Proceedings of the International scientific and practical conference ―Science at the Frontier of Progress‖ (June 8-10, 2026) / Publisher website: www.naukainfo.com. – Paris, France, 2026. - 178 p.

92 government bodies to coordinate trips to the Exclusion Zone. A 2002 UN report also played a significant role, after which the number of tourists began to grow steadily. To regulate visits and ensure control over tourism activities, the State Agency of Ukraine for the Management of the Exclusion Zone (SAEZ) was established in 2014, and it continues to regulate access to this territory today. These facts indicate that the popularity of the Chernobyl zone grew not only due to the historical significance of the disaster site but also due to the influence of contemporary mass culture and digital media. Video games, vlogs, and documentary projects have contributed to the formation of a unique image of Chernobyl as a space that combines tragic history, scientific interest, and tourist appeal. The topic of Chernobyl gained even greater resonance following the 2019 release of the miniseries ―Chernobyl,‖ which recreated the events of the accident and demonstrated its consequences for people and the environment. Following the series’ release, the number of inquiries about visiting the exclusion zone increased significantly, and Chernobyl became one of the world’s most famous destinations for so-called ―dark tourism.‖ Main text. The issue of the Chernobyl disaster has been the subject of research by Ukrainian and foreign scientists, including medical professionals, biologists, historians, political scientists, sociologists, economists, and geographers, whose work explores various aspects of this tragedy. (N. Grynyokh, V. Dmytruk, L. Dyachenko, L. Ivchenko, O. Parenyuk, K. Shavanova, A. Isalska, M. Het, and others). For example, based on Ukrainian-American research, M. Hetch raised the pressing issue of cancer following the Chernobyl nuclear accident, particularly thyroid cancer and leukemia. [2] Ukrainian scientists and radiobiologists Olena Parenyuk and Kateryna Shavanova, authors of the work ―The Terrible, the Beautiful, and the Grotesque in Chernobyl: From Catastrophe to Laboratory,‖ do not limit themselves to stating historical facts but reveal important aspects of nuclear safety, the risks of radiation exposure, and other issues. The research on the microbiome conducted by Olena Parenyuk based on an analysis of the Chernobyl zone is similar to the work of Japanese scientists following the Fukushima disaster. [3] Of particular interest to our study are works devoted to the issues of Chernobyl tourism (O. Arion, M. Banshkevich, Y. Vashchyshyn, N. Hrynyokh, B. Dubych, V. Dmytruk, A. Kulagina, T. Lysyuk, A. Romanova, R. Semenyuk, R. Skabara, A. Slaschuk, V. Khudoba, M. Foli, J. Lennon, P. Stone, and others). The authors of the article ―Organization of Tourism in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in the Pre-War Period and Post-War Prospects,‖ V. Khodoba and Y. Vashchyshyn note the need to resume visits to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone for tourists, provided that radiation contamination levels in the area remain within acceptable limits and there is no threat of a renewed attack by the Russian Federation. The researchers emphasize the importance of preserving the tools that were used to organize visits to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in the pre-war period and ensured the transparency and accessibility of this process. [4, p. 75] The research by Kulagina A. I., Arion O. V., and Romanova A. A. focuses on analyzing the phenomenon of dark tourism, its various forms, and the prospects for the development of ―dark tourism‖ in Ukraine. [5,6] The growing interest in tourism in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has led to the development of a wide network of tour operators. The most popular ones today are ―CHERNOBYL TOUR,‖ ―ChernobylTRAVEL,‖ ―Chernobyl Exclusive Tours,‖ ―Real Chernobyl,‖ ―Radioactive Team,‖ ―Bomba Tour,‖ ―KAVA,‖ ―CHERNOBYLwel.come,‖ ―GAMMA TRAVEL,‖ ―STALKER TOUR ,‖ ―CHERNOBYLQUEST,‖ ―CHERNOBYL ADVENTURE,‖ ―GO2CHERNOBYL,‖ ―CHERNOBYLTIME,‖ and others, which offer various itineraries including visits to the city of Pripyat, observation points near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and abandoned settlements. All of this is evidence of the demand for visits to the Chernobyl zone to learn about the history of the tragedy and preserve the memory of its consequences, which is gradually transforming it from the site of a man-made disaster into a well-known international tourist brand. CNN journalist Anita Isalska argues that such popularity requires a responsible approach to organizing tours. In her report, Anita Isalska described in detail the conditions for visiting the Exclusion Zone and her personal impressions of what she saw there. She confirmed that visitors are thoroughly screened for radiation safety, and that tour routes and group composition are strictly regulated. They sign a waiver prohibiting them from touching any objects or vegetation, or even sitting on the ground. Exit from the Exclusion Zone is also strictly controlled; scanners are required to check the radiation levels on the bodies of those who have visited the Zone. If the scanner sounds an alarm, security guards decontaminate the person of radioactive dust before allowing them to leave.‖ [7] At the same time, it should be noted that the development of tourism to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is accompanied by a number of ethical dilemmas.