What are the red and white striped towers on the chernobyl power plant?

That's the cooling tower. You can google to find out how it works. Essentially, cool water is drawn from the nearby river. The nuclear reactor heats the water into steam that drives the generators that create electricity. The hot water comes out the other side of the generator and is returned to the river downstream. But if the water is too hot, it will kill the fish and plant life, so it has to be cooled first. The water is routed through coils in the tower exposed to the air so it will cool.

It's painted red and white just so it's easier to see by airplanes. It would have red lights on it too so it can be seen at night.