ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the increasing politics in the issue of Chernobyl ecology and the real state of affairs in the affected zone. The facts about the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster were publicly spoken of in Zhitomir. The venue for tackling the issue was the enormous hall of the Zhitomir House of Political Education, the domain of the regional party committee. The workers' statement proved to be a minor bombshell for the meeting. Publication of classified data on the health of the people in contaminated areas and on radiation levels would have been an excellent opportunity of instantly drawing the country's attention to the Chernobyl problem. However looming ahead were more harrowing, exhausting battles with the powers that be at pre-election meetings with the voters at factories, research centers, colleges, and especially on collective farms. Officials had woven over the Chernobyl nuclear explosion and its aftermath with the help of corrupt journalists.
