Lida Masanovitz, 74, prays at the local church, which is has been restored, despite the fact that the village is closed and no longer on the map. Masanovitz is in charge of maintaining the church and gathering the villagers for Sunday service. 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.

MIkhail Masanovitz, 73, leaves his home to feed his watch dog. The village of Redkovka suffered high radiation levels and was eventually evacuated. The village is now abandoned and listed as a zone 2, making it too dangerous for anyone to inhabit. 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.

Villagers maintain the ghost town of Redkovka, some 35 km from the nuclear power plant of Chernobyl. Villagers earn an average of 1,000 grivnia ($125) and get no additional government support, despite living in a contaminated zone. 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.

Alexandra Zubara, 78, seen in a mirror in her home. Zubara raised three generations in her tiny wooden farmhouse in the ghost town of Redkovka. Her daughter suffers from medical conditions linked to the Chernobyl accident. She receives $50 dollars in government aid. 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.

Alexandra Zubara, 78, and her granddaughter Luba, prepare dinner. Zubara raised three generations in her tiny wooden farmhouse in the ghost town of Redkovka. Her daughter suffers from medical conditions linked to the Chernobyl accident. She receives $50 dollars in compensation from the government. 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, sleeps beside her husband MIkhail Masanovitz, 73, in their home. The two met in the now ghost village of Redkovka 50 years ago. 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.

Villagers maintain the ghost town of Redkovka, some 35 km from the nuclear power plant of Chernobyl. Villagers earn an average of 1,000 grivnia ($125) and get no additional government support, despite living in a contaminated zone. 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.

Alexandra Zubara, 78, holds her necklace while speaking. Zubara raised three generations in her tiny wooden farmhouse in the ghost town of Redkovka. Her daughter suffers from medical conditions linked to the Chernobyl accident. She receives $50 dollars in government aid. 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.

RIvan Khvostyk, 92, was the head of the village's local post office. Khvostyk was in Berlin during WWII and returned back to the village to settle down. He 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.

Alexandra Zubara, 78, raised three generations in her tiny wooden farmhouse in the ghost town of Redkovka. Her daughter suffers from medical conditions linked to the Chernobyl accident. She receives $50 dollars in government aid. 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, sleeps beside her husband MIkhail Masanovitz, 73, in their home. The two met in the now ghost village of Redkovka 50 years ago. 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, a former nurse, was born and raised in the now abandoned ghost town of Redkovka. She is now a pensioner earning 1,000 grivnia ($125) and gets no additional government support, despite living in a radiation zone. 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.

Fot. Laski Diffusion/East News Zycie codzienne w okolicach Czarnobyla po katastrofie w elektrowni atomowej. 22.05.1986 Daily life in Chernobyl area after the Nuclear Power Plant disaster, 22.05.1986

Fot. Laski Diffusion/East News Prypec - miasto wybudowane dla pracownikow elektrowni atomowej w Czarnobylu, miasto-widmo opuszczone przez mieszkancow po katastrofie w elektrowni. Przed awaria mieszkalo tu prawie 50 tys. osob. 29.10.1986 Prypiat - ghost town near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Built for workers of the plant, it was abandoned by all of its 50.000 inhabitants after the nuclear disaster. 29.10.1986

Fot. Laski Diffusion/East News Elektrownia atomowa w Czarnobylu po katastrofie, maj 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after the disaster, may 1986

Fot. Laski Diffusion/East News Elektrownia atomowa w Czarnobylu. 1987 N/Z: hala generatorowa. Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. 1987 Generators hall.

Fot. Laski Diffusion/East News Elektrownia atomowa w Czarnobylu. 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. 1986

Fot. Laski Diffusion/East News Elektrownia atomowa w Czarnobylu. 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. 1986

Fot. Laski Diffusion/East News Elektrownia atomowa w Czarnobylu po katastrofie. 22.11.1986 N/Z: Budowa betonowego sarkofagu ochronnego na terenie reaktora jądrowego nr 4, gdzie nastapila ekspolozja. Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after the disaster. 22.11.1986 Construction of concrete sarcophagus surrounding the nuclear reactor unit 4, where the explosion occured.

Fot. Laski Diffusion/East News Elektrownia atomowa w Czarnobylu po katastrofie. 22.11.1986 N/Z: Budowa betonowego sarkofagu ochronnego na terenie reaktora jądrowego nr 4, gdzie nastapila ekspolozja. Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after the disaster. 22.11.1986 Construction of concrete sarcophagus surrounding the nuclear reactor unit 4, where the explosion occured.