Props for the roof of the Polissia Hotel in Prypiat.

The Polissia Hotel on the central square is one of the most recognizable buildings in Prypiat. In 1986 it housed the headquarters that directed the helicopters working over the destroyed reactor. From the open platform on the roof, the ruined unit is clearly visible through binoculars: the angle is right, the height is enough, and radiation here is much lower than next to the plant itself.

Now the building is being destroyed by water. Every winter it seeps into the floors, freezes and tears the masonry apart. We inspected the roof with specialists back during the Minister of Culture's visit and insisted: it had to be reinforced and given drainage. By the following spring the roof slabs had already shifted apart.

We did not wait. We bought construction props as a charitable contribution to preserving the Zone's heritage, brought them to Prypiat and handed them over to the state structures. We agreed with the Exclusion Zone Agency and the Zone's enterprises that the state enterprises would install them. At the same time we appealed to the President. Our argument was simple: in 2019 alone, Chornobyl brought more than three billion hryvnias into the economy. Preserving its landmarks costs less than losing them.

In the fall, writing from the conference in Girona, Yaroslav pleaded: "At least put up the construction props we brought back in the spring, so the roof of the Polissia Hotel does not collapse. Please."

The props have still not been installed. A piece of the roof is still held up by literally a single brick. If the slab falls, it could take the whole building down with it, collapsing it like a house of cards. It can still be reinforced.