The abandoned village of Redkovka is no longer on the map nor is there a sign welcoming you in. At the local post office, a sign with the village's zip code hangs. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

Artificial flowers decorate an abandoned home in the ghost town of Redkovka. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

A local paper, "Communist", left behind along with a pair of reading glasses in an abandoned home. Some 1,000 villagers abandoned their home in fear of radiation after the Chernobyl accident. Twelve villagers remain in Redkovka illegally. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

Lida Masanovitz, 74, plants onions and radishes the field in the ghost town village of Redkokva. After the Chernobyl accident in 1986, villagers were asked not to eat home grown food in risk of radiation. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

Lida Masanovitz, 74, passes by an abandoned house after working the field in the ghost town village of Redkokva. Masanovitz was born and raised in the village of Redkovka. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

An abandoned home in the ghost town of Redkovka. The Ukrainian government has classified the village of Redkovka as a zone 2, making it too dangerous for anyone to live in. The bulk of the families - about1,000 local villagers - abandoned their homes after the Chernobyl accident in 1986. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

Lida Masanovitz, 74, rests in her wooden farmhouse after working the field in the abandoned village of Redkokva. Masanovitz was born and raised in the village of Redkovka. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

Lida Masanovitz, 74, visits the cemetery where her mother and grandmother were buried. After the accident, more than 2.32 million people have been hospitalized in Ukraine as of early 2004 with illnesses blamed on the disaster, including 452,000 children, according to Ukraine's Health Ministry. Ukraine has registered some 4,400 deaths. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

A villager stands beside a grave outside the local in the abandoned town of Redkovka. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

An abandoned home in the ghost town of Redkovka. The Ukrainian government has classified the village of Redkovka as a zone 2, making it too dangerous for anyone to live in. The bulk of the families - about1,000 local villagers - abandoned their homes after the Chernobyl accident in 1986. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

Ivan Khvostyk, 92, washes his hands before dinner. Khvostyk was the head of the village's local post office during the Soviet Union. Two years ago, his wife passed away. He now lives alone in his wooden farmhouse. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

Ivan Khvostyk, 92, sits in his home's patio. Khvostyk was the head of the village's local post office during the Soviet Union. Two years ago, his wife died, he now lives alone in his wooden farmhouse. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

Lida Masanovitz, 74, stands beside her husband, MIkhail Masanovitz, 73, as she speaks to her daughter on the phone. After the Chernobyl accident on April 26, 1986, Masanovitz's daughter was hospitalized and treated for thyroid. An estimated 7 million people in the former Soviet republics of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine suffered from radiation-linked ailments, including thyroid and circulation problems after the accident. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

Lida Zubar, 54, holds a Chernobyl card given out by the Ukrainian government. The amount of money victims of radiation receive depends on the zone they live in. Redkovka is considered a zone two. Zubar receives $50 dollars in compensation. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

A villager walks by an abandoned home in the now ghost town of Redkovka. Before the Chernobyl accident in 1986, Redkovka was considered a central village, with some 1,000 villagers inhabiting. Twelve villagers now remain. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.

A villager is seen in a mirror as her next door neighbor passes by. The village of Redkovka, once considered a central village, is now abandoned with only twelve people remaining. As the world gets ready to mark the 25th?anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, life in the desolate zone around the closed plant goes on. While many cities, towns and villages were evacuated in the aftermath of the world's nuclear accident, the remaining residents of Redkovka - some 35km from the exploded reactor - say they refused to leave their homes after radiation had fallen on their village. Radiation levels were only measured here a decade after the accident - too late for many. Today, the village lies almost empty and in disrepair. Its final residents are a handful of elderly people living off the land, eking out their final years in the shadow of Chernobyl.