Chernobyl, 40 years after the nuclear disaster: an astonishing biosphere put to the test of the war in Ukraine

In the heart of the most contaminated area in the world, an endless silence suspends time. The total absence of humanity allows visitors to hear sounds that are inaudible elsewhere on the planet. We are in Chernobyl, 200 km north of Kiev, famous for the explosion of the reactor at its nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986.

Forty years later, while the 2,600 km² area surrounding the infrastructure remains off-limits, nature is slowly reclaiming its space – despite radiation levels in some areas being 3,700 times higher than normal. We were able to access it.

In April 2026, a flock of cranes traversed the sparkling sky, while bees weaved between the oaks and linden trees. Ducks strolled peacefully on either side of a dirt path, and here and there, dogs lounged in the sun on the warm asphalt. In this peaceful atmosphere, the ground suddenly shook as imposing horses passed by. These wild horses, recognizable by their small size, sturdy build, and isabelline coat (pale yellow), are known to be untamed.

The article mentions the return of Przewalski’s horses, the last wild horse species in the world, which had completely disappeared from its natural habitat in Asia in the mid-20th century. There are approximately 140 of these horses in the entire exclusion zone.