The Polygon

Synopsis

Sarzhal, a village in East Kazakhstan, sits just 18 kilometers from the Semipalatinsk Test Site, where the Soviet Union conducted over 600 nuclear detonations from 1949 to 1991. The detonations released radioactive fallout, contaminating the environment and contributing to rising cancer and mental illness rates among residents and livestock. Two decades after the test site’s closure, the lingering health effects continue to affect the community, reflecting the long-term consequences of Cold War nuclear testing as Kazakhstan emerges on the global stage.