r/europe • u/MarktpLatz Lower Saxony (Germany) • Apr 03 '17

What do you know about... Ukraine?

This is the eleventh part of our ongoing series about the countries of Europe. You can find an overview here.

Todays country:

Ukraine

Ukraine is the largest country that is completely on the european continent. The Ungarian people's republic was founded in 1917, the ukrainian state in 1918. It later became part of the soviet union and finally got independent in 1991. Currently, Ukraine is facing military combat with russia-backed rebels and the crimean peninsula was completely annexed by Russia. Ukraine will host the next eurovision song contest.

So, what do you know about Ukraine?

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26

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '17

I am going to Ukraine in the summer for Work at Chernobyl (seriously)

18

u/so_just Russia Apr 04 '17

Stalker?

15

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '17 edited Apr 04 '17

No I am a nuclear Human Factors engineer so I am involved in making nuclear sites human proof, we have a lot of work on the NSC and the RBMK fuel element reprocessing plant that was built there (bizarrely the Russians never bothered reprocessing RBMK fuel apart from the weapon's loads)

5

u/vhite Slovakia Apr 04 '17

I am involved in making nuclear sites human proof

So you are planting the mutants?

5

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '17

Just resisting the temptation to throw things into anomalies

3

u/Idiocracy_Cometh ⚑ For the glory of Chaos ⚑ Apr 04 '17

Very interesting. Do you use cameras on local stray dogs for human-proofing? They are very good intrusion testers, and can tell you where humans can get in. It will cost you only some sausage and head rubs.

Also, AFAIK not reprocessing the rods for fuel was because of Soviet nuclear power industry (initially) being planned for weapon needs first and for electric power second. Ability to get weapons-grade plutonium was why RBMK was chosen over the safer types of reactors. Also, uranium deposits in Siberia and Kazakhstan were/are more than sufficient, so the cost of that approach was (besides reduced safety) mostly in increased need for uranium enrichment.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '17

human-proofing

Well I mean stopping humans messing up

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u/Idiocracy_Cometh ⚑ For the glory of Chaos ⚑ Apr 04 '17

Thank you, my mistake.

I thought your task was limiting access, so wannabe stalkers or metal thieves do not carry the high-activity material away (or get irradiated too much).

Instead it looks like you'll be improving safety inside the installations, to compensate for no/old/decayed protections for the plant workers.

4

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '17

Yup

Are wannabie stalkers a problem still?

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u/Idiocracy_Cometh ⚑ For the glory of Chaos ⚑ Apr 04 '17

Well, there's a whole subculture. Most say they are being careful, carry and monitor dosimeters, won't go near high-activity areas etc. But there are always idiots and accidents.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '17

What came first game or subculture?

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u/Idiocracy_Cometh ⚑ For the glory of Chaos ⚑ Apr 04 '17

First came the scavengers; they started large-scale theft/recycling roughly in early 1990s (it's hard to guard an area this large and USSR just fell apart). Radioactive metal showed up in some recycled items.

Then limited tourism started in 2001. There were also illegal visitors around that time specifically going for urban/postapocalyptic exploration.

But they started to be called "stalkers" after the first game came out in 2007.

The term "stalker" predates Chernobyl, it is from a (rather good) sci-fi book "Roadside Picnic" (1972) in which stalkers explore and bring things from a different Zone, one left after an alien visit. Forbidden to visit, full of barely comprehensible, dangerous, but also valuable objects.

The game quite successfully combined the properties of the Zone in the book and Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.