Link to article - Forgotten country
This project is a long-form journalistic investigation by Batenka.ru exploring the culture of modern “stalkers” — people who illegally enter abandoned and restricted areas such as the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The article follows different members of the community, documenting their motivations, risky expeditions, restoration projects in Pripyat, and the public stereotypes surrounding them. Through personal stories, the project examines themes of memory, abandonment, survival, urban exploration, and society’s fascination with post-apocalyptic spaces