Authors

Discussion

The year 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, which resulted in deaths and incurable illnesses of many people, the evacuation of residents from the thirty-kilometer zone around Chornobyl, and a global transformation of public consciousness as well as a change in civic mindset in the Soviet Union, which gradually made the existence of that state impossible. 

This study focuses on changes in Ukrainians’ attitude to the exclusion zone during the 40 years of its existence, particularly during the Russian-Ukrainian war, as reflected in Ukrainian fiction. The study examines the works of contemporary Ukrainian writers: Markiyan Kamysh’s "Oformlyandia" (2014) and "Kyiv-86" (2016), Artem Chapeye’s short story "Marmalade" (2018), as well as Pavlo Arie’s play "At the Beginning and End of Time" (2013). 

The theoretical and methodological basis of the study consists of theory of ‘toxic discourse’ by Lawrence Buell, conception of postmemory by Marianne Hirsh, studies by Kristin Ferebee and Tamara Hundorova.

The purpose of the presentation is to analyze the changes in Ukrainians’ perception of the Chornobyl zone captured in the above works. The analysis is planned to be carried out from the perspective of the Russian-Ukrainian war in three directions: identity, commemoration and Anthropocene. The first one involves tracing how the works reflect the transformation of Chornobyl from a symbol of Soviet identity to a symbol of Ukrainian one. Today, even the exclusion zone acquired national characteristics, not only due to the destruction of Soviet symbols and the appearance of self-settlers of Ukrainian origin, but also because of the alleged support of Ukrainians in the war by the local area itself. When the Russians captured the Chornobyl Power Plant in 2022, they suffered the deadly effects of radiation due to improper handling of the technology and nature of the zone. So they had to leave the area. In the commemoration of the Chornobyl disaster during the war the idea of victimhood is giving way to the emphasis on the strength and resilience of Ukrainians, promoting the idea that if we survived the Chornobyl disaster, we will also survive Russian armed aggression. The Antropocene trend in the perception of the exclusion zone is linked to the revival of nature at the site of the man-made disaster. Against the backdrop of the damage caused to Ukraine’s nature by Russian aggression, the post-apocalyptic image of the Chornobyl zone acquires the meaning of a mythical paradise, promising the prospect of a faster revival than in the frontline territories. Also, in Artem Chapeye’s work "Marmalade", the exclusion zone is associated for the protagonist-combatant with a place of safety, a recreational area where his life is not threatened. 

Therefore, in the context of the existential threat of Ukraine’s destruction by Russia, the perception of the Chornobyl exclusion zone takes on new life-affirming