aid provided to Kyiv in the past.That may help to reassure Ukrainians who feel they have battled Russia since 2022 not only for themselves but also on behalf of the West: the U.S.-led NATO defence alliance that they seek to join and the European nations to which many Ukrainians feel much closer than to President Vladimir Putin's Russia."I do think that for us as Ukrainians it feels a little bit like another country is using our vulnerability which was not created by us," said Ukrainian legislator Inna Sovsun.She said it was "critically important when we are designing the future to keep in mind that people will live here in the future".Additional reporting by Anastasiia Malenko; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Kevin Liffey Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Ukraine successfully passes all checks regarding undeclared nuclear materials The country remains a loyal member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons «dirty bomb» — Russian media have once again raised the old conspiracy theory about Ukraine’s «nuclear manipulations» pro-Kremlin media claimed that «the US is importing radiochemical substances to Ukraine via Poland and Romania» and using them «to create a dirty bomb» Propaganda went further and stated that «warheads have already been delivered to the city of Zhovti Vody to the Eastern Mining and Processing Plant» StopFake examined these narratives in more detail Narrative: The Kyiv regime is preparing a provocation with a dirty nuclear bomb explosion Warheads have already been delivered to the city of Zhovti Vody in the Dnipropetrovsk region to the Eastern Mining and Processing Plant Fact: The narrative about an alleged «dirty bomb» in Ukraine has been used by Russian propaganda for many years, but to little success. Ukraine has always remained open to international experts in the field of nuclear energy and does not undertake any prohibited actions, the Foreign Affairs Ministry emphasizes The Ministry recalled that Ukraine has always been and remains a loyal member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons — this is confirmed by facts Ukraine successfully passed all checks for the absence of undeclared nuclear materials the IAEA experts did not find anything undeclared in Ukraine and no signs of Ukraine producing a «dirty bomb» Narrative: The United States is importing radiochemical substances to Ukraine via Poland and Romania for further disposal These substances could have been used to create a «dirty bomb» The StopFake team has repeatedly analyzed the Kremlin narrative about a «nuclear burial ground» in Ukraine. Read more in the article Fake: Ukraine Turning into a Nuclear Burying Ground, Facing a Second Chornobyl Narrative: The Ukrainian army has already used in battles toxic substances that could only have been synthesized in the United States The Ukrainian Armed Forces used ammunition with chemical compounds that are similar to those used by the Germans in gas chambers propaganda managed to fit at least three disinformation narratives: about «external control» and about Ukraine «violating» the methods of waging war with the «use of chemical weapons» And although our team has repeatedly refuted the first two fakes then the third one – about «chemical weapons» – is worth dwelling on in more detail Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which operates under the auspices of the UN, has been closely monitoring any threats of using toxic chemicals as weapons In July 2024, a delegation of experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which operates under the auspices of the UN, arrived in Ukraine on the country’s invitation The OPCW conducted a series of training on emergency response to incidents involving toxic chemicals the monitors delivered 70 LCD 3.3 detectors to the country — advanced devices that alert on detected and identified threats related to gasses and vapors at levels that pose an immediate danger to life and health or lower The equipment requested by Ukraine will help to deprive Russia of any opportunity to use chemical weapons in Ukraine incognito Zhovti Vody is a small town in Ukraine’s Kamianske region Its name – literally translating to ‘yellow waters’ – was ascribed in 1895 due to its serene location on the Zhovta River when the country was part of the Soviet Union classified government correspondence referenced it by a different name – Mailbox 28 – to keep its location a secret The town was then home to a key uranium extraction site a crucial part of the Soviet nuclear project Given the significance of the industry and need for discretion only a limited number of people were permitted to go in and out and residents were rewarded for staying put with disproportionately comfortable lifestyles compared to the rest of the county’s living conditions There are up to 25 former closed cities in Ukraine but this one was of particular interest to Kateryna Radchenko because it was where her grandfather was born She was fascinated by the morbid contradiction of a “Soviet paradise” luring people into living somewhere that was exposed to the dangers of radiation when the factories were forced to close in 1991 as the Soviet Union fell Radchenko began working on a project over a decade ago but was forced to start again when her computer and hard drive were stolen in 2016 she returned to Zhovti Vody and unexpectedly “I was surprised that people my age had chosen to stay to work and develop the place they were living in rather than move to bigger cities… This is a small drop in the ocean compared to the wider population But people are trying to build something good from the ruins.” and the people working to place it back on the map researcher and the director of Odesa Photo Days and the series draws heavily on historical archives for context “It’s not possible to tell a story without knowing about the past,” she explains “I’m trying to understand the connection between the past and future From the utopian city built on the heavy uranium industry to what it is today and how it has changed over time.” Visibility and invisibility are important and recurring themes from the coded name of Mailbox 28 to the secrets kept from local citizens still pollute the surrounding soil and water radiation spreads fast and you can’t see it,” says Radchenko Despite it bringing many problems – cancer is the second leading cause of death in Ukraine – we accept it and move on.” The intangibility of the problem is perhaps another reason why the impetus to find solutions has fallen by the wayside – environmental hazards become less of a priority when people are fighting to survive air strikes and bombs The current war began when Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014 shifted Ukraine’s focus to defence once again Russia’s high-risk targeting of the nuclear power plants is a haunting echo of the past Russia used the territory of Ukraine to extract uranium for the development of nuclear weaponry,” says Radchenko the nuclear plants in Ukraine and Russia’s nuclear weapons are being used to blackmail Ukraine and the rest of the world We are entering into a new chapter in this story.” @radchenko_ua Starting out as an intern in 2016, Izabela Radwanska Zhang was Editorial Director of British Journal of Photography from 2020-2023. Her words have appeared in Disegno and Press Association. Prior to this, she completed a MA in Magazine Journalism at City University, London, and most recently, a Postgrad Certificate in Graphic Design at London College of Communication. Print ZHOVTI VODY Ukraine — This city of 43,000 in central Ukraine owes its modern existence to the Soviets The mines they developed were so critical to their nuclear weapons program that nonresidents needed special permission to enter the city the Kremlin turned Zhovti Vody into a model Soviet city apartments and a performance hall so grand that it rivaled the opera house in Moscow Central to the uranium extraction effort was a mining specialist named Yukhym Prigozhin who was sent from Russia and became something of a local hero the city renamed its history museum for him and adorned the front of the building with a plaque bearing his profile and the inscription “honorary citizen.” World & Nation Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was among those killed aboard a flight from Moscow to St The controversy over the museum began in June when the warlord told a pro-Kremlin blogger that he had fond childhood memories of Zhovti Vody. In a clip from the interview posted to a city Facebook group, he recounted visiting his grandfather’s brother there and joked that he ate apples that had grown as large as basketballs on account of radiation from the mines. The interview unleashed a thread of anger. “If this is true, we need to prepare for the demolition of the Prigozhin museum,” wrote one commenter. Another suggested this line be added to his plaque: “Unfortunately, his brother’s grandson is a racist scumbag who heads the Wagner Communist Party, guilty of murders of Ukrainian citizens, destruction of Ukrainian cities and villages.” Disputes over the naming of institutions have erupted across the United States in recent years as the country grapples with its history of slavery and racism. The case of the Ukrainian museum comes with a twist: Can a family name be enough to marginalize somebody who is otherwise beloved? “Everyone understands that the man we know, who was named an honorary citizen of this city and whose name is on the museum, is our star, our pride,” he said. “The other Prigozhin is not our business.” Yukhym Prigozhyn’s portrait and medals at the museum in Zhovti Vody on Aug. 3, 2023. (Anastasia Vlasova / For The Times) The museum’s director, Olena Kobzar, said she was dismayed by attempts to tarnish the town hero. “Those who think we should change the name are those who did not know our Prigozhin and are simply naive,” she said. Yukhym Prigozhin, a World War II veteran, was in his late 30s when he arrived here. At the time, Zhovti Vody — which in Ukrainian means “yellow water,” a nod to the ore-induced tint of the river — was a tiny settlement best known as the site of a pivotal 1648 battle in which the Ukrainian Cossacks defeated the Polish-Lithuanian army. Prigozhin quickly earned a reputation as the steadfast and decisive director of the Central Research Laboratory of Automation, which developed the machinery used in the mines. When he retired in 1976, he turned his three-room apartment into a creative space that he called “Highlights” and opened it to young poets, artists or anybody who wanted to talk about history, life or — after 1991 — the demise of the former Soviet Union. The Ukrainian military’s surrender hotline dubbed ‘I Want to Live,’ is enticing some Russian soldiers to quit the battlefield as the war drags on He dedicated himself to writing books of children’s poetry — and in 1995 published a book on the 100-year history of Zhovti Vody he told a television reporter that he wrote it because he was concerned that in the chaos after the collapse of the Soviet Union the small city with a big past had lost its unity He said he wanted to show young people “what talented and nice people live in this great city that was closed for 40 years.” One of Prigozhin’s friends was a geologist named Viktor Yakovlev who started at the uranium mines shortly after Prigozhin had retired but came to his apartment studio to learn how to repair watches but on several occasions he mentioned to Yakovlev that he had a brother in Russia He described that side of the family — including a great nephew named Yevgeny — as hooligans and bullies said that if his friend were alive today to see what his great nephew had been up to in Ukraine A Soviet monument of a fighter jet on the way to Zhovti Vody (Anastasia Vlasova / For The Times) Yevgeny Prigozhin He spent his early 20s in Soviet prisons for robbery and assault but eventually started a hot dog stand business that grew into restaurants A frequent diner at his high-end restaurants was Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two men struck up a friendship that helped Prigozhin score lucrative government contracts. In 2013, his empire expanded to include the infamous Internet Research Agency, which stands accused of playing a key role in helping Russia interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The Wagner Group, which he secretly founded in 2014, has been accused of human rights abuses nearly everywhere its mercenaries operate, including Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan and Mali — and most recently Ukraine. The group, which relies largely on Russian prisoners, helped Russia capture several Ukrainian cities in the war. Russian private military contractor Wagner is busy boosting its brand as its fighters try to subdue Ukraine, trading secrecy for war propaganda movies. How do citizens of Kyiv cope with the sleep deprivation and stress from Russia’s war on Ukraine But in June, Prigozhin accused the Kremlin of keeping essential ammunition and equipment from his troops and launched a coup that quickly failed On a Telegram channel associated with the Wagner Group, he appeared in video posted Monday claiming to be in Africa and pledging to “make Russia even greater on all continents” and Africa “more free.” Then on Wednesday, Russia’s aviation authority reported that Prigozhin was among the passengers on a private jet that crashed north of Moscow, killing all 10 people on board. In Zhovti Vody, the museum is still officially called the City Historical Museum Named for Yukhym Illich Prigozhin. The City Council has yet to put the naming debate on its agenda. The Palace of Culture in Zhovti Vody. (Anastasia Vlasova / For The Times) But the broader issue isn’t new. In 2015, the Ukrainian parliament launched a “de-Russification” campaign, passing a law requiring local governments across the country to rename any public streets, buildings or monuments referencing the Soviet or Russian empires. Zhovti Vody has changed about three dozen street names, and in June the city removed a statue of the 19th century Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, which stood in front of the house where Yukhym Prigozhin lived. Opponents of the statue argued that the Soviets had erected it — and not a Ukrainian poet — as part of an oppressive campaign to stamp out Ukrainian culture. Not everyone agreed. The city is as anti-Russian as any these days, but some questioned what a Romantic-era poet from Moscow had to do with the current war. This Ukrainian artist was known for whimsical sculptures. Now, amid Russia’s war on Ukraine, he creates art from war debris, military weapons and fury. As anticipation builds for a counteroffensive Ukrainian forces are desperate to lay their hands on Western tanks that could help turn the war’s tide The southeastern front line now sits about 75 miles from Zhovti Vody The city has been spared from the missile strikes that have killed as many as 10,000 civilians since Russia launched its full-scale invasion last February But many of its young men who went off to fight have returned in caskets. Funerals for the fallen are held daily Offices and stores close their doors for each one And in the last year, the city has taken in almost 6,000 Ukrainians fleeing fighting, including at least 1,000 from the city of Bakhmut, where the Wagner Group helped defeat Ukrainian forces in a long and brutal campaign. The mayor of Zhovti Vody and his team worked with what resources they had to find housing, clothing and food for the displaced before international humanitarian organizations arrived. “Everyone understands that the man we know, who was named an honorary citizen of this city and whose name is on the museum, is our star, our pride,” says Zhovti Vody Mayor Dmytro Hanis. “The other Prigozhin is not our business.” (Anastasia Vlasova / For The Times) “These people have nowhere else to go,” Khanis said. “Their homes, cities are completely destroyed.” Given all that, some residents said debating the name of the museum is a waste of time. “I think we have more important things to worry about right now,” said Tatiana Lvova, a tour guide at the museum for the last 20 years. “We need to win the war first.” Ayres is a special correspondent. Special correspondent Tatiana Pototska in Zhovti Vody contributed to this report. Entertainment & Arts Hollywood Inc. Subscribe for unlimited access Site Map She sells her drawings and donates the proceeds to people affected by the war and to the Ukrainian military Maria's mother Katya woke up her daughter with the words: "Masha Far away from her home, school, and friends, Maria draws cute pictures. Her uncle Maxim helps her to sell her drawings on Etsy and manages her Instagram. Maria's family donates the money she earns to volunteer centers, Ukrainian refugees, and military procurement efforts for uniforms, helmets, gloves, thermal imagers, and more. Some of the money has been used for crucial medicine which is hard to buy in Ukraine at the moment. She is also excited to have her own subscribers on Instagram. People all over the world buy Maria's drawings and send their best wishes and concerns about the situation in Ukraine. "I hope there will be peace and that we can go back soon," Maria says. Despite the fact that she is now safe, enjoys painting, playing the piano, and dancing, Maria still misses her family and friends from her hometown very much. Unfortunately, central Ukrainian cities are still targeted by Russian missile strikes and have problems with electricity and water supplies. This material was prepared with financial support from the International Renaissance Foundation. [email protected] "Pryamy" TV channel reported their filming crew being attacked on the night of November 2 in Zhovti Vody As the channel reports the journalists were on an editorial mission filming the rallying tobacco factory workers who had set up tents in the factory's courtyard and were standing guard on its premises day and night the security forces cut the metal fence open and broke into the territory (of the factory – Ed.) They demanded that the journalists leave the premises then they began beating them and the participants of the rally Security forces with SBU badges beat the cameraman and smashed the TV channel's camera about 300 law enforcers invaded the factory's territory The people wore masks and only showed their SBU badges there were also representatives of other law enforcement agencies there," the channel reported IMI is trying to get comments from the affected journalists the State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman said that the Bureau is aware of the incident with the journalists but the details and circumstances are currently being investigated by the SBI Reprinting and disseminating our information is allowed but under strictly condition of reference to the source