You don't have permissions to access this page Russian forces agreed to leave town of Slavutych if those with arms handed them over to the mayor A mayor in a Ukrainian town occupied by Russian forces has been released from captivity and the soldiers have agreed to leave after a mass protest by residents. Slavutych, a northern town close to the Chernobyl nuclear site, was taken by Russian forces but stun grenades and overhead fire failed to disperse unarmed protesters on its main square on Saturday. The crowd demanded the release of mayor Yuri Fomichev, who had been taken prisoner by the Russian troops. Read moreAttempts by Russian troops to intimidate the growing protest failed and on Saturday afternoon Fomichev was let go by his captors An agreement was made that the Russians would leave the town if those with arms handed them over to the mayor with a dispensation for those with hunting rifles Fomichev told those protesting that the Russians had agreed to withdraw “if there are no [Ukrainian] military in the city” was that the Russians would make a search for Ukrainian soldiers and arms and then depart One Russian checkpoint outside the city would remain The incident highlights the struggle that Russian forces have faced even where they have had military victories sits just outside the so-called exclusion zone around Chernobyl – which in 1986 was the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster The plant itself was seized by Russian forces soon after the start of the 24 February invasion They threw flash-bang grenades into the crowd more of them showed up,” said Oleksandr Pavlyuk a governor of the Kyiv region in which Slavutych sits Ukraine’s defence ministry claimed that Russia was “trying to intensify the activities of sabotage and reconnaissance groups in Kyiv in order to destabilise the socio-political situation disrupt the system of public and military administration” Western officials have said that Vladimir Putin had planned to take Ukraine’s capitals within days of announcing his “special military operation” on 24 February but had come across unexpectedly fierce resistance While the occasional blast can be heard in Kyiv from fighting to the west of the city the centre has been calm for most of the past fortnight 72 hours to get control [of] Kyiv and much of Ukraine and it all fell apart,” said Mykhailo Podolyak and the lead negotiator in talks with Russia and they realised it was advantageous for them to surround cities and force people there to have a deficit of food describing the siege of Mariupol as a tactic to sow psychological terror and exhaustion Podolyak expressed scepticism over a claim from the Russian defence ministry on Friday that Moscow’s forces would now focus mainly on the Donbas area in east Ukraine and to close the Azov Sea … we see them regrouping and preparing more troops to send in,” he said The new material is dedicated to Slavutych, the youngest city in Ukraine. It was built after the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant when the Pripyat station built for workers (more about the town — here) was evacuated due to unfitness for living After the Chornobyl nuclear power plant accident the work of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant did not stop the first three power units resumed working So the USSR authorities faced a non-standard and complex urban planning task: to build a city of nuclear workers in the shortest possible time The territory near the Chornobyl nuclear power plant was in the zone of radioactive damage — therefore the city had to be built at a safe distance it had to be made just a short distance from the station to make it convenient for employees to get to work the Dnipro coast near the Belarusian border was considered to develop a new city the designers stopped at a location 10 kilometers from the banks of the Dnipro And although this area belongs to the Chernihiv region the city was subordinated to the Kyiv region which formed an exclave uncharacteristic of the administrative-territorial system of Ukraine the city was named in honor of the Dnipro — Slavutych (the ancient Slavic name of the river) This name has already appeared as a candidate for the name of a new city of energy workers on the Dnipro — in particular Slavutych significantly differed from previous nuclear power plants Despite the enormous design speed (it took only 2 months) the city was developed in detail and with great attention to people Slavutych was planned as a garden city: public transport was not expected everything necessary had to be within walking distance and pedestrians were the center of attention were preserved — this involved not only the interaction of people with each other but also their interaction with nature Since the design was during the Soviet period of perestroika which brought greater freedom of creativity the old typical construction methods were combined here with new human-centered ideas The priority was residents’ comfort for which the German historian Anna Veronika Wendland called Slavutych “the last urban utopia of the USSR.” It was facilitated by Slavutych becoming an image project Money was not spared for him — even despite the huge costs associated with the liquidation of the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant here you can see both the shortcomings of Soviet standardization and typification and the advantages of humane urban planning ideas Slavutych should have become better than Pripyat since most of the population came from there and suffered the trauma of losing their hometown Slavutych was supposed to become a better home for them and Slavutych is devoid of both the formality of state symbols characteristic of Soviet cities and the atomic symbolism characteristic of nuclear cities there are no models of atoms or power plants in the city’s public space and city symbols The heraldry of the city was chosen in 1990 at a competition A model of the atom symbolized some of the proposed sketches and some depicted the forest and the Dnipro Some variants even included the Ukrainian trident the commission chose the version of Trofimov and Kostiantynov: a black bottom It became a new symbol of atomic energy instead of the traditional model of the atom which subsequently caused associations with the Chornobyl accident The eight-pointed star also had another symbolism — the eight republics that built the city In some competitive versions of the coat of arms In one of the versions of the winning project an image of the Archangel Michael was in the upper part of the emblem as a symbol of Slavutych’s affiliation to the Kyiv region the city’s emblem was approved only on December 17 1999 — two days after the closure of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant the committee built the last all-Union building in the USSR and concentration of resources were required the construction also acquired a political aspect confirming the thesis of friendship between nations Tashkent was rebuilt after the 1966 earthquake Then a “Ukrainian quarter” appeared in the capital of Uzbekistan with slightly modified houses of the Ukrainian typical series The concept of a “Ukrainian house” is still preserved in the city which often appears in advertisements to sell apartments Up to 35 organizations from eight republics of the USSR participated in the design of Slavutych Each project organization represented a specific architectural school and had its characteristics — such urban multiculturalism echoed the pluralism of the perestroika era Thirteen residential quarters were built in the city: Baku After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 Each block appears as a specific exhibit in the city-wide composition which can be read as a catalog and visited as a museum exhibition The city also has several monumental works of art and the public buildings in the Republican quarters have specificity in design The basis of Slavutych’s buildings is five-story buildings made of block sections although architects originally planned to enrich them with monumental art There are also low-rise buildings (2-3 stories) and private buildings with houses for 1-2 families in the quarters Some have an unheard-of luxury for a Soviet person — their parking lot in a private facility The central part of the city is non-residential; all the main institutions of Slavutych are here Given the priority of pedestrian accessibility this space inside is entirely dedicated to pedestrians there are now a train station and a bus station as well as a dilapidated bath and laundry plant and an unfinished hotel which was supposed to be the largest building in the city A city park with a preserved fragment of the forest stretches further north The city civic center of Slavutych almost coincides with the geographical one and is arranged as a district of city institutions The central square is built up with typical administrative and commercial buildings a children’s art house and an art school the city council and the Civil Registry Office of the Department of Justice All buildings are mostly veneered with white stone the department store “Dnipro” was built which was developed according to a typical project Nearby is the “Minsk” department store due to the consequences of the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant did not participate in the construction of Slavutych Due to the participation of Belarus in a full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022 A children’s art school was built behind the city council building in the western part of the central square Its building contrasts with the primarily laconic facades of the center as it has a structure with tall columns like an ancient Greek Periptera temple It was planned to make a high-rise administrative building in its northern part the main dominant feature of the square and today the “white angel of Slavutych” monument was erected in this place and the memorial to the victims of the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant were never built in the center of the city The largest quarter in the city occupies the southwestern part of residential buildings A system of pedestrian paths and promenades is crucial in its structure there is even a small pedestrian square with a stage inside the block Residential buildings of the block are panel The Kyiv block also has the largest (almost a hundred) sector of two-story houses made of silicate bricks There are the blocks of the republics of the Caucasus to the southeast of the center built according to the long-standing architectural tradition of Armenia One of its characteristic features is the use of tuff in cladding Armenian architecture can be seen in the semicircular arches of courtyard passages and red roofs And the five-story houses have loggias typical of the southern cities of Armenia Traditional monumental art is also present in this block There is a fountain with a group of sculptures and a stele with a characteristic Armenian ornament even iron fences and lanterns have an Armenian style But the most unexpected thing in the block is stationary grills with artistic bas-reliefs inside the yards Five-story buildings in the nearby Baku block have an oriental look: their facades are decorated with stylized ornaments There are also three-story buildings with ornamented balcony parapets and a geometric frieze of the attic floor Public buildings faced with travertine are also interesting with national patterns in the ornament of the cornice the “Ainur” shopping center has a characteristic eastern gallery with stairs Five-story buildings in the Tbilisi block are decorated with machicolation on cornices and balconies with decorative cast iron Two-story houses in the block have underground garages behind the pedestrian alley and the road leading to the city center seven- and 12-story buildings (the latter are the tallest in the city) The former Leningrad quarter represents another architectural school The center of his composition is not the inner part of the block but its border with the former Belgorod quarter — a pedestrian alley along the fountains and the “Bogatyr” physical culture complex with monumental art on the ancient Russian theme The “Slovyanka” household building and the “Rus” store also attract attention The public buildings of the cafe and shop are made of red brick and are stylized according to historical decorative elements The northwestern part of the city is built up by the Baltic states — Lithuania they had their schools determined by climatic features and historical tradition as well as the proximity of the Scandinavian countries to their schools of design Modern architecture and national traditions are balanced in the northernmost Vilnius block: concrete aesthetics are enlivened by the geometric ornaments of the entrance groups Cafe “Kaunas” was built as a one-story annex to five-story buildings The private development has 40 houses per family which has a more significant Scandinavian influence by three-story brick buildings with pitched roofs The lack of high fences around private houses the building is combined with a forest landscape Laconic five-story buildings are adjacent to the “Old Tallinn” restaurant and a sports complex But the most interesting architecture here is the single-story private houses with a low roof made of dark varnished wood The city is entirely pedestrian-friendly and people-friendly It immediately catches the eyes of Kyivans Some people even move here to live: utility services are cheaper Residents of Slavutych do not need a car — everywhere can be reached on foot Here is a humane environment and maximum security there has not been a single murder in it — even during the war when Slavutych was under Russian occupation for a short time Despite the Chornobyl nuclear power plant’s closure the Ukrainian authorities launched several projects that allowed residents to stay at work and not leave the city Slavutych became the only atomic city in Ukraine (apart from the abandoned Pripyat) which is interesting from a tourist point of view A cultural component is added to the architectural diversity here — the city authorities pay attention to cultural events Support Zaborona on Patreon so we can produce even more interesting stories unbiased journalism on socially important topics and aim to deliver reliable and transparent information to our readers Subscribe to Zaborona to get access to high-quality and vivid stories Choose how you prefer to support Zaborona so the editorial team can continue to produce content for you ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Feeling safe and being social are crucial for children kindergarten children will have access to a bomb shelter that has been restored and equipped by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) This shelter is one of 56 facilities in Ukraine that have been rehabilitated with the help of EU humanitarian funding and other donors to provide a safe haven for kindergarten and school children bomb shelters did not exist in the Slavutych kindergarten and children and teachers were forced to hide behind walls during air alarms children spend their rest hours in the shelter which was specially equipped just over a month ago to protect them during air alerts and missile attacks "We are going to visit an ant," says 5-year-old Maksym clutching a toy as he follows his friends and teachers down the stairs spacious room with drawings of ants on the walls There are currently 112 children who attend the kindergarten and the shelter is designed for 220 people rest hours are best spent in the shelter for children’s sleep not to be disrupted during air alarms each child reacts to an air alarm differently that's why we decided to have the rest hour in the shelter,” says teacher Oksana “Instead of saying ‘we are going to the shelter’ we told children from the very beginning ‘we are going to visit an ant’ Following the start of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine in February 2022 the kindergarten in Slavutych remained closed for months until it was finally able to reopen its doors in the end of August  teachers at the kindergarten say the fear is still very real "We try to hold on and not to show the children that we are worried,” says Oksana we guarded it and then decided to return to work can relax in the knowledge that the new shelter protects their children For children to continue attending schools and kindergartens UNICEF and partners are rehabilitating shelters and rebuilding schools in the most affected areas of Ukraine The implementation of this programme is possible thanks to the support and funding of the European Union and USAID UNICEF provides necessary supplies and materials for various activities and for the comfort of children in shelters Russian forces occupied Ukraine's northern Slavutych city Yuriy Fomichev said in a video message that city officials received a warning from Russian forces three days ago to surrender without a fight Noting they defended the city resolutely despite the warning Fomichev said: "But Slavutych is under occupation as of today." Fomichev said he is negotiating with Russian troops for the evacuation of residents The mayor was kidnapped earlier by Russian forces after a group of protestors refused to disperse When Russian forces captured the city hospital unfurling a large Ukrainian flag and shouting slogans against Russia head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration Russian forces threw sonic charges to disperse the crowd and opened fire into the air Images of demonstrations in Slavutych and Russians opening fire on civilians were also shared on social media The city was built especially for personnel who evacuated the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow At least 1,081 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,707 injured while noting that the true figure is likely far higher More than 3.7 million Ukrainians have also fled to neighboring countries with millions more displaced inside Ukraine *Writing and contributions by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara the head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration “The Russian occupiers invaded the town of Slavutych and seized the town’s hospital Residents of the town came to a pro-Ukrainian rally with national symbols They gathered on the main square and chanted ‘Slavutych is Ukraine’ They threw stun grenades into the crowd,” he said.,” he said the invaders kidnapped Mayor Yuri Fomichiv the town’s council continues to work Chornobyl NPP’s personnel were partially rotated and the persons who had been staying within the plant’s site temporarily occupied by Russian troops were evacuated Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure facilities conducting massive shelling of residential areas of Ukrainian cities and villages using artillery multiple rocket launchers and ballistic missiles While citing and using any materials on the Internet links to the website ukrinform.net not lower than the first paragraph are mandatory citing the translated materials of foreign media outlets is possible only if there is a link to the website ukrinform.net and the website of a foreign media outlet Materials marked as "Advertisement" or with a disclaimer reading "The material has been posted in accordance with Part 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" No 1996 and the Law of Ukraine "On the Media" No 2023 and on the basis of an agreement/invoice Online media entity; Media identifier - R40-01421 Holly Morris:1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident world'' worst She says thousands relocated rural Chernobyl to city unwilling to be displaced from even an irradiated homeland Morris: They tend to outlive those who left '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" 86 Festival of Film and Urbanism (9th-13th May 2018) is an annual festival that takes places in the city of Slavutych, the city built to re-house the workers of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and their families after the explosion in 1986 Different Soviet Republics were invited to build a district in Slavutych which upon completion were named accordingly - Vilnius To honor the unique history and heritage of the city are happy to announce an Open Call for an urbanism residency for artists architects and urban practitioners in general to spend one month in Slavutych working with this utopian planned city in Northern Ukraine The residency will look at the unique masterplanning of this town that brought together governments from different Soviet republics, each building a district; but also look at the potential futures of a city where many have lost their jobs in recent times, as Chernobyl NPP has been finally shut down and the sarcophagus over the fourth reactor has been completed The urbanism program also includes a building workshop, where partners from Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine will masterplan design and build a campsite with five different sectors (à la Slavutych circa 1986); as well as an urbanism school for children organized by Children Architecture School ДАШ The results of the residency will be shared during this year's festival Download the information related to this competition here. This award/grant/scholarship announcement was submitted by an ArchDaily user. If you'd like to submit a competition, call for submissions or other architectural 'opportunity' please use our "Submit Grants, Scholarships & Awards" form The views expressed in announcements submitted by ArchDaily users do not necessarily reflect the views of ArchDaily You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Mayor wants humanitarian corridor for workers on the edge ‘due to physical and emotional exhaustion’ I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The mayor of the Ukrainian town where Russian troops have allegedly held Chernobyl nuclear power plant workers hostage has warned of a “complete catastrophe” mayor of Slavutych in the northern part of the country issued a desperate plea that said the town was running out of fuel at the site including for emergency backup generators for its safety systems Pleading for a humanitarian corridor, the mayor told Daily Mail that “all safety systems are supported on generators He added: “If the cooling systems stop, even for a while, we will get yet another Fukushima [a reference to the 2012 Japanese nuclear disaster].” The power plant has 20 tons of nuclear waste that require constant cooling to prevent radiation from leaking through vaporisation Chernobyl was seized by the Russian troops three weeks back and since then there has been a shortage of food and fuel supply the hostage staff of the besieged power plant are being made to work at gunpoint by Russian soldiers Ukrainian officials have alleged 400 Russian troops are stationed at the plant The town with a population of about 20,000 people was attacked by Russian forces crossing from the Belarus border on the first day of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine A key access bridge was blown up by troops The official in-charge of an Exclusion Zone around Chernobyl warned that staff were on the edge of their “human capabilities due to physical and emotional exhaustion” The town was left without power for five days after a high-voltage line was damaged by Mr Putin’s troops during the fighting and the nuclear plant was disconnected from the power grid Ukraine on Monday said it has restored power at the Chernobyl plant averting “the risk of a possible nuclear catastrophe” for all of Europe were able to avert the risk of a possible nuclear catastrophe that threatened the whole of Europe,” Ukraine’s energy minister German Galushchenko said in a statement Ukrainian intelligence officials last week claimed Russia is preparing to stage a “false flag” attack on the Chernobyl plant and later would pin the blame on the war-torn country The Intelligence Directorate in a Facebook post claimed: “The Russian forces are planning to create a man-made disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the occupiers will try to shift responsibility for it on Ukraine" The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said there was no need for immediate alarm over the condition of Chernobyl While the loss of power violated a “key safety pillar,” the agency said it saw “no critical impact on safety” Russian forces had also captured Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s biggest atomic power plant earlier on 4 March. It was accused of shelling a nuclear research institute housing an experimental reactor in the country’s second-largest city of Kharkiv The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies FC Zorya Luhansk website Slavutych Arena website the 12,000 capacity Slavutych Arena in Zaporizhia City has hosted top-tier football in Ukraine ever since it has welcomed not only the local Metalurg Zaporizhia but also the exiled Zorya Luhansk from the rebel-held eastern regions the stadium is at a good juncture for exploring the treasures of the city and the riverside beaches near the ground The stadium location allows supporters to enjoy the restaurants in the city before the game We have enjoyed a number of them over the years in Ukraine and visited Bar B.Q just five minutes from the ground there is a pleasing selection for hungry fans so do not despair if you arrive late for the game and bars located within a block of Sobornyi Avenue (one of the main roads in the city) They meet all needs ranging from cocktails to small sandwiches – there is even a McDonalds not too far away as well Most food outlets outside the stadium will accept cash and card but it is cash only once you enter the arena complex Bar B.Q has some delicious deluxe burgers on the go The Old Rabbit coffee shop is also highly recommended as a free space and an excellent place to relax before the game it is just a few kilometers away from the ground with and without alcohol but the unique surprise of cider (all of more or less a dollar US) I definitely recommend enjoying the cider on offer inside the ground as it is pretty unique in Ukraine It is also sweet being allowed to take alcohol on to the terraces in the Premier League The Slavutych Arena takes on a British style than seen elsewhere in Ukraine providing good vantage points from all sides of the ground The raised four stands allow a good atmosphere to reverberate around the stadium The four stands are very similar in make-up with the side terraces being covered in part by a roof All of the stands are raised quite a degree improving the view of the pitch there is finally a ground without an athletics track The premium seats are located center pitch but we were happy with our seats for less than US$2 The sizeable electronic scoreboard stands behind the goal and counts down the seconds until another Zorya victory That area behind the goal houses the visiting fans It is an impressive building for Ukraine and quite deservedly holds European football within it The stadium announcer introduces the team before the game and presents the halftime festivities with enthusiasm It encourages the majority of fans to get involved There is little of in-game entertainment as the fan engagement is still in its infancy it is great to see fans gather outside the main stand waiting for their heroes to appear from after game warm downs I have seen images in the past of supporters and players celebrating their favorite victories together given that they are covered from the elements Low attendance in Ukraine means that you have a good selection but the atmosphere is livelier there if that is your thing All four stands have access to food courts The downtown district of Zaporizhya stretches along the Dnipro’s right bank and the stadium is found on its western tip Just a couple of minutes walk from the main commercial road the stadium has got access to an abundance of sights and facilities to enjoy while in the city The ground is located in a prime neighborhood to explore such as Cloud Lounge and Virny are within a few hundred meters walk and serve a full range of beverages The district also hosts restaurants like Olimp A little further afield in central Zaporizhya the Lviv coffee shop is a necessity to see Tasty chocolate treats and delicious coffee await its guests located just a few hundred meters away from the ground on the riverfront provides a good option for overnighters near the ground Comfortable lodgings are available for less than $US50 the city offers a great variety of possibilities accessible through several websites You can choose from beach side lodgings to being in a central downtown location based on your wishes Given the fact that the host club ‘Zorya Luhansk’ plays in exile the city of Zaporuzhya has taken the club to heart The stadium regularly holds attendance within 1,000 of its near competitors even though the journey from their home city can take over four hours The ground usually is around 20% full but can grow to half full for the more significant matches They sit in the lower half of the league table for attendance but most clubs are in the same ballpark between 2,000 to 3,500 spectators Shakhtar Donetsk has lost around 50% of its attendance while having to play in exile with Zorya’s chants breaking out around the pitch during high points in the entertainment behind the goal to the left of the main stand who continually sing throughout the game and are known for their use of pyrotechnics You are guaranteed an exhilarating experience on that terrace supporters have plenty of methods for easy access to the stadium location and from afar Given the cost of public transport in Ukraine it is worth considering staying further away from the stadium to enjoy more of the city Buses in Zaporizhya are plentiful and cheap with maps easily accessible via mobile phone applications Although Uber or rideshare services have not arrived in Zaporizhya yet many taxi companies offer affordable trips for visitors the station is at the other end of the town With the stadium set back from the main road so any of the side streets are opportunities not worth ignoring It usually is entirely free as the local fans take public transport to and from the game Tickets are purchasable from several outlets around the ground before the game Each of the four stands has its own access points and an outside gathering area before entering the stands It certainly reminded me of a lower league UK variant the raised terraces may provide an issue with the staircase Toilet facilities are to a reasonable standard and easy access from the ground floor – the space can hold up to 12,000 people the trip to Zaporizhya city is one of the pricier in Ukraine but worth it compared to its European counterparts The Slavutych Arena has all the components of a great match day experience with the most expensive being around 2 dollars USD$ the main stand provides the most excellent facilities I enjoyed the burgers near the stadium for my own preference numerous restaurants are available near the ground The extensive public transport system with its unbelievably low prices makes movement around the city straight forward and opens up the space for car parking Given the vast array of food and drink outlets near the arena The cheaper seats opposite the main stand provide an equally pleasing view for a smaller price as well My visit to the Slavutych Arena was the most English of experiences that Ukraine had to offer You can park easily around the ground and walk up to the stadium The food courts also resemble a British occasion A trip to the Slavutych Arena will provide the big city experience that is comparable to other countries It is an impressive setup even if the attendance (at least for my game) was low The facilities around the city scream for a more extended city break that will allow you to enjoy more than just the game day Stadiumjourney.com Photographer Tom Skipp visited Chernobyl and nearby Pripyat and the abandoned sites of the region – meeting the people behind the disaster: from the liquidators who worked at the fallout site to the resettlers and the community who live and work in the area now I arrived in Ukraine on the eve of the 32nd anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster I had not intended for it to be the focus of my time in Kyiv but leading up to my departure it became an obsession My arrival in Kyiv on 25 April 2018 was maybe happenstance of planning but I was impelled to head straight from the airport to Slavutych This was the town built to replace Pripyat and host the evacuated personnel of the Chernobyl power plant after the decision was made to continue power production following the disaster All of the Soviet republics were called upon to hurriedly help with the construction of what would eventually be the last atomic town They were the people who had tended to the Chernobyl fallout A lesser known name for them was “the green machines” a reference to the colour of their uniforms and the fact that where machines would fail because of the unimaginably high levels of radiation Radiation was afraid of me. And I was not afraid of radiationMarkin Nikolaevich who worked as an operator and lived in PripyatWhat I saw in Slavutych at 1.24am the time when the nuclear reactor in Chernobyl power plant exploded 32 years ago scientists and members of the army mixed to pay tribute to a group of people who fought an invisible war against the atom a group of liquidator veterans had gathered for me to interview and photograph them The others were just covered and taken away.” Guide Vitali Poyarkov at the Chernobyl home he shares with his mother I had been in contact with the head of communications of the power plant and eventually was given approval to enter the plant and take photos It is very simple to get to the zone as a tourist as many operators organise day trips from Kyiv Vitali was appointed as my guide to organise my itinerary and make sure I did not go where I should not The 19-mile radius exclusion zone includes the site of the nuclear power plant the Duga military radar and it is inhabited by a group of people known as “resettlers” the zone was completely evacuated and locals were told they would have returned to their homes within two or three days Some people decided the need to stay in their home was greater than the risk of living in a radioactive area and illegally made their way back Svetlana Zaharchenko watched the disaster unfold from Pripyat and was 4 months pregnant with Jay; who was born with serious liver complications Below; Svetlana Zaharchenko in Pripyat before the accident Soon after entering the exclusion zone I discovered my permission to visit the station had been overturned in Chernobyl town – where 1,500 people still work servicing the power plant – my guide and I remained locked in the local museum and had to jump out of a first-floor toilet window to get out which meant changing it under what I paranoically assumed was radioactive rain It felt like a post-Soviet cloud of bad luck was following me in my every move Nuclear Power Plant – ChernobylThe source of the nuclear fallout now encased in a steel and concrete sarcophagus with tourists dutifully disembarking from their tour buses to snap the shot there are cooling lakes full of oversized fish They used to be farmed to feed bears for the local fur industry but after the accident the furs were too contaminated to be worn and the fish were left to their own device The exploded reactor is amid an unfinished building site An employee of the nuclear testing bureau in Chernobyl town where 1,500 people still work servicing the power plant The people working at the power plant do so usually for 10 days at a time ResettlersResettler Vasiliy Semyonovych Razumenko at his home in the exclusion zone Why would you want to photograph this old bastard Would you like food?Vasiliy Razumenko“Tell them this old bastard is still alive,” were his parting words food brought by the military police and donations from tourists PripyatPripyat is the closest town to the power plant It used to be the shining example of Soviet modernity with nuclear scientists from around the world visiting it every year In the centre of the abandoned town sits the amusement park that was supposed to open on 1 May 1986 The rusty ferris wheel has become iconic of the Chernobyl dystopia Statues of Lenin have been removed from cities in Ukraine in recent years but within the zone of alienation things must remain untouched Political party posters in the cultural centre in Pripyat The very nature of the disaster means that everything is frozen as it was at the time of the accident and nothing should be touched because of fear of radiations SurroundingsThe exclusion zone covers around 1,000 sq miles there was a secret military facility containing part of the Duga radar system The Duga radar system is about 0.6 miles (1 km) wide which was used in advertising for Pripyat in 1985 The location that interested me the most was a children’s holiday camp that lays abandoned just off a main road in the zone of alienation I had not seen many photographs of it before but it seemed to sum up the thousands of innocent lives that had been affected by the Chernobyl accident and the reasoning behind the unquestioning sacrifice of the liquidators Iakov Mamedov credits wrestling for his strength to survive What at first had seemed to me illogical self-sacrifice started to make sense in this abandoned Soviet paradise Evacuees from the Chernobyl nuclear accident remember relatives friends and colleagues who died – and the abandoned city declared unsafe for 24,000 years In a biting winter wind, Alexander Petrovich Zabirchenko walks slowly along a memorial to firefighters and workers who died in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster touching each of the portraits engraved in granite He does not shiver or complain of the cold He is a big man and draws himself up to his full height before each sombre stone and here Vladimir and Alexandr and Anatoli … I knew these men,” he says As one of the many Chernobyl workers who returned to the devastated plant to fight the fires, Zabirchenko is an official “Hero of the Soviet Union” He bats away the honour with a wave of his hand “These men were the heroes; every one of them. They died preventing an even bigger disaster. They saved not just Ukraine women and children in the northern Ukrainian city of Slavutych will gather at the memorial here to light candles to the 30 initial victims of the world’s worst nuclear accident but the memories and dreams they left behind in Pripyat an urban phoenix that rose from the ashes of the disaster to replace it a dead city – then Slavutych is the resurrectionVolodimir UdovichenkoIt took 36 hours after an ill-judged test on Reactor Number 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant went catastrophically wrong for the Soviet authorities to order the evacuation of Pripyat In under four hours, more than 49,000 people left their homes, most shuttled away from the plant – but not the cloud of radioactive dust carried by wind over swaths of western Europe – by a fleet of 1,200 buses They were told they would be gone for two or three days and advised to take the minimum: identity papers declared too radioactively dangerous for human habitation for at least 24,000 years the Soviet authorities declared a new city would be built around 30 miles to the north-east of the power station Many of the families evacuated from Pripyat moved to this city Slavutych – the old Slavic name of the nearby Dnieper River each district has its own distinctive cultural and ethnic features: so flats and houses in the Georgian district have more decoration than those in the more austere Russian district next door Photographs in the city’s museum capture the excitement of the first residents: many followed the Ukrainian tradition of letting a cat cross the threshold of their new homes for good luck told them: “If Pripyat represents destruction a dead city – then Slavutych is the resurrection” Today, the number of former Pripyat residents in Slavutych has dwindled to fewer than one in three, but thousands are still to this day employed at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, despite its closure under European Union pressure in 2000 Every morning the train from Slavutych transports workers such as 62-year-old Pasha Kondratiev 50 minutes along the line to its only destination: the Chernobyl plant around 4.30pm it disgorges them back in Slavutych A rusting nuclear sign on a building in Pripyat which was evacuated within days of the Chernobyl disaster who started work at the plant 33 years ago works at Chernobyl checking radiation measuring equipment On the day of the accident he and his wife Natasha and daughters Tatiana walked to the bridge over the river subsidiary feeding the nuclear plant’s cooling pond The site was later named “the bridge of death” because of the levels of radiation in the area It was completely destroyed and there was a cloud of smoke coming from it We knew it was something terrifying,” Kondratiev says We knew it was something terrifyingPasha KondratievThe following day when the evacuation was announced Natasha grabbed the girls and crossed the city to catch a train to relatives living in Smolensk in neighbouring Russia Kondratiev adds: “When I saw the power plant I understood at once there was no chance we were going back …” His wife shakes her head: “I definitely thought we were coming back at first some of the women whose husbands were firefighters were talking about how they’d been burned and were crying In those days we didn’t have mobile phones and I had no idea what would happen to him.” Workers from the Chernobyl plant return by train to Slavutych Photograph: Lynn HiltonTwo years after the disaster their previously healthy elder daughter Tatiana When she collapsed in the street in Slavutych the ambulance failed to arrive in time to save her All we know is that before the accident she was healthy She was exposed to radiation when she was 12 which is a critical age for a child’s development but nobody can say for sure,” Natasha says Everywhere there were roses and fruit trees we could fish in the river and pick mushrooms in the forest It seemed the place had been created especially for us “We went back to Pripyat a few years ago – it was very sad for us We went to our apartment and saw the rooms and some of the things we left behind in 1986.” says she remembers that just before the catastrophe But all our clothes were taken away and my long hair was cut like a boy’s We were given a blue worker’s boiler suit to wear Nikolai Syomin was awarded the ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ honour Photograph: Lynn Hilton“I have no strong link with Pripyat – I was too young to remember it much I have nothing with which to compare Slavutych pins his medals declaring him a “Hero of the Soviet Union” to his jacket for a photograph a graduate of Leningrad Technical School employed as a repairman at Chernobyl was celebrating his 30th birthday in his Pripyat flat on the evening of 25 April 1986 “It was a hot evening and we left all the windows open We saw some kind of smoke in the sky but we didn’t think much of it Our apartment was in the centre of Pripyat We later discovered the wind brought radioactive dust and made it one of the most contaminated areas.” “I got through but was told they weren’t authorised to say anything and the person put the phone down The next day they announced that Pripyat was being evacuated.” Syomin was told he must stay and help the clean-up operation who worked as a nurse in Pripyat’s sports complex – says she grabbed one small bag and her three-year-old son Anton The area on which Slavutych was built was first covered in two metres of fresh Photograph: Lynn Hilton“In the hours after the accident Where we lived was among the worst areas contaminated The forest around was bulldozed and buried,” she says we didn’t realise that it would be for good It was only months later that we realised nothing would ever be the same again.” Slavutych has the same “spirit” as the city they left Our son was born there and everyone misses it so we have to work hard to hold on to our memories We didn’t worry about living near the power plant “Every 26 April we meet with friends and neighbours from Pripyat to remember Sergei and Alexandra Shedrakov Photograph: Lynn HiltonNext door to the Syomins recall being evacuated from Pripyat with their two children – daughter Katya but looking back it was terrifying,” says Alexandra who used to work in one of Pripyat’s post offices Sometimes it’s too painful to think about itLydia Petrovna Malesheva“Pripyat was a lovely city life was good there – but it’s good here in Slavutych too there are no good things without bad things.” recalls the excitement generated by the news in the autumn of 1986 that Slavutych was to be built “We were told a new city would be built just for us we stayed up all night talking about it,” she says Malesheva gives a guided tour of her small garden pointing out the “summer space” for barbecues “The first of us moved to Slavutych in August 1988 Those who had worked at the Chernobyl plant after the accident were given a choice of apartments or little houses Slavutych is lovely and the best solution in the circumstances – but it’s not Pripyat Sometimes it’s too painful to think about it.” Marina Uldashev with her daughter Photograph: Lynn HiltonShe adds: “We went back for the 20th anniversary and there were so many people it was as if the city had come alive again some former residents of the now contaminated “dead zone” around Chernobyl still return for a few hours – just long enough to visit relatives’ graves was hailed as a triumph of Soviet urban planning: the austere concrete style favoured by USSR architects tempered by colourful murals and Communist slogans exhorting residents to study Boats and hydrofoils cruised the river whose sandy bank Pripyat’s shops were better stocked than elsewhere in the Soviet Union Its hospital and clinics were fully equipped and there were sports halls and an Olympic-sized swimming pool too residents were excited about the impending May Day inauguration of an amusement park with a Ferris wheel But Alexander Petrovich Zabirchenko, 68, who worked as head of Chernobyl’s electrical department, prefers not to return to his former home town, where he loved to fish in the river and the plant’s cooling reservoir. He has difficulty walking because of circulation problems he blames on radiation exposure, and will instead pay his tributes to the dead in Slavutych. Read more“The cemetery here was built with enough room for 50 years,” Zabirchenko says So many friends and colleagues have gone.” All those the Guardian spoke to named relatives and friends who had died of cancer, which they linked to the catastrophe 30 years ago None expressed concern about the continuing danger from radioactive contamination Many fear the completion of the new EU-funded “sarcophagus” – being built to encase the lead and concrete shell that was hastily thrown over what was left of Reactor Number 4 – will drive many out of work when it is put in place next year in a city still strangely reliant on the power station working at Chernobyl where he is a member of the team decommissioning the reactors Everything terrifying happened a long time ago.” central Slavutych boasted another Soviet-style art monument with the motto of the city’s architects: “From the ashes of the past The challenge facing Slavutych today is how to ensure an economic disaster does not transform the city into another Pripyat Follow Guardian Cities on Twitter and Facebook and join the discussion "The hub will make it possible to combine the efforts of research institutes, educational institutions, and energy companies in the creation of new projects of nuclear power plants, the solution of safety problems of their operation, the development of related infrastructure," State Enterprise "National Nuclear Energy Generating Company "Energoatom" posted on Telegram It is noted that the construction of such a center will contribute to the development of the Chornobyl NPP the search for ways to further use alienated territories the development of green energy based on the closed power plant as well as the consideration of the projects on the storage and disposal of radioactive waste generated as a result of the operation of Ukrainian nuclear plants Energoatom considers the possibility of placing sites for small modular reactors near Slavutych the Russian military brazenly attacked Ukraine and began shelling our cities and villages people were held hostage by Russian occupation forces Until the Ukrainian military liberated these cities and villages Below we share with you the stories of people who survived Russian occupation in Kyiv 5 am - the first missile attack on the military unit of Iryna's city She immediately understood what was happening She grabbed her in the arms and ran into the room where the windows overlook the field and the military unit She called her husband (he's a trucker) and shouted: "Kitty She collected documents and essentials for herself and Mimi After sitting in the basement for several hours Iryna with her brother and mom decided to go to her grandma's in a village in Chernihiv Oblast nobody thought about the fact that the Kyiv highway passes through the village Iryna and her relatives woke up and decided that they had to buy groceries because there were a lot of them at grandma's blew up the mobile phone tower and established a curfew from 5:00 pm The fact that it was a village really saved people: you could buy eggs Iryna and her family themselves baked bread in the oven while there was flour Since the Russians were planning to break through to the capital huge convoys of vehicles passed through the village every day because they would immediately shoot," - Iryna recalls the occupiers behaved calmly towards the locals but rumors came from neighboring villages that they shot an old man who was holding a mobile phone then shot a veterinarian who was leaving for work in his own car Then they began to drive around the village as if they were at home When they were attacked by Ukrainian armed forces the Russians went mad and looked for weak people upon whom to take out their anger the village was under occupation for 37 days Iryna managed to get out of there on the 21st day The fact that she had to have an operation forced her to take a risk So she had a plan to escape from the village The locals learned that only 6 km from them there were no Russians and people were living an almost normal life But it was possible to get there only over open ground Iryna's cousins agreed to take the risk to bring her there But it was necessary to carefully calculate the time in order to have time to do it between the Russians' patrols they left very early in the direction of Pryluky But when Iryna saw the first checkpoints with Ukrainian guys They checked her documents and let her through She just couldn't believe that she was free because I didn't know if we would see each other again," Iryna said Iryna returned with her husband and dog to Brovary and from there the family went to Chernivtsi Iryna and her family are now safe and well After the first explosions on the morning of February 24 Polina and her daughter Aglaia packed up and left Kyiv for Slavutych a small town 50 km from the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant Slavutych is a town in the depths of pine forests several kilometres away from the Belarusian border Its population consists mainly of the nuclear power plant employees which is why Polina considered it a safe place to stay the family realized that they would be under a blockade: for security reasons A few local supermarkets stopped working in the first 3-4 days Local farmers managed to deliver some milk The bread was baked on a small mill in Slavutych: it was grey There were 11 people living in Polina's parents' house: 7 adults and 4 children The whole family spent the next few days standing in crowded lines for up to 7 hours to buy some food Polina began to feel ashamed for being hungry she felt like she was stealing food from others it took her a while to understand that food was available and you can buy it easily in the nearest supermarket When electricity was cut off in Slavutych at the beginning of March the family spent the whole week cooking and heating water on a fire in their yard trying to hear how close the Russian troops were The assault on Slavutych lasted for 3 days The Russians fired at the soldiers of territorial defence forces and civilians When Russian soldiers finally entered the city Fearing the Russians coming to their house Polina also deleted some videos and photos on her phone re-uploaded her Facebook avatar without the Ukrainian flag on it and deleted a lot of messages and other information that could have harmed her or her family if they came under Russian occupation Polina decided that she and her daughter would try to leave the town The evacuation route passed through the war zone and was extremely dangerous I wrote Aglaia's blood type and our phone numbers on her hand There were no shootings or fights along the road She decided to go abroad for the safety of her daughter The Russian military forces occupied Slavutych for 9 days Soon after Polina and her daughter left the town Polina's parents were able to stock up on food Anastasiia's family packed their things and went to her mother's so that they could all be together they were constantly hearing explosions outside the city They could not have even imagined that after 2 days of the war the Russians would enter the city and cut them off from the world Russians blew up the railway bridge in Vasylivka and bombed the roads making it impossible for Ukrainians to leave Anastasia and her family felt like they were kidnapped in their own city people bravely went to rallies and tried to fight on their own Russian paddy wagons had been parked in a row near the Berdyansk embankment to stop any rallies the occupiers began stealing people from their apartments and from the street a man was dragged from a cafe in the center of Berdyansk and taken away into the unknown Anastasiia and her loved ones lived in constant fear "During the first two weeks under occupation we could only watch in Berdyansk chats how desperate people who tried to leave were being killed on the outskirts of cities in cars And we went into our survival mode," Anastasiia recalled Only on April 3 did they manage to leave on the evacuation bus They travelled more than 14 hours from Berdyansk to Zaporizhzhia (200 km) Anastasiia and her family were stopped at every checkpoint and inspected by the Russians Russians checked their stuff and searched for tattoos They mockingly asked if Anastasiia's family was carrying grenades and who was forcing them to go to Zaporizhzhia Russians believed that someone was forcing them to go to Ukraine they saw an endless line of destroyed houses and burnt cars The Russians were checking phones - Ukrainians had to delete all messengers and photos so that they would not find anything It was impossible to photograph anything along the way - the Russians were checking There were sections of the road where it was impossible to get off the bus at all When Anastasiia and her family arrived in Zaporizhzhia when they went to the supermarket and saw the shelves full of groceries they had lost any sense of being used to this being possible Anastasiia and her family left Berdyansk a few months ago but the fear of loud sounds and planes is still with them This article is produced within the project «EU Emergency Support 4 Civil Society» implemented by ISAR Ednannia with the financial support of the European Union Its contents are the sole responsibility of Internews Ukraine and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union 　滋賀県の三日月大造知事が広島県庁を訪れ、山根健嗣副知事と平和施策を巡って意見交換した。三日月知事は次世代に戦争や被爆の悲惨さを伝えるため被爆地との連携を強める.. 　今回の調査では、壁画制作が実現しなかった主な理由として、広島訪問から２年と経（た）たない間にヘリングが他界したことが挙げられるという結論に至った。５月１８日ま.. 　「核廃絶は使命。このままでは死ねない」。その決意を胸に、広島で被爆した金本弘さん（８０）＝名古屋市＝が４月３０日、米ニューヨークの国連本部に集った各国の外交官.. 　１９４６年５月１日。中国新聞社が雑誌「月刊中国」を創刊した。広島市上流川町（現中区）の本社で印刷。「雑誌と言へば中央と考へられてゐた旧観念を脱し、地方文化の昂.. 　いつからだろうか。喜びあふれる光景が大通りになじんできたのは。広島市中心部を東西に貫く平和大通りは今月、鶴見橋から新己斐橋までの約４キロが全通して６０年を迎え.. 　私は長崎で生まれ育ったが、反戦・反核に対する思いが絶えず心の中で燃えていたかといえばそうではない。平穏に、平凡に暮らしてきた。それでも、先人たちの話を聞きなが.. 　中村キース・ヘリング美術館で５月１８日まで開催中の「Ｋｅｉｔｈ　Ｈａｒｉｎｇ：　Ｉｎｔｏ　２０２５　誰がそれをのぞむのか」展は、ヘリングの幼少期を振り返ること.. 　１９６６年、１９歳で中学を卒業した川下ヒロエさん（７９）＝広島市東区＝はこの年、被爆者健康手帳を取得した。当時住んでいたのは北九州市。母兼子さん（２０１４年に.. 　国際社会は危機感を持ち、歯止めの議論に入るべきだ。スウェーデンのストックホルム国際平和研究所（ＳＩＰＲＩ）が、２０２４年の世界の軍事費支出を発表した。２兆７１.. 　動物文学で知られる椋鳩十（むくはとじゅう）に、おどろおどろしい題名の異色作がある。「地獄島とロシア水兵」だ。舞台は萩の沖合４５キロに浮かぶ見島。１２０年前の５.. 　全ての命を守るため―をテーマに掲げていた。ローマ教皇フランシスコによる６年前の来日である。被爆地広島、長崎のほか、地震・津波・原発事故という三重の災害に見舞わ.. 俳優の吉永小百合さんは、これまで胎内被爆者の芸者を演じた「夢千代日記」などに出演してきたほか、原爆詩朗読CD「第二楽章」を制作しています。中国新聞創刊１３０周年記念として、３編の朗読映像を公開します。(写真は三浦憲治氏撮影) 中国軍管区司令部で被爆した八木さんの革脚絆＝１９７３年、八木実さん寄贈（撮影・山田尚弘） Russia kidnapped the mayor of a northern Ukrainian city and also opened fire on civilians protesting Russia’s war was kidnapped by Russian forces after a group of protestors refused to disperse Images of civil demonstrations in Slavutych and Russians opening fire on civilians were also shared on social media The kidnapping claim follows similar claims of mayors of other Ukrainian cities being abducted by Russian forces At least 1,035 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,650 injured while cautioning that the true figure is likely far higher with millions more displaced inside the country KIEV — War in Ukraine enters its 30th day after the invasion was launched by Moscow on Feb The fighting has forced more than ten million Ukrainians to flee their homes with thousands of people killed or wounded and widespread damage in the wake of shelling and aerial bombardments.Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk demanded from ICRC to acquire a list of Mariupol residents who are thought to have been taken to Russia The Ukrainian government claims at least 15,000 citizens of the besieged city were forcibly deported by the Russian troops.US President Joe Biden is in Warsaw where he met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov — the first encounter with senior Kiev officials since the beginning of the Russian invasion.Shelling and missile strikes continued overnight mostly in eastern Ukraine where the Russian troops are accused of shelling food storage facilities.The German state of Lower Saxony outlawed the public display of the letter Z in support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine with those breaking the law facing criminal charges Bavaria had made a similar decision on Friday.Meanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron said France Turkey and Greece will carry out "a humanitarian operation" to evacuate people from the besieged city of Mariupol "in the next few days" The local authority said on Friday that people are starving.Russia's army chief has said its main war effort will now focus on the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine having 'mostly accomplished' first phase objectives Some see it as a sign that Moscow recognizes its early strategy has failed.Meanwhile the governor of the Kiev region sais that Russian forces have entered the city of Slavutych and seized a hospital there.Governor Oleksandr Pavlyuk said on Saturday that the Russians also kidnapped the city’s mayor but some media reported later in the day that the mayor was released swiftly Neither claim could be verified independently.The governor said that residents of Slavutych took to the streets with Ukrainian flags to protest the Russian invasion.“The Russians opened fire into the air more of them showed up,” Pavlyuk said.Slavutych is located north of Kyiv and west of Chernihiv outside the exclusion zone that was established around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant after the 1986 disaster It is home to workers at the Chernobyl site.Also Turkey’s Defense Ministry said a “mine-like” object has been “neutralized” at the northern entrance to the Bosporus Strait.The sighting on Saturday of a possible naval mine followed warnings that explosive devices laid at the entrances to Ukrainian ports could break free in bad weather and cross the Black Sea.Broadcaster NTV showed images of an object bobbing in the waves off Istanbul’s Sariyer district A Coast Guard vessel was stationed nearby.A Defense Ministry statement said divers were dispatched to deal with the object Turkey advised ships to keep a “sharp lookout” and report any possible mines that had drifted from Ukrainian ports.A new curfew will be introduced in Kiev from Saturday night to Monday morning "The military command has decided to strengthen the curfew on Monday," the mayor said on Telegram.Making a surprise video appearance at Qatar’s Doha Forum Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Russia for what he described as threatening the world with its nuclear weapons.“Russia is deliberating bragging they can destroy with nuclear weapons not only a certain country but the entire planet,” Zelenskyy said in a video message to political and business leaders which was translated into Arabic.A daily update by Britain's Defense Ministry said Russian forces are proving unwilling to engage in large scale urban infantry operations instead preferring to rely on the indiscriminate use of air and artillery bombardments in an attempt to demoralize defending forces.Russia continues to besiege several major Ukrainian cities The assessment said it is likely that Russia will continue to use its heavy firepower on urban areas as it looks to limit its already considerable losses at the cost of further civilian casualties.And Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s chief of staff is calling on the West to create a new "lend-lease" program for Ukraine referring to the World War II effort that sent US supplies to the Soviet Union to help it fight Nazi Germany.“Today Ukraine is the holy grail of Europe Ukraine is reviving those principles that gave life to current Western civilization,” Andriy Yermak said in an address late Friday He said what Ukraine needs most are real-time intelligence and heavy weapons.Yermak also repeated the Ukrainian president’s calls for help in closing the skies over Ukraine to stop Russian bombing and missile attacks The West has refused to impose a no-fly zone for fear of widening the war.He said options include supplying Ukraine with air defense systems or fighter jets or creating an “air police force to protect civilian infrastructure” The requested content cannot be loaded.Please try again later People in the northern Ukrainian city of Slavutych have been under siege since the first days of the war Supplies of food and fuel haven’t reached the city for days located about 13 km from the border with Belarus The city was built in 1986 to house those displaced by the Chernobyl nuclear accident Russian troops have since captured the plant It is 40 km away from the city of Chernihiv (Chernigov) spoke with 50-year-old Slavutych resident Karen Shahbazyan Rumors abound about alleged flour supplies or that tomorrow morning fifty loaves of bread will be available You’ll see six hundred people lining up for the bread It’s a confusing mess,” says Karen Shahbazyan Slavutych residents have taken matters in their own hands traveling to nearby villages requesting food.   We went to a village five kilometers distant and got some flour We distributed it to Armenian families so that everyone could bake at least one or two loaves of bread and live," says Karen Shahbazyan.  one must first reach the city of Chernigov There is fighting and various subversive groups Something must happen,” says Shahbazyan Shahbazyan says no one from the embassy has contacted them or offered help.   "I got in touch with one of the representatives of the Union of Armenians of Ukraine He told me to find someone who could get us out What can you do with your money?" says Karen.   According to the Live Universal Awareness Map "Apart from the shelling and military operations around our city they have distributed weapons to all those who went and asked for guns prefer to leave the city amidst the gunfire rather than stay and starve to death," says Shahbazyan to say that it is not possible to evacuate people it is not possible to negotiate with the Russians or Ukrainians They shouldn’t say all is good because it isn’t We are in one of the hot spots and no one has called us or sent a piece of bread What Armenian is safe?" asks an irate Shahbazyan referring to the lack of Armenian government support This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help please support us monthly starting from just $2 and every contribution makes a significant impact independent journalism in the face of repression The Russian army took control of the town where staff working at the Chernobyl nuclear site live and captured the mayor "Russian occupiers have invaded Slavutych and occupied the municipal hospital," the military administration of the Kyiv region Some 25,000 people live in the town 160 kilometres (99 miles) north of the capital built after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident carrying a large blue and yellow Ukrainian flag and heading towards the hospital adding that Russian forces fired into the air and threw stun grenades into the crowd It also shared on its Telegram account images in which dozens of people gathered around the Ukrainian flag and chanted: "Glory to Ukraine" has been captured," the administration said The Chernobyl plant was taken by the Russian army on February 24 on the same day that Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine The International Atomic Energy Agency expressed "concern" Thursday after Ukraine informed the organisation of Russia's bombardment of Slavutych The town's capture comes after the first staff rotation at Chernobyl plant last weekend since Russia took control About 100 Ukrainian technicians continued to run the daily operations at the radioactive site for nearly four weeks without being rotated please register for free or log in to your account Russian forces took control of a town where staff working at the Chernobyl nuclear site live and briefly detained the mayor as far as it is possible under occupation," Yuri Fomichev after officials in the Ukraine capital Kyiv announced earlier he had been detained.  the military administration of the Kyiv region announced that Russian troops had entered the town and occupied the municipal hospital They also said that the mayor had been detained Russian forces fired into the air and threw stun grenades into the crowd It also shared on its Telegram account images in which dozens of people gathered around the Ukrainian flag and chanted: "Glory to Ukraine." Fomichev posted a video on Facebook saying that at least three people had died "We haven't yet identified all of them," he added but said that civilians were among the dead The International Atomic Energy Agency said Saturday it was "closely monitoring the situation" after Ukraine's nuclear regulator informed it that the town had been seized by Russian forces The UN atomic watchdog said it was concerned about the ability of employees at Chernobyl to rotate and return to their homes to rest.  "There has been no staff rotation at the NPP for nearly a week now," the IAEA said A PHOTOGRAPHER has captured the daunting legacy of the Chernobyl disaster by following a generation of local youngsters as they mature from party-loving teens to mature adults The Ukrainian city of Slavutych - where his photo subjects live - was created as a result of the colossal nuclear accident for the families who worked in the evacuated power plant. Swiss-born snapper Niels Ackermann spent three years with a group of young friends to mark the 30th anniversary of the disaster in 2016. He told The Sun Online: "There were many different values in (the project). It is a positive story, it is a positive story about life and love. "These young people, they work to build this new structure that wraps around the reactor core. By doing this, they're symbolically fixing what their parents, or previous generations, didn't fix. "With their work, they're making Ukraine safer, but also the the world safer, because no-one wants the radioactive particles to propagate further." Ackermann documented the inhabitants as they indulged in parties marriages and the more mundane side of life He said: "It's a really comfortable town but it is a small town and of course like every small town "It's the youngest city in Ukraine and I wanted to see how youth lived in a place like this and the project really took off when I met Yulia "Back then she had just finished her studies and when we met she offered to show me the city "At first most of what I saw was a lot of parties she started working - first in the city then she quit her job to start working in Chernobyl "During this project I saw her changing a lot When she started progressively turning into an adult how you become an adult - these are all the questions we must answer in our lives." We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/