The 1,000-square-mile Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is, for many, a symbol of total disaster: a reminder of shattered ideals and lost lives, now a toxic, dangerous no-man's-land. For Markiyan Kamysh, it became a site of pilgrimage. He and dozens like him call themselves 'stalkers': wild adventurers who sneak past border patrols to spend days getting lost in this apocalyptic environment of dense swampland and desolate villages. Kamysh, the son of a Chornobyl disaster liquidator, takes us with him into this alien world
Markiyan Kamysh Book order
Markiyan Kamysh represents the Chernobyl underground in literature. Since 2010, he has been illegally investigating the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Having made numerous expeditions behind the barbed wire, he has even lived illegally within the Zone, granting him a unique perspective on this forgotten place.


- 2022
- 2016
Stalking the Atomic City: Life Among the Decadent and the Depraved of Chornobyl
- 160 pages
- 6 hours of reading
The book offers a unique exploration of Chornobyl as a symbol of Russian imperialism and the ongoing struggle for Ukrainian freedom. It presents a rare perspective on the site's dystopian reality, highlighting its significance in the context of historical and contemporary oppression. Through this lens, the narrative delves into the broader themes of resilience and the fight against tyranny, making it a poignant commentary on both the past and present of Ukraine.