Semey, Kazakhstan, February, 2023. In a former "House of Culture" dating from the Soviet era, a dance competition for children and teenagers occurred in a joyful atmosphere. However, Semipalatinsk is a place unlike any other because of its nuclear past. This strange scene stands as a metaphor, an echo of an environmental and human crime with enduring aftermath. "Every family has a relative touched by cancer," stated one mother present at the event.

Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, February.23, 2023. This machine was used to detonate nuclear bombs. This image shows as well a photo album of these explosions. It is exhibited at the Kurchatov Institute of Radiation Protection and Ecology Museum.

Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, February, 2023. Monument to the atom in Kurchatov near a children's playground. Despite the cessation of bomb testing in 1991, the town continues to function as a laboratory where scientists from around the globe study the impact of radiation exposure on a wide range of subjects, including plants, animals, underground and surface water sources, as well as nearby communities and future generations. Kazakhstan's Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology supervises the facility and collaborates with international organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency to conduct research, host conferences, and publish scientific articles.

Semey, Kazakstan, February.17, 2023. At the University Museum of Anatomical Pathologies, an intense collection of malformed foetuses certainly embodies the horror of nuclear testing. Not all the deformities exhibited in the museum result from the Polygon. Some speciemen come from other parts of the former Soviet Union and Russia. However, genetic mutations and birth defects are known consequences of radiation.

Semey, Kazakhstan, February.26, 2023 Erbol Serzhanov, 49, was born in 1973 in a village near Kurchatov, just on the opposite side of the river where his parents were farmers. He was a child when explosions were still happening. They were conducted underground, and he still remembers the shaking furniture and lamps. He has slight mental issues, but above all, he has atrophia, and his body stopped growing normally in his teenage. Ten years ago, he suddenly lost all his teeth. A medical commission testified that his condition is connected to the nuclear testing at the Polygon. He can, nevertheless, walk and sometimes get lost, especially in spring.

Semey, Kazakhstan, February, 2023. Aidana Ismagulova and her handicapped 13-year-old son, Erali, walk near their house on the outskirts of Semey. Erali was born with an arm and a leg shorter than the other. His paternal grandparents were born and spent most of their lives in a village near the Polygon. Four of their grandchildren have the same physical handicap. Erali's father left his family in 2014, disowning his disabled child.

Semey, Kazakhstan, February, 2023. Nursultan, 8 years old, is captured in the midst of a painful crisis in the courtyard of his house on the outskirts of Semey. He has mental issues, rarely speaks, and regularly suffers severe crises of agony. His mother, Sultana, supports the family by selling cakes she bakes herself, while her husband works as a sound operator at the Philharmonia. Both of them were raised in a village within the range of the Polygon radiations. Sultana firmly believes that her son's challenges are a direct consequence of the region's tragic history of nuclear testing. Despite lacking concrete proof, she remains resolute in her conviction, determined to alleviate Nursultan's suffering with her immense love.

Semey, Kazakstan, February, 2023. At this rehabilitation centre, every day, children with physical or mental disabilities come together in the company of devoted educators. Here, they embrace their bodies, learning to move freely and release pent-up energy and potential aggression. The children are encouraged to explore their capabilities, discovering new ways to express themselves physically and emotionally.

Semey, Kazakhstan, February 2023. Noor Gill poses with her seven-year-old daughter, Erke, in the hairdresser salon where she works. Erke was born with a single kidney. " The specialised commission refused to recognise the handicap of my daughter as a consequence of the Polygone testings. Corruption within the commission means I do not receive any financial assistance to support my child's upbringing", said Noor.

Semey, February. 2023 Soviet Kaisanov poses in the small museum commemorating the Chornobyl liquidators in Semipalatinsk. Soviet himself was one of these liquidators. He spent three months working close to the nuclear plant, under strict access control. Later, in 1990, he felt the first symptoms of illness: intense headache and a heart attack. Following the Chornobyl disaster, the Soviet Union deployed soldiers from across the country to contain the accident, including 60,000 soldiers from Kazakhstan. Soviet explains that this museum was founded to warn the young generations about the dangers of nuclear.

Semey, Kazakstan, February 2023. Said Ibraev was born in 1956 in the village of Borodylikha in the Semipalatinsk Oblast. In 1988, he was sent to Chornobyl as a liquidator to work as a driller on the fourth reactor. He poses in front of the remains of the old veterinary college where his father studied.

Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, February.23, 2023. A child runs in the vicinity of the central school of the town. Children here grow in an environment that still carries radioactive substances. Despite much of the town appearing as a ghost town, people still reside here, primarily in the southern part of "downtown" Kurchatov. Furthermore, although no longer of a military nature, the economy still revolves around nuclear technologies. Many of Kurchatov's inhabitants are employed by the National Nuclear Center (N.N.C.) and its subsidiary, the Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology. Both are responsible for managing the research activities on the Polygon. This includes overseeing the site's two nuclear reactors, which are employed for scientific research purposes.

Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, February 24, 2023. Alexander Kulikov's childhood was spent in a village near Kurchatov, where he could witness countless nuclear explosions. Amidst the heart of the nuclear testing grounds adjacent to the Polygon, he spent years transporting materials through highly radioactive terrain. At 72, he looks back fondly on the Soviet era, asserting his health remains unaffected. He poses with sizeable pumpkins coming from a friend's datcha nearby. He extolls their nutritional value, obviously oblivious that they may also contain radioactive substances.

Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, February 2023. The largely deserted streets of Kurchatov on a winter's afternoon.

Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, February.24, 2023. The once-classified Kurchatov is now a semi-abandoned town with a declining population reachable on a regular train.

Semey, Kazakstan, February, 2023. Orken Mukhtarova is one of the Museum attendants at the Semey Regional Museum of Local History. The museum's collection includes themed halls like "Nature of the native land", "History of the City and the Region", "Semey during the Second World War", and "Semey for a Nuclear-free World".

Semey, Kazakstan, February.26, 2023 Nina Alekseevna Morozova was born in Lenino, in the Sverdlovsk region of Russia, in 1939. She moved to Kazakhstan with her family after WWII. She loves Kazakstan and was not interested in moving to Russia after the collapse of the USSR, although as an ethnic Russian, she could have. Nina worked for 31 years as a crane driver in a cement factory. She poses in costume to celebrate Maslenitsa, an ancient Slavic festival with pagan roots. It is a festival to welcome spring. She enjoys good health, and when asked about the nuclear tests, she recalled how horrified she was the day she learned about it. "In the Soviet Times, everything was kept secret, and nobody would have dared to ask any question. I have been lucky, I suppose".

Semey, Kazakhstan, February.25, 2023 A small park features a collection of statues from the Communist era that depict historical figures such as Lenin and Marx. On this winter's day, the snow gives them a strange, almost grotesque look. They serve as a reminder that crimes are often committed in the name of ideologies and the power battles they generate.