Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Minister of Ukraine Ruslan Strilets has said that he sees no prerequisites for the resumption of tourism in the Chornobyl exclusion zone.

"The territory of the zone is under special control. I think, tourism will not resume here until the end of martial law. First of all, it is not safe for the tourists, in particular die to mining," he said at a press briefing during a visit to the exclusion zone on the 37th anniversary of the accident at Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant on Wednesday.

The minister also said that a big reform will be implemented soon, and it will touch not only the exclusion zone, but also nature reserves in general.

According to Strilets, the ministry is already working on the adoption of relevant laws and by-laws. He added that Ukraine will become the most visited country after its victory in the war against Russia, so there should be appropriate locations.

Speaking about the exclusion zone, the minister said that he also sees it as a scientific hub.

"Work on this is already underway. We have adopted the documents necessary for its launch. Right now, when there is already a fact of violation by the Russian Federation of that peaceful atom that has been resting for many years, we can conduct research that no one in the world can conduct," he said, explaining the idea.

According to the minister, Russia's invasion, which violated the conditions for the safe maintenance of the exclusion zone, gave impetus to scientific research.

He also said that there are already relevant agreements on the creation of a hub with many countries. In particular, France confirmed its interest in the idea, Strilets said referring to the results of a recent meeting with his French counterpart.