It should not come as a surprise that the setting of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R trilogy and its recent sequel is heavily inspired by a real location.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Shadow of Chornobyl even put its name in the title. The real Exclusion Zone is not riddled with deadly mutants nor is it home to a multitude of characters and their factions.
However, just like the Zone of Alienation, it was the site of a nuclear explosion of catastrophic proportions, which left it dangerous to brave.
As a result, it is largely abandoned. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the series or a newcomer, you might want to learn the real story behind the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone of Alienation and how it came to be.
Before the disaster
The Chornobyl Power Plant was located in Chornobyl, a town in Ukraine, which was then part of the Soviet Union.
Its construction began in 1972, and, according to the original plans, it was supposed to become the largest nuclear plant in the world.
The fourth of the six planned reactors was finished in 1983, and the fifth was under construction at the time of the disaster that turned Chornobyl and the surrounding locations into a Zone of Exclusion.
The Chornobyl Disaster
In 1986, reaction no. 4 suffered a catastrophic explosion which became known as the Chornobyl disaster.
Ironically, the catastrophe was the result of an ill-advised security test which was supposed to simulate cooling the reactor during blackout conditions. Unfortunately, the reactor’s design was flawed.
The authors of the test procedure were not aware of it, and the personnel conducting the experiment were insufficiently trained.
When the operators continued to try to shut down the reactor despite an accidental drop in power, it resulted in a dramatic power surge, loss of coolant, and eventually, the reactor’s meltdown and explosion.
Foreseen consequences
According to documents declassified in 2021, the central government in Moscow knew that the plant was one of the most dangerous nuclear plants in the USSR.
Serious incidents had already taken place in reactors 3 and 4 in 1984. That was not the first time the plant had caused safety concerns – a partial meltdown of reactor 1 occurred in 1982.
The 1986 explosion initially killed only two operators and burned another two.
An emergency operation to put out the fires resulted in 134 workers being hospitalized with acute radiation syndrome and 28 of them died within 3 months.
The creation of the exclusion zone
Chornobyl, the neighbouring town of Pripyat which housed the personnel working at the plant, and other smaller settlements within a 10 km radius of the plant were evacuated, although not immediately following the disaster.
As the plant was run by the central authorities in Moscow, the Ukrainian authorities did not receive prompt information regarding the event. Soon after the explosion, the citizens of Pripyat started to report symptoms of radiation poisoning.
Evacuation began on April 27th, a day after the explosion, causing ~350.000 people to be resettled to other locations.
Pripyat and Chornobyl became ghost towns, with a skeleton crew working on securing the plant and preventing it from causing even more trouble.
The reactor was encased in a sarcophagus containment structure made of concrete and steel. It was designed to keep the contamination from spreading further due to wind, birds and rainwater.
Long-term effects of the disaster
Of course, the effects of the explosion couldn’t be fully contained. About 5% of the radioactive material from the core was released into the environment, and over the following days and months, some of it reached as far as Norway.
Over the years, about 5000 cases of thyroid cancer were linked to the disaster, with 15 of them resulting in fatalities.
A post-apocalyptic go-to inspiration
The ghost towns of Chornobyl and Pripyat inspired many post-apocalyptic settings, including that of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series.
It’s easy to understand why – an abandoned zone riddled with radiation, full of decaying homes that still hold the secrets of its previous inhabitants can be a fascinating location, and the fear of nuclear power and mutations caused by radiation further fuels our imaginations.
The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, created by a Ukrainian studio, was able to capture the setting from a unique perspective – after all, it was the Ukrainians who were most affected by the disaster.
Exploring the Zone…
Nowadays, as the radiation levels subside, attempts at resettling the area are underway.
The area is also a (moderately) popular destination for those who dare visit the exclusion zone – many of whom are likely to be fans of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. or other media set in the zone or a setting inspired by it.
…But not necessarily in person
For those of us who are not eager to brave it in real life, there are many shows, documentaries and video games allowing us to see it from the safety of our houses.
For instance, the Chernobyl Diaries is a found footage horror movie that follows a group of tourists who enter the zone which will definitely make you reconsider going there yourself.
If you prefer a more realistic look at the area, the full story of the disaster was presented in HBO’s brilliant Chernobyl series. You could also give the Chernobyl VR Project a try and take a stroll through the zone without endangering yourself.
We hope that this article gave you some insight into the events and locations that inspired the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. Armed with it, you can now jump back into the game and enjoy it on a deeper level!