# Chernobyl Reactor 4 Robots (& videos)



## UrbanX (May 27, 2012)

Right this is my last report for now from Chernobyl, so I’ve tagged some videos on the end.

Many of you will know the plight of the initial liquidators which were sent to the roof of the crumbling Reactor 4 roof to clear the roof of radioactive debris. 

Young soldiers were given the choice of two year on the front line of bloody Afghanistan, or 20 seconds on the roof of the plant, with all the vodka they could drink. It was an easy choice. 

They were told safety was paramount, and therefore they would only be allowed on the roof for 20 seconds. They took the vodka, they were told it would save them as the radiation would just pass through their system along with the vodka. They weren’t given any official uniform or protection so many decided to fashion their own from leather, and any lead they could find. 

They were sent up in pairs, every 20 seconds, for 24 hours a day, for 3 weeks.

All bar a handful were dead within a week of going on the roof. 

By that time engineers had built robots to go and take the job of the seemingly disposable humans. The first few that went up have never been seen since: They ignored all commands from their operator, and all headed straight for the hole into the reactor core. Seemingly committing suicide rather than facing the agonising death of their human predecessors. 

Some however made it back.

Despite researching the zone for hundreds of hours: I’ve never seen any photographs of these before, so felt quite proud of myself for spotting them in a small non-descript, un marked paddock in Chernobyl town. 
































This is my last Chernobyl report for now. So I thought I’d chuck these bits of video on the end for anyone that hasn’t seen them. Dereliction Addiction 17 & 18 are montages of photos from previous reports, with some video clips embedded too. 


Dereliction Addiction 17:
[ame]http://youtu.be/ZaWlInVVz9M[/ame]

Dereliction Addiction 18:
[ame]http://youtu.be/PuPMPFsHFYY[/ame]

Thanks for looking. 

If you wondered what finally pulled me away from Chernobyl, it was for this adventure: 

Full video coming soon! 

[ame]http://youtu.be/HcMjqHMnhDM[/ame]


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## TeeJF (May 27, 2012)

Blood and sand Lee, if they've been irradiated I'm surprised you were safe to go near enough to photograph them, or did you use an ultra long lense?


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## UrbanX (May 27, 2012)

TeeJF said:


> Blood and sand Lee, if they've been irradiated I'm surprised you were safe to go near enough to photograph them, or did you use an ultra long lense?



Nah, got up to within a couple of meters of them. They've been thouroughly decontaminated, so no massive spikes in rads being close to them for a few minutes. 

Last year I went up to the sand bucket that was used directly above the open reactor, and the levels that gave off were insane:
0.1 MsV = Normal
1.0 MsV = Ave Pripyat
3.0 MsV = High Pripyat
6.0 MsV = 100 Yards from Reactor 4 
13.0 MsV = Ave Red forest

380.0 MsV = Sandbucket


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## krela (May 27, 2012)

Sobering stuff really. :S

I have a question for you. Do you have a list of documentaries/films etc about Chernobly?


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## Landsker (May 27, 2012)

Nice find and superb as always!


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## the kwan (May 27, 2012)

Fantastic find, I visit chernobyl in September and cant wait...cool video links too thankyou.

cool sound track..who is it and what was the factory at the end of the first video?


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## Lucky Pants (May 27, 2012)

Its robot wars, can imagine Craig Charles "and here s tonkasaurus secret weapon a shit load of radiation"  nice spot .


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## PaulPowers (May 27, 2012)

I always love your reports from the zone


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## SeffyboyUK (May 27, 2012)

Cracking stuff as always dude!


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## UrbanX (May 27, 2012)

krela said:


> Sobering stuff really. :S
> 
> I have a question for you. Do you have a list of documentaries/films etc about Chernobly?



I don't really have a list. I have 4 good film documentaries I'll dig the names out for. There isn't that much decent stuff in way of printed press, theres more quality info online surprisingly. 




the kwan said:


> Fantastic find, I visit chernobyl in September and cant wait...cool video links too thankyou.
> 
> cool sound track..who is it and what was the factory at the end of the first video?



The first track is "Radioactive" by Marina and the Diamonds. (I used her acoustic demo version for Dereliction Addiction 16 "Meeting the resettlers" 

The second one Dereliction Addiction 18, was a track called "Pripyat" by Ash, and was written specifically about the zone.

Edit:*** P.S I've got a "non-derelict pripyat" video of us just having fun in the Ukraine, but will post it on the FB group as it's not really anything to do with dereliction!


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## UEP-Wales (May 27, 2012)

Cracking stuff as always dude! The final pic makes it look like a scene out of Robot Wars.

It's funny that you posted these actually as I saw a documentary yesterday I think it was on the disaster and there was a clip where one just drove straight into the core! Crazy thing!

Looking forward to seeing the next vid as you know!


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## John_D (May 27, 2012)

Brilliant Though I do sincerely hope that your feeling of immortality, that we all have in our 20's is not misplaced :wideeyed:


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## flyboys90 (May 27, 2012)

As allways the best! great show,thanks for sharing.


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## rectory-rat (May 27, 2012)

Awesome as ever, thanks for sharing  In their brightly-coloured mesh fencing they really do look like they'd be more at home in a deserted theme park than a nuclear reactor.

-RR


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## skeleton key (May 28, 2012)

This is Realy interesting stuff and makes you wonder
just keep checking for hair loss you or ur Barber will be useing one of these robots to cut ur hair lol
Great stufff


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## godzilla73 (May 28, 2012)

Always good to pay tribute to the"robots", who were without doubt, the most tragic victims of the Chernobyl disaster. Piers Paul Reid's book "Ablaze" gives some good first hand accounts written before several of them died, as does the Schevchenko film which I've mentioned on here before (The Severe Days - check it out on You Tube)
Thanks for sharing man...
Godzy


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## nelly (May 28, 2012)

This is the stuff fella!!!

WoW!!!


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## the|td4 (May 29, 2012)

Love these pics they're really something thanks for sharing those.

Poor lads sent in without a hope, life is cheap in some places.


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## Munchh (May 29, 2012)

Russian soldiers are fiercely loyal and courageous. For more than a few of them it wasn't just about escaping Afghanistan, the world was at risk and they knew it.

A very poignant reminder, may they rest in peace with our eternal gratitude for their sacrifice.

Thanks for posting this Urban X


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## Breesey (May 29, 2012)

Fascinating - quite interested in Chernobyl's history, but had never heard about this two by two thing, how tragic.


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## adzst24 (May 30, 2012)

Great as always mate hats off to you.


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