The Ecologists are government-funded researchers operating into the Zone. Operating under orders from the Ukrainian government, the Ecologists are a group focusing on researching the Zone, in order to properly harness its potential for the good of mankind. Their base of operations is a sturdy bunker at Lake Yantar, filled with scientific apparatuses and a steady supply of weapons and ammunition. The head researcher is Professor Sakharov, a veteran Ecologist, who participated in the first expeditions into the Zone in 2007. Originally the Ukrainian Military itself protected the scientists' bunker, but their garrison force was all but obliterated by emissions of the Miracle Machine in lab X16, turning the survivors into zombies. The scientists now greatly rely on Loners and Mercenaries lookin