Courtesy of David McMillan
Kindergarten Floor with Slippers, Prypiat, 2006

Remembering the Victims of the Chernobyl Disaster

Written by Lauren Levesque and AnnaRose Goldwitz

The haunting day of the Chernobyl Disaster is a disastrous memory from our global history that left permanent damage to society and the Earth around us. What was supposed to be a simple routine shut off of the power plant turned into a mass surge of energy that caused a chemical explosion on the 26th of April 1986. Through the horror, the force of the blast spread contamination over large parts of the Soviet Union, now the territories of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. Official reports dictate that thirty-one people died immediately, and 600,000 "liquidators" involved in fire-fighting and clean-up operations were exposed to high doses of radiation. Nearly 8,400,000 people in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine were exposed to radiation and harmful substances.

Courtesy of David McMillan
Lobby, Children's Hospital, Prypiat, 2012

After the tragic events, it became clear that environmental and health recovery cannot be separated from the development task of protecting workers and the environment. On December 8th, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly designated April 26th as the International Day of Remembrance for the disaster victims.

Courtesy of David McMillan
Sinking Boat on the Prypiat River, Chernobyl, 1998

David McMillan is a Canadian photographer known for his poignant and haunting images of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. His work captures the eerie beauty and desolation of the abandoned landscapes and decaying structures left behind after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

McMillan first visited Chernobyl in 1994 and has since returned 21 times to document the effects of the disaster on the environment and the people who once lived in the area. His photographs reveal the passage of time through the gradual decay and reclaiming of abandoned buildings by nature.

Courtesy of David McMillan
School, Village of Shipelicki, 1995

One of McMillan's most notable projects is his book "Growth and Decay: Pripyat and the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone," which features a collection of his photographs taken over the span of two decades. The book not only serves as a visual documentation of the aftermath of the disaster but also raises questions about the impact of human activity on the environment and the resilience of nature.

McMillan's work has been widely exhibited and has received critical acclaim for its powerful storytelling and evocative imagery. Through his lens, he offers a glimpse into a world frozen in time, where the scars of a catastrophic event are still visible decades later.