Sarcophagus built over the fourth power unit of Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Pripyat deteriorates. The danger if it collapses is largely determined by how much radioactive material is inside it.

According to official data, the figure is 95% of what it was at the time of the accident. If it is correct, then the destruction of sarcophagus can lead to very high radioactive emissions. Photos: AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky

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Tags: Chernobyl · Pripyat city

“Kiev in Miniature” is located in a picturesque place on the banks of the Dnieper River in Hidropark in Kiev. This mini city has diverse collection of buildings constructed in 1:33 scale. The park shows the most famous architectural landmarks of present Kiev and other Ukrainian cities.

The park was opened on June 23, 2006. The total area is about 2 hectares. It took nearly four years to make all 48 models presented in the park. At this time the population of mini Kiev is 700 inhabitants and it is growing every day. Photos by vaita

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Tags: Kiev city

Odessa, a wonderful city standing on the Black Sea coast, is often called the “Pearl of the South”. Odessa has special architectural style and ambiance.

Fortunately, most of the marvelous buildings that went up in Odessa during the 18th and 19th centuries were only partially damaged during the Second World War. That means Odessa retains the charm of yesteryear.

Odessa residents are known to be hospitable, warmhearted, independent, proud – and to possess a sophisticated sense of humor. Odessa city holds festivals of humor and satire every year on April 1.

Tags: Odessa city

Chernivtsi is a city in south-western Ukraine, 40 km north of the border with Romania, the administrative center of Chernivtsi region. The city is the historic center of Bukovina and, along with Lviv is the cultural center of western Ukraine.

Over the centuries, Chernivtsi formed as a city with a unique multi-style architecture and rich cultural heritage. It is one of the few cities in Ukraine, which is rightly considered the jewel of architecture. Photos by horoshiyblog

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Tags: Chernivtsi city

Uzhgorod is the capital city of Zakarpattia region located in the western Ukraine. It is one of the most ancient cities in the country founded before the 9th century AC.

In 1945, the region became the part of Ukrainian SSR and the USSR. Since 1991, Uzhgorod is the least populated and western regional center among 24 of those in Ukraine.

There are a lot of architectural monuments in the city. In 1930s Czech architects created an architectural ensemble of Uzhgorod center in the form close to constructionism.

Tags: time-lapse · Uzhgorod city

Kopachi is an abandoned village, located about 4 km from Chernobyl nuclear power plant on the right bank of the Pripyat River, in Ivankovsky district of Kiev region. It was a booming village in 1980s. April 26, 1986, after the accident at the station, the village was badly contaminated.

The village, located in the 10-kilometer zone of the Chernobyl exclusion, was eliminated by complete destruction; the remains of it were covered with earth. At the moment the territory is not inhabited.

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Tags: abandoned · Chernobyl · Kiev oblast · Pripyat city

Krivoy Rog (Ukrainian spelling Kryvyi Rih) is a city situated in Dnepropetrovsk oblast. It is the longest city in Europe (the distance between Terni district and Ingulec district is about 75 kilometers). The population of the city is about 660 thousand.

Krivoy Rog is a large industrial center, a center of Krivorozhsky iron ore basin (Krivbass). Total proven iron ore reserves in Krivbass are more than 32 billion tons.

Tags: Krivoy Rog city · time-lapse

Bakhchisaray Khan’s Palace, the former residence of the Crimean Khans, is a historical and cultural monument of world importance, the world’s only example of the Crimean Tatar palace architecture. The palace is part of Bakhchisaray Historical and Cultural Reserve located in Bakhchisaray town, Crimea.

Entry to the museum is free, but you need a guided tour to get inside the palace. The territory of the palace complex is 4.3 hectares. The architectural style of the palace continues the tradition of Ottoman architecture of the 16th-17th centuries. Photos by Alexander Lipilin

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Tags: Crimea Republic

Chernihiv is an ancient Slavic city. In the 9th century the settlement was the center of Eastern-Slavic tribe of the Northerners. At the end of the 9th century, Chernihiv joined the Kievan Rus state.

Present day Chernihiv, with the population about 300.000, is an important industrial center of Ukraine. The city has a number of sights mostly related to its past – churches of the 11th-13th centuries, architectural monuments of the 17th-20th centuries.

Tags: Chernihiv city · time-lapse

During your visit to the Crimea, you can go in the foothills or mountains, swim in the sea, but it is not so easy to find a place that is below sea level. Let’s look at one of the lowest points of the Crimea (-14 meters below sea level).

Kadykovsky abandoned quarry, rusty-orange pile rising high among the surrounding hills, is located in the outskirts of Sevastopol. The quarry is called by the name of the area – Kadykovka.

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Tags: abandoned · Crimea Republic · Sevastopol city