Not only Prypiat: abandoned cities of Ukraine and their secrets

Albina Panchenko News15.10.2024 14:40

Ghost towns in Ukraine

Once bustling streets, lively squares, and crowded houses are now ghosts of the past. The question immediately arises: what caused their decline? What secrets do they keep in their ruins? Today we are going to tell you about the mysterious locations of our country.

Orbita

Located in the Cherkasy region, not far from Chyhyryn. Its construction began in 1970. At that time, a residential area was being laid out for the workers of the future hydroelectric power plant. It was planned to settle about 20 thousand people.

Schools, shops, kindergartens, a cultural center, a hospital, and a shopping center were to be built for the locals. Later, they decided to build a nuclear giant here. However, due to the Chornobyl tragedy, construction work was stopped. Most residents left the city. Only a few dozen people, mostly pensioners, remained to live in two five-story buildings.

By the way, there is electricity, gas, and water supply.

Getting there: If you plan to travel by car, take the P10 highway. The journey from Cherkasy will take about 1 hour.

Not only Prypiat: abandoned cities of Ukraine and their secrets

Tsukrovariv

Located in Kirovohrad region near the village of Lypnyazhka. It was founded in the 1980s. During the Soviet era, it housed a sugar factory and a confectionery factory. Later, it was used as a home for people who worked at the enterprises. They also built a canteen, a paramedic station, and a fire station. At that time, the town was home to more than 6,000 people.

In the early 2000s, production was closed, and people began to leave Tsukrovariv. Today, about 100 people live here. The village has only electricity. To heat their homes, the locals built wood-burning stoves. And they take water from wells.

Getting there: The journey from Kropyvnytskyi is about 106 kilometers and takes about 2 hours. By car, take the E50 or M12 highway.

Quarter in the city of Dolynska

Located in the Kirovohrad region. In the 80s, it was planned to build a new industrial center here. However, the project was never completed. Nowadays, there are ghost houses and the Kryvyi Rih Oxide Mining and Processing Plant. It ceased operations in 2005.

Getting there: We recommend taking the fastest route by the H23 or T1210 highway. The journey from Kryvyi Rih will take about an hour.

Lyubech-1

Located in the Chernihiv region. In the late 60s, the construction of Duga radar stations began here. In the 70s, a small town appeared nearby. It was inhabited by people who were engaged in the maintenance of the structures.

Lyubech-1 was considered a secret military center because it provided a 140-meter transmitter antenna. The facility could detect missiles flying from the United States to the Soviet Union.

After the tragedy at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, one of the radars failed. In the 2000s, it was dismantled. And the secret part ceased to exist in 2008.

Getting there: If you are traveling from Chernihiv, take the T2506 highway. The distance is about 50 kilometers.

Poliske

It is located in the Kyiv region on the banks of the Uzh River. From the 1800s to the 1900s, a garment factory operated here, using a dam to drive its machines. Later, fabrics and furniture were produced here.

After the Chornobyl disaster, some of the residents were evacuated here from Prypiat. However, the high level of radiation forced the residents of Poliske to leave their homes as well. In 1999, the town lost its status as an administrative center and actually ceased to exist.

As of 2020, about 10 people lived here.

Getting there: The fastest route is via the P69 or P02 highway. The journey from Kyiv will take about 3 hours.