out, we would come back again. 338 00:24:21,291 --> 00:24:22,291 Like partisans. 339 00:24:22,291 --> 00:24:25,461 -How many times did they throw you out? -I lost the count. 340 00:24:27,192 --> 00:24:29,250 There were lots of people. 341 00:24:30,028 --> 00:24:32,625 Once came a bus, to take everyone away. 342 00:24:32,625 --> 00:24:36,512 We told them that they'd have to kill us first. Otherwise, we wouldn't go. 343 00:24:37,166 --> 00:24:38,515 And then we... 344 00:24:40,103 --> 00:24:41,312 came home. 345 00:24:43,124 --> 00:24:44,875 This is why we live here. 346 00:24:45,625 --> 00:24:48,519 We are 36 km away from the power plant. 347 00:24:51,166 --> 00:24:52,625 So we are outside the zone. 348 00:24:53,308 --> 00:24:56,465 One hundred twenty-seven people came back. 349 00:24:57,230 --> 00:25:02,750 84 in Opachychi, 27 in Otashev and 14 in Gorodishch. 350 00:25:02,750 --> 00:25:04,304 A lot of people came back. 351 00:25:04,975 --> 00:25:08,166 When we came here, everything was overgrown. 352 00:25:08,166 --> 00:25:11,625 There was nobody to take care of it for a year. 353 00:25:11,625 --> 00:25:14,875 So we took axes, cut it all out and ploughed the field. 354 00:25:14,875 --> 00:25:19,541 There were no fertilizers. And here they don't sow rye. 355 00:25:19,541 --> 00:25:21,791 They don't sow anything. Not even oats. 356 00:25:21,791 --> 00:25:24,375 We have potatoes, beets. 357 00:25:24,375 --> 00:25:26,125 Corn. 358 00:25:26,125 --> 00:25:28,612 There's not much corn, because pigs eat it all. 359 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:33,026 Somehow, we managed to settle here, and here we are. 360 00:25:33,026 --> 00:25:34,750 There was a lot of us. 361 00:25:34,750 --> 00:25:36,791 How many people are there in Teremtsi? 362 00:25:36,791 --> 00:25:38,375 Hard to say - few. 363 00:25:38,375 --> 00:25:41,291 -Perhaps ten? -I guess so. 364 00:25:42,424 --> 00:25:45,932 And after the disaster, 100 people returned to live here. 365 00:25:46,893 --> 00:25:50,125 After the accident, there was 100 of us in Teremtsi. 366 00:25:50,125 --> 00:25:55,625 In September 1987, the chairman of the regional state administration came here. 367 00:25:55,625 --> 00:25:57,125 Revenko Grigory Ivanovich. 368 00:25:57,125 --> 00:26:01,203 He said that the evacuation of Kupovate village was against the law. 369 00:26:02,194 --> 00:26:08,101 Therefore, the retired and the elderly could come back home. 370 00:26:08,925 --> 00:26:11,666 Preschoolers and schoolchildren had to stay. 371 00:26:11,666 --> 00:26:12,875 That's how it was. 372 00:26:12,875 --> 00:26:14,875 But we made a small mistake. 373 00:26:14,875 --> 00:26:19,625 If we had written permission, a document in hand, 374 00:26:20,457 --> 00:26:23,293 we would have been heroes. Instead, we are Samosely. 375 00:26:23,966 --> 00:26:26,875 Was the evacuation necessary? 376 00:26:26,875 --> 00:26:30,250 No, that was insanity. 377 00:26:30,250 --> 00:26:34,541 The people would have survived. Instead, they had to leave and die far from home. 378 00:26:34,541 --> 00:26:36,423 Take Berzan village for example. 379 00:26:36,423 --> 00:26:39,563 You can count people living there on the fingers of one hand. 380 00:26:39,563 --> 00:26:43,875 No! We shouldn't have been evacuated. We shouldn't have. 381 00:26:43,875 --> 00:26:47,670 Here I have some berries, mushrooms, a small garden. 382 00:26:49,334 --> 00:26:52,131 We can plant some tomatoes, some cucumbers. 383 00:26:52,803 --> 00:26:57,731 And any sort of flowers you can imagine. 384 00:26:58,496 --> 00:27:01,875 And I like flowers very much. My daughter brings me some. 385 00:27:01,875 --> 00:27:05,559 She helps me plant them, when she visits during summer. 386 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:09,875 One sort starts to bloom, then another one. 387 00:27:11,625 --> 00:27:16,000 It's our home and we do our best to make it beautiful. 388 00:27:19,750 --> 00:27:23,799 To make our lives better. 389 00:27:29,166 --> 00:27:30,333 Yes... 390 00:27:31,625 --> 00:27:34,291 That's why I have so many roses. 391 00:29:27,458 --> 00:29:29,916 You worked in a hospital, in Pripyat? 392 00:29:29,916 --> 00:29:34,250 Yes, and that's what I got the medal for. 393 00:29:34,250 --> 00:29:36,147 What was your job at the hospital? 394 00:29:36,819 --> 00:29:41,522 I was a liquidator. Wait, I'll show you. 395 00:29:43,148 --> 00:29:45,523 I was a part of an ambulance crew. 396 00:29:51,125 --> 00:29:53,375 You said that you had built Pripyat. 397 00:29:53,375 --> 00:29:56,625 Do you mean that you were directly involved in it? 398 00:29:56,625 --> 00:29:57,787 Oh yes! 399 00:29:58,864 --> 00:30:03,099 There were trucks with gravel, and they would bring sand from there, 400 00:30:03,099 --> 00:30:05,033 and then, by the river transport, 401 00:30:05,033 --> 00:30:08,583 to Crimea, Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovsk and Cherkasy. 402 00:30:09,375 --> 00:30:15,625 The passage was narrow because of the cranes. We needed 9000 trucks with sand. 403 00:30:15,625 --> 00:30:21,115 We'd load one truck, then it'd go, and then we'd load another one. 404 00:30:23,100 --> 00:30:26,139 Don't be afraid boys! There's no radiation here. 405 00:30:26,771 --> 00:30:28,793 We know that. We're not afraid. 406 00:30:30,041 --> 00:30:31,500 What I did? 407 00:30:31,500 --> 00:30:35,653 We handed out medication to all the workers. 408 00:30:38,919 --> 00:30:42,268 We made sure they all got their anti-radiation drugs. 409 00:30:42,268 --> 00:30:46,549 Did you see the firemen when they were brought in from the nuclear power plant? 410 00:30:46,549 --> 00:30:51,291 Sure! We took care of everyone, 411 00:30:51,291 --> 00:30:55,033 who ended up in our ward. 412 00:30:59,422 --> 00:31:03,500 You can still go and see their clothes in the basement. 413 00:31:03,500 --> 00:31:09,285 Why are the firefighters' belongings stored in the basement? 414 00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:12,799 It was an extreme situation, 415 00:31:13,619 --> 00:31:18,322 they were contaminated, and up there we had living people. 416 00:31:19,416 --> 00:31:24,500 Those coming in and those who were already contaminated. 417 00:31:25,217 --> 00:31:29,041 It's simple, we had to get rid of the radiation source. 418 00:31:30,256 --> 00:31:32,436 We'd put them there... 419 00:31:36,083 --> 00:31:37,355 How to say that? 420 00:31:38,625 --> 00:31:40,500 So that they wouldn't lie next to us. 421 00:31:40,500 --> 00:31:43,058 We thought that the authorities... 422 00:31:44,570 --> 00:31:49,044 would send someone to clean it up. 423 00:31:50,155 --> 00:31:56,764 I come in, neatly dressed, with a straw hat on. 424 00:31:58,178 --> 00:32:01,291 My supervisor asked: "Is the radiation high?" 425 00:32:01,291 --> 00:32:03,125 And I responded: "What is radiation?" 426 00:32:03,125 --> 00:32:06,625 And to think that we built Pripyat surrounded by all that radiation. 427 00:32:06,625 --> 00:32:08,410 Back then nobody told us anything. 428 00:32:09,027 --> 00:32:12,500 We had many Geiger counters. Quite many. 429 00:32:13,798 --> 00:32:15,500 And they all went crazy. 430 00:32:15,500 --> 00:32:17,958 I still can hear that sound. 431 00:32:19,992 --> 00:32:21,874 Aren't you afraid of radiation? 432 00:32:23,093 --> 00:32:26,500 We didn't know what it was. And we should have. 433 00:32:26,500 --> 00:32:29,192 It was flying through the tall buildings. 434 00:32:29,910 --> 00:32:36,137 In Kyiv it latched onto those tall buildings' walls. 435 00:32:36,971 --> 00:32:39,322 The radiation, it sticked to everything. 436 00:32:39,322 --> 00:32:43,694 My sister's son lives in Kyiv. My sister is dead now. 437 00:32:44,699 --> 00:32:46,290 And he says: "Aunt Alla." 438 00:32:46,844 --> 00:32:50,028 "The radiation in our fridge..." 439 00:32:51,906 --> 00:32:55,030 "is higher than where you live in Poliske." 440 00:32:55,530 --> 00:32:59,124 Our aunt lived behind our hut. 441 00:32:59,679 --> 00:33:01,249 They buried her house. 442 00:33:02,791 --> 00:33:07,937 They dug a trench, pushed it in, filled the hole with soil. That's it. 443 00:33:09,805 --> 00:33:14,734 After my shift at the hospital, they let me go home to catch some sleep. 444 00:33:16,125 --> 00:33:18,875 My body temperature was 37.2 degrees Celsius. 445 00:33:24,465 --> 00:33:25,673 I closed my eyes, 446 00:33:26,315 --> 00:33:33,166 and I saw crocodiles and other monsters. 447 00:33:34,210 --> 00:33:36,750 I opened my eyes - everything was back to normal. 448 00:33:36,750 --> 00:33:40,000 Radiation-induced visual hallucinations. 449 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:45,034 Now I know that, but then I thought I was losing my mind. 450 00:33:45,769 --> 00:33:50,459 We came there as the waste from the household stoves was being unloaded. 451 00:33:52,083 --> 00:33:53,482 There was a lot of ash. 452 00:33:54,365 --> 00:33:59,565 To access the canteen on a 3-storey ship, you had to get through a radiation check. 453 00:34:00,556 --> 00:34:03,875 There was a man checking the radiation levels. 454 00:34:03,875 --> 00:34:07,111 "Oh, you are contaminated! What are we supposed to do now?" 455 00:34:07,111 --> 00:34:11,346 He scrubbed me clean with a broom: "Come in, the radiation is gone now!" 456 00:34:13,345 --> 00:34:16,537 All those people who worked near the nuclear reactor. 457 00:34:17,232 --> 00:34:19,561 We called them The Atomists. 458 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:22,321 They had... 459 00:34:23,274 --> 00:34:25,107 those white shoes, 460 00:34:26,785 --> 00:34:28,496 white vests, 461 00:34:29,376 --> 00:34:30,965 and white pants. 462 00:34:32,379 --> 00:34:35,778 Ambulances would bring them to us. 463 00:34:38,587 --> 00:34:41,564 There were a lot of them. 464 00:34:43,125 --> 00:34:45,000 Everybody needed help. 465 00:34:46,173 --> 00:34:49,904 And everyone wanted to be treated first. 466 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:51,935 They knew... 467 00:34:53,298 --> 00:34:55,357 that radiation is bad. 468 00:34:56,107 --> 00:34:58,535 That it is incurable. 469 00:34:59,504 --> 00:35:02,168 They were like: "Help me, help me.” 470 00:35:03,345 --> 00:35:06,220 We'd give them gastric lavage, 471 00:35:07,064 --> 00:35:10,759 as they were nauseated. They vomited and had vertigo. 472 00:35:11,612 --> 00:35:17,323 When your stomach is clean, your whole body gets cleaner too. 473 00:35:18,618 --> 00:35:22,207 All our patients... 474 00:35:23,027 --> 00:35:28,138 that we had treated at the time, were discharged. 475 00:35:29,446 --> 00:35:34,044 In their place, they started admitting The Atomists. 476 00:35:34,888 --> 00:35:36,458 Were there many of them? 477 00:35:37,714 --> 00:35:40,097 Oh, Vita. Who would count? 478 00:35:42,666 --> 00:35:47,002 We were doing our best to save them, to help them. 479 00:35:48,463 --> 00:35:51,401 To send them to the right place. 480 00:35:53,048 --> 00:35:56,423 Some had to go to Moscow, some to Kyiv, 481 00:35:58,000 --> 00:35:59,148 And some... 482 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:12,174 It's hard to say... some had to go to the morgue. 483 00:36:14,083 --> 00:36:18,189 We didn't think about ourselves, about our own safety. 484 00:36:19,203 --> 00:36:21,750 There was no time for it. 485 00:36:21,750 --> 00:36:24,000 We tried to save those people. 486 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:26,625 We all thought that... 487 00:36:26,625 --> 00:36:30,587 I thought that I was made of steel. My body was so strong. 488 00:36:34,032 --> 00:36:40,579 I never thought that I'd get contaminated, and that I'd need three surgeries. 489 00:36:43,419 --> 00:36:47,625 But, I never expected to turn 74 either. 490 00:36:47,625 --> 00:36:50,291 I thought my days were numbered. 491 00:36:54,433 --> 00:36:59,592 I'm telling you all those things... Let's hope that the KGB won't visit me tonight. 492 00:37:17,666 --> 00:37:19,875 Good morning! 493 00:37:19,875 --> 00:37:24,125 -How are you? -I don't want to live anymore... 494 00:37:24,125 --> 00:37:27,007 Every time we come, you seem younger. 495 00:37:28,386 --> 00:37:35,081 I think that it's the end of this world, and that I'm already on the other side. 496 00:37:36,958 --> 00:37:39,125 The next stage of life, right? 497 00:37:39,125 --> 00:37:41,309 That's how it seems. 498 00:37:43,375 --> 00:37:46,666 And only God knows how it will end. 499 00:37:50,997 --> 00:37:56,091 Do you remember any poem or a song? 500 00:37:56,878 --> 00:38:00,917 Oh, she does, she does. Yesterday she told stories all the time. 501 00:38:01,617 --> 00:38:03,870 As you wish. 502 00:38:06,852 --> 00:38:10,322 There are no people here, and I enjoy talking. 503 00:38:11,259 --> 00:38:16,776 I reminisce on all things that had happened to me. 504 00:38:17,981 --> 00:38:19,707 I can tell you a thing or two. 505 00:38:20,605 --> 00:38:23,041 -Please tell us something. -A song or a poem? 506 00:38:23,041 --> 00:38:24,875 Whatever. It's up to you. 507 00:38:24,875 --> 00:38:28,462 -I'll first tell you a poem. -There you go. 508 00:38:28,462 --> 00:38:29,861 "About a fly and a bee." 509 00:38:30,549 --> 00:38:34,166 "In spring, there came a lazy fly and she flew to the garden." 510 00:38:34,166 --> 00:38:38,291 "To look at the flowers, to listen to the cuckoo's singing." 511 00:38:38,291 --> 00:38:42,375 "She's sitting and observing what's going on in the garden." 512 00:38:42,375 --> 00:38:46,625 "The wind moves gently, like a young dame." 513 00:38:46,625 --> 00:38:50,750 "She saw a bee and she said hello." 514 00:38:50,750 --> 00:38:54,500 "Have some rest, my dear. Sit here with me." 515 00:38:54,500 --> 00:38:58,000 "I can't sit down. - Said the bee." 516 00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:01,666 "It's time to fly to the beehives. It's far away from here." 517 00:39:01,666 --> 00:39:05,416 "Oh, what a shame!- said the fly. "It must be hard to be you!" 518 00:39:05,416 --> 00:39:10,125 "Early to bed and early to rise. I'd die if my life were like this." 519 00:39:10,125 --> 00:39:15,000 "After one week, I'd be no more. My life, oh my dear bee." 520 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:18,541 "Is a never ending dinner or a party." 521 00:39:18,541 --> 00:39:22,500 "Weddings or childbirths, I'd never let any occasion pass." 522 00:39:22,500 --> 00:39:24,750 "Never ever." 523 00:39:24,750 --> 00:39:27,750 "To eat and dine until my belly is full." 524 00:39:27,750 --> 00:39:32,166 "It's a way better than working in the field, just like you do." 525 00:39:32,166 --> 00:39:35,750 "Fair enough! - Said the bee." 526 00:39:35,750 --> 00:39:41,125 "But I heard that everybody despises you." 527 00:39:41,125 --> 00:39:46,125 "You are always unwanted and they always make you go away." 528 00:39:46,125 --> 00:39:51,625 "That's nothing new. Who told you that? - Said the fly." 529 00:39:51,625 --> 00:39:55,416 "It's just some silly gossip. I don't care if I have to fly away!" 530 00:39:55,416 --> 00:39:58,250 "If the doors are closed, I'll fly through the window." 531 00:39:58,250 --> 00:40:01,932 "Or some other hole, and I can eat again!" 532 00:40:03,690 --> 00:40:05,417 That's the poem. 533 00:40:06,729 --> 00:40:08,250 Kitty, kitty! 534 00:40:09,087 --> 00:40:10,291 There are two. 535 00:40:10,291 --> 00:40:13,642 I have five of them. 536 00:40:16,150 --> 00:40:17,548 Outside. 537 00:40:18,705 --> 00:40:21,783 -The cats are outside? -Maybe, I don't know. 538 00:40:34,428 --> 00:40:37,041 I mix things up. 539 00:40:37,041 --> 00:40:40,666 I don't remember the right order. 540 00:40:40,666 --> 00:40:45,250 All my poems and songs are jumbled up. 541 00:40:45,250 --> 00:40:47,875 When I was alone here, 542 00:40:47,875 --> 00:40:52,125 after I returned home, 543 00:40:52,125 --> 00:40:56,037 and I finished my work in the garden, 544 00:40:57,006 --> 00:40:59,201 I'd come home, sit on the couch, 545 00:40:59,201 --> 00:41:06,000 put my hands behind my head and I'd sing all the songs I knew, 546 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:09,291 the whole evening long. And then I'd go to bed. 547 00:41:10,416 --> 00:41:12,224 I feel like crying. 548 00:41:13,250 --> 00:41:14,779 Death is near. 549 00:41:16,166 --> 00:41:19,375 Just like in that one song, just four steps away. 550 00:41:20,750 --> 00:41:25,375 They say that it's a package deal: Pain, anger, loneliness. 551 00:41:25,375 --> 00:41:27,375 That's what being old is like. 552 00:41:28,125 --> 00:41:30,625 Pain, anger, loneliness. 553 00:41:32,031 --> 00:41:35,750 To be able to come here, you need to be on the list. 554 00:41:35,750 --> 00:41:38,625 Each of us can be visited by up to ten people. 555 00:41:38,625 --> 00:41:44,916 Are the families allowed to enter the Zone, for example, when someone dies? 556 00:41:44,916 --> 00:41:48,250 Well, if somebody dies, then maybe yes. I have no idea. 557 00:41:49,208 --> 00:41:50,791 Otherwise, it's impossible. 558 00:41:50,791 --> 00:41:52,750 Only when you're on the list. 559 00:41:52,750 --> 00:41:55,916 -You used to live here with your mother? -Yes, with my mother. 560 00:41:55,916 --> 00:41:58,625 She didn't want to leave, but I wanted to. 561 00:41:58,625 --> 00:42:00,916 She cried. I felt sorry for her. 562 00:42:00,916 --> 00:42:06,000 And now what? My mother is no more and I'm crying here all alone: 563 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:09,335 "Why did you leave me and let me suffer like this?" 564 00:42:10,366 --> 00:42:13,398 The most important thing is to have children. 565 00:42:14,171 --> 00:42:17,625 I had a boy. He was two years old when he died. 566 00:42:17,625 --> 00:42:19,291 Appendicitis. 567 00:42:19,291 --> 00:42:21,209 There were no cars back then. 568 00:42:21,209 --> 00:42:25,041 -What kind of boy was he? -He was my boy, I gave birth to him. 569 00:42:25,041 --> 00:42:27,086 Oh, he was your baby. 570 00:42:27,086 --> 00:42:31,125 He was barely two, barely two years old. 571 00:42:31,125 --> 00:42:34,291 His appendicitis burst open. 572 00:42:34,291 --> 00:42:39,875 He was only two but he was already able to lift a chicken or bring some firewood. 573 00:42:39,875 --> 00:42:42,875 I came back and he was already... 574 00:42:42,875 --> 00:42:45,041 They brought him away on a horse. 575 00:42:45,041 --> 00:42:51,291 There was only one car. But it was out in the field. It was a harvest season. 576 00:42:51,291 --> 00:42:54,541 That's why I asked for him to be brought away on a horse. 577 00:42:54,541 --> 00:42:58,721 When they finally arrived at the hospital, it was too late. 578 00:42:59,908 --> 00:43:04,942 Please tell us again, to the camera, about Olga's death. 579 00:43:05,989 --> 00:43:07,656 I'm sorry for asking that... 580 00:43:08,184 --> 00:43:09,250 It's alright. 581 00:43:09,773 --> 00:43:12,250 Babushka Olga was a good person. 582 00:43:12,250 --> 00:43:13,875 She didn't have enemies. 583 00:43:13,875 --> 00:43:17,730 She'd always give you something. Even if it was just an apple. 584 00:43:18,308 --> 00:43:21,612 An unfortunate soul. She was such a good person. 585 00:43:22,401 --> 00:43:25,416 Zhenya called her once. She didn't pick up. 586 00:43:25,416 --> 00:43:29,678 Some time later she tried again. Again, no answer. 587 00:43:30,553 --> 00:43:34,125 Then she tried in the evening. Still, no answer. 588 00:43:34,125 --> 00:43:38,678 First she thought that Olga was busy doing something the whole day. 589 00:43:39,459 --> 00:43:43,740 Then she called Bezverkha: "Go and check on Olga." 590 00:43:44,458 --> 00:43:47,250 I went there because she didn't answer the phone. 591 00:43:47,250 --> 00:43:50,500 I was thinking: "What is wrong?" 592 00:43:50,500 --> 00:43:53,000 When I came in, the lights were on. 593 00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:56,375 I didn't see Olga walking anywhere. 594 00:43:56,375 --> 00:43:59,235 They opened the door and looked inside. 595 00:44:00,298 --> 00:44:04,563 What could we do? She was a large person. 596 00:44:06,697 --> 00:44:09,377 The whole house was covered with blood. 597 00:44:10,065 --> 00:44:13,500 One of the varicose veins on her leg burst open. 598 00:44:13,500 --> 00:44:17,269 If she hadn't been alone... 599 00:44:19,083 --> 00:44:21,019 she'd have survived. 600 00:44:21,791 --> 00:44:24,965 But she lived alone, and used a walker. 601 00:44:25,731 --> 00:44:31,125 You could see that she touched the leg and then she touched the walker. 602 00:44:32,583 --> 00:44:35,166 They found traces of blood on it. 603 00:44:35,166 --> 00:44:40,265 Maybe she wanted to call for help but she couldn't do much. 604 00:44:41,445 --> 00:44:44,375 The walker was in one room. 605 00:44:44,375 --> 00:44:48,297 She was in another room, next to the stove. 606 00:44:49,034 --> 00:44:51,916 We didn't keep an eye on her this one time. 607 00:44:53,938 --> 00:44:57,110 I used to bring her beetroot soup. 608 00:45:19,672 --> 00:45:22,250 We visited her in October, before she died. 609 00:45:22,250 --> 00:45:23,250 Before she died? 610 00:45:23,250 --> 00:45:28,000 Yes, she asked us to go to the roof. 611 00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:30,041 To clean the chimney. 612 00:45:30,041 --> 00:45:32,959 The guys went up there and did it. 613 00:45:33,841 --> 00:45:39,456 She told people that she received a lot of things. 614 00:45:40,182 --> 00:45:44,824 She was so happy with the tablecloth and with the clock. 615 00:45:45,887 --> 00:45:50,879 You see, Jesus Christ lived only 33 years. 616 00:45:55,500 --> 00:46:00,591 And I have already survived 34 years after the disaster. 617 00:46:00,591 --> 00:46:04,041 We visited her hut. We hung a plaque on it. 618 00:46:04,041 --> 00:46:06,541 Perhaps you want to go and see it? 619 00:46:06,541 --> 00:46:10,541 A small plaque with the date of her birth and the date of death. 620 00:46:10,541 --> 00:46:13,750 -Today? -Yes, there is also a photo. 621 00:46:13,750 --> 00:46:17,875 And a short text describing who she was and how she lived. 622 00:46:17,875 --> 00:46:19,791 You can go and read it. 623 00:46:22,541 --> 00:46:24,625 It's a nice plaque. 624 00:46:26,081 --> 00:46:28,416 -Outside? -Yes, on the door. 625 00:46:28,416 --> 00:46:31,659 All who live here will need to have one soon. 626 00:46:32,382 --> 00:46:35,791 Thank you very much. We won't disturb you anymore. 627 00:46:35,791 --> 00:46:38,125 I'll tell you one more thing... 628 00:46:38,125 --> 00:46:40,630 We don't have much time. 629 00:46:40,630 --> 00:46:44,666 We'd stay and listen, but then they will not let us through the checkpoint. 630 00:46:44,666 --> 00:46:47,250 We have to slowly get going. We're sorry. 631 00:46:47,250 --> 00:46:51,500 -How much time do we have? -Only five minutes. We have to pack up. 632 00:46:51,500 --> 00:46:56,122 At the checkpoint, there is a radiation check. We have to return our dosimeters. 633 00:46:57,369 --> 00:47:01,791 We'll come again on Tuesday. We'll see each other then. 634 00:47:01,791 --> 00:47:06,072 -What if I die by that time? -Oh, you won't. 635 00:47:53,125 --> 00:47:56,125 I thank God, that we're not alone today. 636 00:47:56,125 --> 00:48:00,656 That you are here with us, and that you think of us. 637 00:48:00,656 --> 00:48:05,518 You could've kept it all for yourselves, but you come here and give it to us. 638 00:48:06,151 --> 00:48:12,246 You could have help your own people, but you help us instead. 639 00:48:13,556 --> 00:48:16,415 I'm very grateful that you... 640 00:48:20,326 --> 00:48:21,662 did not forget us. 641 00:48:22,256 --> 00:48:27,061 May God remember you too and give you strength. 642 00:48:28,112 --> 00:48:30,375 Thank you very, very much! 643 00:48:30,375 --> 00:48:33,416 Thank you for bringing, all those things for us. 644 00:48:33,416 --> 00:48:37,916 There are so many old people here and there's no store. 645 00:48:37,916 --> 00:48:41,541 The mobile store comes once every five weeks. 646 00:48:41,541 --> 00:48:46,709 You have to place an order. If you don't - you go home with empty hands. 647 00:48:46,709 --> 00:48:51,000 The prices went up, while my pension is 2000 UAH (75 $). 648 00:48:53,866 --> 00:48:55,281 Just enough for cat food. 649 00:48:55,976 --> 00:48:57,791 You come here and bring everything. 650 00:48:57,791 --> 00:49:01,500 My God, thank you Krystian. I thank you all. 651 00:49:01,500 --> 00:49:03,919 They brought me such a big bag! Oh my God! 652 00:49:04,575 --> 00:49:07,294 You'll go and I'll cry here, all alone. 653 00:49:08,166 --> 00:49:10,250 Thank you for visiting us. 654 00:49:10,250 --> 00:49:13,250 Olga was grateful for the walker. 655 00:49:13,250 --> 00:49:17,951 She put the new one away and kept using the old one. 656 00:49:18,875 --> 00:49:22,803 We always wait for you like for Christmas. It's a big holiday to us. 657 00:49:23,958 --> 00:49:25,672 Does he look like the owner? 658 00:49:26,791 --> 00:49:29,875 One must drink! Someone gives, you have to accept! 659 00:49:29,875 --> 00:49:31,703 So, Krystian? Bottoms up? 660 00:49:32,555 --> 00:49:35,866 So that you don't forget, that you've been to Chernobyl. 661 00:49:41,250 --> 00:49:43,666 -Should we give you a lift? -No need. 662 00:49:43,666 --> 00:49:44,839 By yourself? 663 00:49:48,916 --> 00:49:50,750 Let's drink! 664 00:49:50,750 --> 00:49:53,166 -One last, for the road! -For the road! 665 00:49:54,000 --> 00:49:55,875 Good day, may we? Good evening! 666 00:49:55,875 --> 00:49:57,291 Good evening! 667 00:50:10,887 --> 00:50:13,067 The photo is for you, a keepsake. 668 00:50:19,875 --> 00:50:21,934 It's been some time since we came here. 669 00:50:24,000 --> 00:50:25,250 What a big dog. 670 00:50:25,250 --> 00:50:26,625 Yes, it's a hunting dog. 671 00:52:40,666 --> 00:52:42,287 See you next time. 672 00:52:43,174 --> 00:52:44,550 May God be with you! 673 00:52:50,625 --> 00:52:52,416 Help me with the other leg! 674 00:52:55,338 --> 00:52:57,143 Damn it... 675 00:52:59,041 --> 00:53:00,375 Your walking stick. 676 00:53:02,703 --> 00:53:06,250 -You have nice walking sticks! -It's from my son-in-law. 677 00:53:06,250 --> 00:53:11,541 I was hitting Sonya's dog, while the men were chopping the wood. 678 00:53:11,541 --> 00:53:16,398 They made this one for me. "No need to cry for your broken stick!" they said. 679 00:53:16,937 --> 00:53:18,719 I will go to them... 680 00:53:19,406 --> 00:53:22,000 Babushka Hania has a nice one too. 681 00:53:22,000 --> 00:53:26,096 It's an old headscarf, but I wear it. Doesn't matter if it's cold or warm. 682 00:53:26,096 --> 00:53:28,541 We are talking about the walking stick. 683 00:53:29,250 --> 00:53:31,375 I'll take one more photo, with Krystian. 684 00:53:31,375 --> 00:53:35,235 -With those sticks of ours? -It'll look nice, don't worry. 685 00:53:36,193 --> 00:53:39,328 Put it aside. I don't want it in the photo. 686 00:53:39,969 --> 00:53:41,958 You can give this one to somebody else. 687 00:53:41,958 --> 00:53:43,566 I'll give it to Marusia. 688 00:53:44,527 --> 00:53:48,457 -Stay healthy! Best wishes! -See you next time! 689 00:53:50,720 --> 00:53:52,993 Zavorotnya Hanna Alexeevna. 690 00:53:53,548 --> 00:53:55,625 Czala Maria Ulyanovna. 691 00:53:55,625 --> 00:53:56,666 Me? 692 00:53:56,666 --> 00:53:58,923 Bezverkha Sofia Arkadevna. 693 00:53:59,484 --> 00:54:02,500 Rindyuk, Leonid Petrovich. 694 00:54:03,068 --> 00:54:07,416 Until I was 20, my name was Sapura Maria Vasylevna, 695 00:54:07,416 --> 00:54:11,000 and then I got married. Now my name is Ilchenko Maria. 696 00:54:11,625 --> 00:54:13,500 My name is Sushchenko. 697 00:54:14,166 --> 00:54:17,041 Viktor Petrovich Lukyanenko. 698 00:54:17,041 --> 00:54:19,625 Beznoshenko Evdokya Semenovna. 699 00:54:20,375 --> 00:54:24,852 Valentina Ivanovna Sochenok. 700 00:54:26,333 --> 00:54:28,333 Rajonok Ivan Kuzmich. 701 00:54:30,028 --> 00:54:35,888 My husband was from Teremtsi. We got married. 702 00:54:40,875 --> 00:54:42,332 I was 20 back then. 703 00:54:43,035 --> 00:54:46,574 Khrushch Galina Konstatinovna. 704 00:54:47,458 --> 00:54:48,958 Boloshenko Ivan Ivanovich. 705 00:54:49,666 --> 00:54:52,125 Zagorna Maria Prokopovna. 706 00:54:52,125 --> 00:54:54,477 I'm already 80 years old. 707 00:54:55,594 --> 00:55:00,125 I was born in 1932. 708 00:55:01,293 --> 00:55:04,285 March 30, 1929. 709 00:55:04,965 --> 00:55:06,916 I was born in 1945. 710 00:55:06,916 --> 00:55:08,916 You can count my age. I was born in 1945. 711 00:55:09,465 --> 00:55:11,905 I was born in 1947. 712 00:55:12,499 --> 00:55:14,583 February 2, 1934. 713 00:55:16,898 --> 00:55:18,958 And I'll say that I'm 15. 714 00:55:20,095 --> 00:55:23,068 1941. May 5, 1941. 715 00:55:24,250 --> 00:55:25,250 1945. 716 00:55:25,958 --> 00:55:29,108 According to my documents, in 1941. 717 00:55:29,108 --> 00:55:33,536 I was born in November 26, 1940. 718 00:55:34,258 --> 00:55:38,508 I was born in 1926. 719 00:55:39,328 --> 00:55:41,788 I've lived in Kupovate for 79 years. 720 00:55:42,406 --> 00:55:46,578 In live Kupovate, I'm a Samosel. 721 00:55:47,499 --> 00:55:51,286 Samosel. In my own hut, in my homeland. 722 00:55:52,278 --> 00:55:55,716 I live in Kupovate, but I was born in Otashev. 723 00:55:56,216 --> 00:55:58,106 I live in Poliske. 724 00:55:58,688 --> 00:56:02,930 Me, a Samosel? No idea. I guess I am a Samosel. 725 00:56:04,125 --> 00:56:07,125 I've lived here for 33 years. 726 00:56:07,680 --> 00:56:09,625 A Samosel? Why? 727 00:56:09,625 --> 00:56:13,080 I'm from here, this is my hut. 728 00:56:13,903 --> 00:56:16,989 No way! This is my land. 729 00:56:18,614 --> 00:56:20,250 Nobody else's but mine. 730 00:56:20,250 --> 00:56:23,625 Yes, they had to write something down in the documents. 731 00:56:23,625 --> 00:56:26,500 We were born here, but they call us self-settlers. 732 00:56:26,500 --> 00:56:31,666 No idea why. If we were strangers, I'd understand. But we're all from here. 733 00:56:31,666 --> 00:56:35,250 Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers are buried in that cemetery. 734 00:56:35,250 --> 00:56:37,541 "Samosely" - I don't like this word. 735 00:56:37,541 --> 00:56:39,875 I don't want us to be called like that. 736 00:56:39,875 --> 00:56:43,450 We're the indigenous people. We simply came back to our homes. 737 00:56:43,989 --> 00:56:50,291 We are not Samosely. Nobody placed us here. We came here of our own accord. 738 00:56:50,291 --> 00:56:52,250 I was born in Kupovate. 739 00:56:53,291 --> 00:56:57,000 In Chernobyl district, in Kyiv province. 740 00:56:58,050 --> 00:57:01,487 I've lived in Kupovate for 79 years. 741 00:57:02,282 --> 00:57:05,883 I live in Chernobyl, Where else would I live? My God... 742 00:57:08,458 --> 00:57:11,375 You know, one time, there came a colonel... 743 00:59:01,000 --> 00:59:03,291 Why don't you sit next to me? 744 00:59:03,291 --> 00:59:05,642 I want the photo without him, only with you. 745 00:59:05,642 --> 00:59:08,375 He wants a photo with you. He doesn't like me. 746 00:59:08,375 --> 00:59:11,438 Why you don't like him? Oh, you... 747 00:59:13,610 --> 00:59:15,391 Just kidding, just kidding. 748 00:59:18,974 --> 00:59:21,541 Maniunia, come here. I want Maniunia. 749 00:59:21,541 --> 00:59:24,264 [Maniunia - Tiny one] 750 00:59:27,500 --> 00:59:30,387 Oh my, Maniunka, Maniunka. 751 00:59:35,125 --> 00:59:36,541 Thank you. 752 00:59:38,541 --> 00:59:40,750 And you don't want it?! 753 00:59:44,676 --> 00:59:48,356 If you don't, I'll take that beard away from you... 754 00:59:50,000 --> 01:00:00,000 [English subtitles: Przemyslaw Kosewski, Bartosz Wabno.]