- published: 12 Aug 2015
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Slavutych (Ukrainian: Славутич) is a new city in northern Ukraine, named after the Old Slavic name of the nearby Dnieper River. As of 2007, its population was 24,549.
Slavutych is situated on the left bank of the river, 40 kilometers from Chernihiv, 45 kilometers from the city of Pripyat, 50 from Chernobyl (both in Ivankiv Raion) and 200 kilometers from Kiev. While geographically Slavutych is located in Chernihiv Raion (part of Chernihiv Oblast), administratively it belongs to Kiev Oblast, being an administrative exclave, not belonging to any raion.
The city was built in 1986, shortly after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster to host personnel of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and their families, evacuated from the abandoned city of Pripyat. As of 2005 Slavutych has about 25,000 inhabitants. The economic and social situation of the city is still heavily influenced by the power plant and other Chernobyl zone installations because most of the residents worked or still work there.
In an interview with Pravda published on October 10, 1986, Erik Pozdyshev, the newly appointed Director of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, officially announced that a new city was to be built. Construction of the town started shortly thereafter, and the first inhabitants settled in during October 1988. The city was intended to replace Pripyat which became a ghost town after it was evacuated thirty-six hours after the nuclear disaster due to the nuclear fallout. There is a memorial in Slavutych to remember the victims of the disaster, especially those who lost their life immediately after the event from radiation-related diseases.