Documentary production Nuclear Testing Site: Semipalatinsk-21

This place was the primary testing venue for the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons. It’s located in the steppe of northeast Kazakhstan. Officially Soviet Union conducted 456 nuclear tests (unofficial data is in the range of 2000) at Semipalatinsk from 1949 until 1989 with little regard for their effect on the local people or environment. The full impact of environmental exposure was hidden for many years by Soviet authorities and has only come to light since the test site closed in 1991 when Russians withdrew their forces leaving hundreds of civilian scientists behind. A little bit later Kazakhs nomads went thru the city taking it apart. Till this day you can find Kazakhs cemeteries all over northeast built out of radioactive bricks of apartment buildings of this town. 

I was conceived at this place by two nuclear scientists. My DNA is adapted to exist in higher levels of radiation. In 2006 following my deportation from USA I went back to this abandoned army base make a documentary for National Geographic network. Here is a little preview of the collected material.