If you're like a lot of people out there, you've been watching HBO's miniseries Chernobyl with a blend of fascination and horror.
(Not this author, though — studying nuclear war in college was more than enough radioactivity. But other people are really enjoying it!)
The historical drama seemed to have sparked a renewed interest in the crisis, where a power plant in Ukraine malfunctioned, spewing deadly particles into the atmosphere across the then–Soviet Union and Western Europe. While the derelict site has been popular with Ukrainians for years now, in the days since the miniseries aired an uptick of visitors have begun swarming the area, local tour operators told CNN.
In fact, it's entirely possible that some people are enjoying visiting the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in history a little...too much.
Case in point: Bruno Zupan, aka Twitter user @komacore, posted a compilation of pictures from Instagram on Sunday, showing a variety of poses from the young historians, ranging from the vaguely adventurous to the pretty dang thotty. (One of the women shown in the tweet later said that she was not actually in the Chernobyl area. despite tagging her photo as being there, after being attacked for her provocative pose.)
Meanwhile in Chernobyl: Instagram influencers flocking to the site of the disaster.
A look through the geotags for the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the nearby ghost town of Pripyat shows a bevy of both local and international tourists eager to let their followers know that they're posted up at a spot where an untold number of people died.
A lot of folks tried their best to mean mug like they're posing for a rap album cover amid the abandoned buildings.
Here's another solid contribution to the art form.
The creepy old Ferris wheel on the grounds has proved to be a popular spot to snap a picture.
It's gotten to the point that show creator and writer Craig Mazin tweeted Tuesday to ask people who visit the Exclusion Zone — the area that was evacuated immediately after the disaster — to be just a bit more chill.
It's wonderful that #ChernobylHBO has inspired a wave of tourism to the Zone of Exclusion. But yes, I've seen the photos going around. If you visit, please remember that a terrible tragedy occurred there. Comport yourselves with respect for all who suffered and sacrificed.
Chernobyl tourists aren't alone in ditching somber gravitas for the 'gram at places they probably shouldn't. Back in 2014, one girl's selfie at the Auschwitz concentration camp sparked outrage up and down the internet. In the years since though, the lesson seems to have faded. Just this year, the Auschwitz museum had to tweet a reminder to people to maybe not pose for cute pics on the railroads that carried hundreds of thousands of people to their deaths.
When you come to @AuschwitzMuseum remember you are at the site where over 1 million people were killed. Respect their memory. There are better places to learn how to walk on a balance beam than the site which symbolizes deportation of hundreds of thousands to their deaths.