Jake wrote me, saying he’d prefer his photo to remain up and unchanged, but that he’d also like to explain it. Here he is:

“As I’m sure you’re aware, Chernobyl isn’t Disneyland, in fact it’s probably the furthest thing from it. You don’t go to Chernobyl for fun, you go there to learn about the disaster and see the massive scale of the devastation for yourself. I was fascinated by what I had heard about the event - as I’m only 20 I wasn’t around when the disaster unfolded, so keen to learn more I took it upon myself to go to Ukraine and visit the site.



The first thing that strikes you is the bleak nature of the place, followed by the realisation of how fast people had to leave when you visited the abandoned villages. And then you get to the sarcophagus of the reactor. That expression on my face is meant to be shock, not some vacuous, feeble attempt at narcissistic irony. The shock of seeing the scene of the disaster I’d heard so much about. The shock of seeing how close the reactor is knowing that 27 years ago standing in the same spot would have killed you in mere minutes. And what was probably the most shocking thing for me was seeing how many people still work there. People imagine Chernobyl to be an empty wasteland, the reality is 5000 people are still working in and around the site. All these feelings culminate inside you and you’re left numb and confused trying to take everything in. It was probably one of the most surreal experiences for me during my time on Earth, without question.



I would encourage as many people to visit Chernobyl before October 2015 (the expected completion date of the dome which will replace the sarcophagus) to experience what I experienced. Until you visit the place you don’t get a true scale of the events that happened back in April 1986. If you’re in Kiev but unable to visit Chernobyl, the museum in Kiev is an unmissable, fitting tribute that is able to convey some reality of the events. I would certainly go back if I’m not now banned from entering Ukraine.



Finally, I think some people have been quick to demonise myself and my picture. As I’ve already said, you don’t go to Chernobyl for a party, and I’m quite proud that a photo of me taking in some culture, documenting my travels and learning about the world’s worst nuclear disaster has gone viral. It makes a change from seeing the usual images of drunk British teenagers ruining a Mediterranean island by drinking too much alcohol and urinating/vomiting/fighting/having sex in the middle of the street. I hope that some people will now think about images like mine for just a bit longer before bemoaning that they show society’s failures laid bare before them.”