The first trip to Chernobyl. (Patreon)

Well, back in 2017. There is winter outdoors. It is snowing all day. The cold days have come, I don’t really want to climb because of frost, but I have no desire to stay at home either. One cold day, I agreed to meet with friends in a cafe and discuss further plans. There are a lot of places in Ukraine, which you can explore. To travel somewhere wasn`t a problem at all. I arrived at a cafe and met there three friends. We sat down at a table and began to discuss ideas about exploring. One of my friends said: “I’m a longtime fan of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game and I want to go to Pripyat illegally”. This idea seemed interesting to others, because they were also fans of this game. I didn’t know anything at all about this. It seemed to my friends that I wasn`t keen on this idea and they began to think it over without me.

Winter ends and spring begins. It's my birthday, I was just 18 years old. All the same, friends came to celebrate my holiday. We wanted to buy some alcohol to embellish this day, but while we were waiting for others, friends were discussing the same trip in Chernobyl. I didn`t know then that they were very serious about going there. I said that I also want to go there, but I received the answer: “Sorry, there is a group of 4 people. Everything is ready for us and we are preparing things for the campaign.” I was offended, that they found another person, and didn`t offer to me to go with them. I really didn’t understand anything at that time. I even have never seen huge backpacks in my life.

I didn`t know what Pripyat was, moreover, I simply didn`t want to know that. I didn`t want to upset myself even more and wasn`t interested in that place. The time was coming closer to their campaign. I no longer hoped to go with them. It couldn`t be that the fourth person refused at the last moment. And I didn’t have any equipment. 2 weeks before their trip left, at each meeting, they discussed more and more their adventure, it was irritating me more and more.

10 days before their trip left. I get a message on Instagram: “Hello, don`t you want to join my group in Chernobyl? I recruit people for a new campaign, and now only 1 person wants to go and I. To get more information, write to me about how much you are interested in”. When I read this message, I was so excited. I absolutely didn`t know what waits for me, but I wanted to be no worse than my friends. I answered later, found out all the information and began to get ready.

The first problem is how to find hiking equipment. First of all, I wrote to all my friends about the presence of these things. I had only a week to pack all my things and be ready for the trip. I needed to find camouflage clothes and this turned out to be the most difficult. I ran around all the "second hand", markets, shops to find at least something. With difficulties, but I found all the necessary things in just 5 days.

March 28th. And then the long-awaited day came. I told my parents that I would go with friends to the forest and try to survive in the wild. I didn`t say anything to my friends at all. I then decided to post a photo from Pripyat on the Fool’s Day, April 1st, so that people would wonder if it was true or not.

Well, we all met. Our group consisted of 3 people. We went to the supermarket and began to buy the necessary products. When I was at the checkout and threw all the products into my backpack, I couldn`t even imagine how I would carry all this. When I picked it up, I had a shock. I practically couldn`t lift it. And I needed to go with it a lot. With difficulty, I threw this backpack on my shoulders and we all went to the station. Along the way, a third person from our group had difficulties. He had some problems and in the last minutes, he decided to refuse. I was afraid that the trip would be cancelled, suddenly my guide wouldn`t want to go with only one person. But my guide told me that we were already ready, so it`s silly to cancel everything. And we went to the station.

When we arrived at the station, we were lucky, we got straight before the departure. When I was sitting on the bus, I started to get nervous, because I didn`t know what to expect from this trip. I looked out the window and tried to distract myself from all thoughts and calm myself with relaxing music. After a couple of hours, I with the guide, arrived in some village. My guide picked up the phone and started calling his taxi driver. We didn`t have to wait very long, our car arrived and took us.

For me, everything was pretty strange. I felt like I had escaped from prison, because I loaded my things very quickly. Driver was very cautious, he was driving along roads that had no cars. We drove near the police post, where people were allowed into the exclusion zone. We drove away from this place for a couple of kilometers and stopped. There it was necessary to work very quickly. In a couple of seconds, we run out of the car, open the trunk, pick up the backpack and run away from that place. I managed to do it in a minute and a half. This had to be done so that the security wouldn`t notice us. Running was not very difficult, although I have a very heavy backpack lying on my back, thanks to adrenaline.

After 15-20 minutes, I and the conductor reached the barbed wire. It seemed to me that it wouldn`t be an easy task to climb there. But it turned out that we were far from the first to walk these roads, and all the barbed wire was broken and the passage was open. Well, really, police can’t keep track of the entire perimeter. We crossed the border and gradually moved towards the river. On the street was the end of March, it wasn`t hot, and not cold enough. The weather wasn`t nasty, there was the sun. The guide warned me right away that we should get there in 1 day, and if they notice us, we’ll run very fast. He was very strict. When we went out into the open field, I started to think: “How to run away, if we are visible? And the guard has a car, they can easily catch us”. But we were lucky to not meet anyone and we went through the field and went deep into the forest. The next test is to cross the road. The task was not an easy one. The road is direct and if the car will travel 1-2 kilometers from either side, then it will see us crossing the road. We waited for a better moment and run. For me it was like a mini-feat, my heart was beating like mad. Further, as for me, it was the dumbest part of the whole trip. We had to go into the forest and right next to the road, so as not to go astray. When each car passes, it was necessary to lie down on the ground. Every 15-20 minutes a car passed by, it seems, only for this I bought camouflage in order to merge with the forest. The forest was unrealistically beautiful. You know, where there are no people, nature is completely different. I still don`t understand how trees keep their distance and grow in a row. Every kilometer I admired the forest. This forest is much different from any park. The road wasn`t easy. We walked only 2-3 km, and I thought it was close, but when I asked my guide how long we still needed, he answered: "It’s too early for you to think about it". It was very difficult to walk, and yet we didn`t take a break. We walked a couple more meters and my guide said the long-awaited word: "REST." I took off my backpack and felt so incredibly light that I thought I would fly there. This feeling was so strange to me. We sat for only 15 minutes and went on.

After a couple more kilometers, we decided to stop and cook for a meal. None of us had a gas burner, we found a very old big pot and made a barbecue out of it. At that time, there was no radiation risk zone (I now speak as a person who went there many times. In the first 20-25 kilometers, there is no radiation at all. In the forests, the air is much cleaner than in many cities. I measured it so many times and I speak with confidence). We broke the sticks and put them in a large pot. It wasn`t difficult to cook but I was so hungry that he couldn`t wait until the food was ready. It was the most pleasant thing, after a hard road, you cook good food and relax. But I didn’t feel willing to take the heavy backpack again and walk a lot ...

After 40 minutes, we hit the road. Among the forest, we came across an abandoned village. I had no desire to walk there. I didn’t even know at that time that we had more than a quarter of the way to Pripyat. In addition to the village, we also passed the cemetery. I thought, what a cemetery is generally a terrible thing, and also in such a place, it should be very scary. But at that moment I was so indifferent. I just wanted to get there as quickly as possible. It was already dark outside. We are gradually approaching the river. I had the right to choose: to go along the river "and there may be water to the waist"; or cross the bridge "but there is a lot of traffic, and you need to cross very quickly." Without hesitation, I said about the bridge, of course.

It was a deep night outside and I with the guide were already practically near the bridge. It seemed that there were no cars and I could run, but it was so scary. A bridge with a length of about 500 meters. I jumped out onto the road and began to walk at a very rapid pace. We were already halfway across the bridge, I turn around and see the light in the distance. I start to panic and run faster and faster. Indeed, the car was going, it was not only me who saw it. The car was getting closer and closer to us, and we kind of have time. I would be 100% sure that they should notify us when they got closer. We didn`t have much at all and the car was about to collide with us. I run and couldn't breathe normally, this backpack was very heavy. Already at my last strength, I still ran to the end of the bridge and hid behind the partition. Then I was very worried that the car noticed us and now it would stop. I wanted to crawl somewhere further, but my body no longer obeyed me. Surprisingly, the car slipped by me very quickly. It was very scary, but I survived it. Having gained some strength, we went on. First, we went into the forest and walked along the road, but there were no cars and we decided to go along the road itself. The idea was the best. Walking was not so difficult, because hard asphalt isn`t soft ground totally. If we hear or see a car, we would run into the forest and hide there.

A couple of times, we heard a car and hid in the forest, even when I ran away from the road I fell a couple of times. After a couple of kilometers, it was necessary to turn back into the forest. I so didn’t want to walk on the ground again, my legs almost no longer walk, I was very exhausted. After a couple of meters, we went out into the field and there was already a well-trodden path on this field many times. This field is called the “road of eternal electronic supports”, it is called so because these electronic supports lead to the station of the 4th power unit. Because my guide was very neat, we had to go without lights. Yes, and in the field wasn`t so dark as in the forest, but I saw almost nothing. For me, this idea was very bad. The only plus was that others wouldn`t see us and certainly they wouldn`t catch us. But there were a lot of minuses: you don`t see the road and don`t know where the pit could be; if there were animals, then they could easily attack us. My backpack got me, I could no longer carry it. And why I didn’t think of hiding some supplies for the way back. It was already 10 hours on our way. We walked about 35 kilometers and there seemed to be very little left, but I no longer wanted to go that way. But I understood that there was no need to stop, there was very little left, you needed to pull yourself together. It was deep night, we had to go on the road and reach the city. This was the most dangerous moment, we walked along the road right next to the reactor. That is, I was between the red forest and the fence for 4th power units. The road was illuminated, so we had to walk as fast as possible. And yes, I walked along the "death bridge" even though I didn’t even know about it. The death bridge was, if anyone doesn`t know, the bridge on which people stood and looked at the disaster after the explosion, because of this bridge was renamed.

There was a little bit left before Pripyat we reached almost right next to the border checkpoint, but, of course, we went around it. And there I was in the city. On the street, the sky cleared up and begun to lighten. It was about 4 or 5 a.m., we went to look for a house to move in. Then we weren`t particularly worried about walking on the roads, because of no one patrols at such an early hour. We found a house, settled in one of the apartments, and my guide told me: "Let's meet the sunrise since we have already arrived at such a time". I would like to do this, but my body told me “NO”. Somehow, I forced myself to climb the roof of a 16-story building. When I was on the roof, I just fell to the floor and didn`t want to get up. The sun began to rise on the horizon, and I baited myself to rise to at least see it. Indeed, it was one of the finest for the entire trip. After that, we went to our apartment and went to bed.

4:00 pm, although it was comfortable to sleep, we slept in beds, but it was very cold. I put on 3 pants, 4 pairs of socks, and 3 sweaters, and that wasn`t enough. I finally woke up and wanted to eat a lot. Our apartment was well equipped. The room was very large, on one side there were 3 beds and more than 6 mattresses on them, it was for sleeping. On the other side, there was a stove and a cooking table. There was also a cupboard with a mirror for storing food. First of all, the guide took me to show me where to get water. We climbed to the roof, there was a very large cauldron with rainwater. We filled all our bottles and went to the house to cook for food. We had dry alcohol for cooking, and a very suitable stove. 2 tablets of alcohol are enough to boil water in a pot. I made myself noodles with meat and poured myself a sauce.

After eating, we went for a walk. The time was no later, but tourists were absent. I immediately called my friends and said that I was in Pripyat. At first, they didn`t believe me, but when I described the whole situation, everyone was in shock. They were also in great shock because I reached the city in a day. Next, I and the guide went to the extreme points of the city to conquer the roofs and see the city from different angles. In addition to the roofs, I also wanted to look into the apartments. When I went into the apartments, I felt the whole atmosphere of the former USSR. The apartments were not empty, everything was destroyed or broken, but they were not empty. Somewhere there were beds with sofas. In some apartments, there were whole kitchens. In some apartments, the wallpaper was like new, and some were already very old and peeled off. I really liked being there, I had an interest. I visited this city not because it is known for something, but because I wanted to feel that very loneliness in a large, uninhabited city. We went up to the roof, and I cannot correctly describe the emotions that I had. Surprisingly, on all the roofs of Pripyat, the Internet catches very well. I took a couple of photos and was ready to go to the next place.

We visited a couple of houses and also their roofs. There was no point in going to the sights at that time since we knew that they were primarily patrolled by guards. Therefore, we wanted to wait for the evening and visit that same famous Ferris wheel. We decided to wait in our apartment all this time. But when we walked in the direction of the apartment, we made one big mistake, we walked along the road. And so, we went along the road and two guards were on a bikes ride from the corner. They turned and saw us. Immediately grabbing the gun, they said: "Stop". I looked at my guide, and quickly asked: "What are we going to do?" It was 100 meters between me and the guard, that is, if we start to run away, they might not catch us. But my guide said: "This is pointless, and they can also open fire, this is no longer worth running". I already measured the situation and I didn’t even give a damn, because I still didn’t understand exactly what it would be. And if my guide spoke calmly about it, it meant nothing serious. Moreover, we overcame the most basic, I saw Pripyat and felt the atmosphere of this city. Sights were not interesting to me. We had to bring the cops to our apartment to pick up our things. The apartment was good, and it was a pity to show this to the police. We packed up and went to the guard post. Although I didn’t care, I was very worried. I worried so much that I drank condensed milk in one gulp and couldn`t stop.

After about 30 minutes, a police car drove up to pick us up in the city of Chernobyl and take us to the police station. The police weren`t very angry, I would say even kind and very sociable. We were brought to the police station and interrogation began: where did we go; where did we live; how many days were there; what food we had; was there anything forbidden. Of course, I had to put everything from my backpacks to show what we had with us. They made a protocol on us and photographed us in the station. Also, they took all the cameras and phones to clear everything connected with the zone. But I understood, I hid the most basic memory card with video materials in advance. In the area, we spent about 2 hours. And when they told us that we were free, I went outside and was very surprised. It was so dark on the street that I didn`t see anything at all in the environment. That city was also dead in the evenings. Nobody walks there, because only workers or police officers live. A policeman came out behind me and said: "Transport to Kyiv doesn`t go anymore, so you will spend the night here". I immediately thought that they wouldn`t leave us in the street, they must offer something. The policeman asked if we needed to go to the store, to which my guide said that it`s necessary. He did this with such an aim that the police showed us Chernobyl. The police nevertheless gave us a short tour, telling us a little history and showing the sights. After a short walk, the police took us to the police hostel and placed us in a huge waiting room. They also suggested that they give boiling water to make ourselves something to eat, or just make a hot drink. There were pretty good conditions, and most importantly, there wasn`t cold.

In the morning, one of the policemen went to us and said: “I’m going to the service, you can wake up a little. The first bus leaves at 10 in the morning. You have a copy of the protocols, you must be released”. I woke up and gradually began to collect my things. It was very strange that we were given the freedom to move around the city ourselves. When we left the hostel, a policeman came to the meeting, who saw us and immediately ran up. If we hadn`t shown our copies of the protocol at once, he would surely have broken one of us so as not to run away. After that, there were absolutely no problems with getting out of the city. I saw a passing patrol car. I arrived at the station and was waiting for my bus. Surprisingly the bus was full. But I and guide took exactly 4 places because I can’t put the backpack on the aisle (since the passage is very narrow). When we approached the border with the zone, everyone began to interrogate about documents and check things for radiation. The backpack had to be left on the bus, and go to a special device to track the presence of radiation. I was all right, as my guide. But I was very worried about things, if they find something with radiation, then they just throw it away. And almost all things aren`t mine. But everything was fine, and I went to home.

This trip I`ll remember for a long time. After it, I had a wild reluctance to return there. All that I experienced wasn`t in vain, but I really didn`t want to repeat it. I have a video about this trip, but at the moment I think it is not very good, but due to the fact that it carries very good memories, I sometimes revise it. I can add subtitles to it if I will be supported in this.

Today, the hype with Chernobyl is very big, and many who wants to go there, but when I was there at the first time, it was completely different.