A man reacts to the icy water during the Orthodox Christian feast of Epiphany on Jan. 19, 2022 in Kyiv's Obolon district. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Dozens of people plunged into the icy waters of the Dnipro River on Jan. 19 in Kyiv's northern district of Obolon to celebrate Epiphany.
A woman reacts after taking a dip in icy water during the Epiphany Day celebrations of Epiphany on Jan. 19, 2022 in Kyiv's Obolon district. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)Priests bless the water in the Dnipro River during the Epiphany Day celebrations at Kyiv's Obolon district on Jan. 19, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
The tradition to bathe in the freezing water of a river or lake comes from a popular belief that on this day, the water brings health or even washes away one's sins.
People walk into the icy waters of the Dnipro River during the Epiphany Day celebrations at Kyiv's Obolon district on Jan. 19, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)People dress after swimming in the cold waters of the Dnipro River during the Epiphany Day celebrations in Kyiv on Jan. 19, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Lately, the perception of this ritual in Ukraine has been changing. Some point out that the tradition isn't native to Ukraine, and has been adopted from Russia in the 20th Century. In light of Russia's war against Ukraine, which has been ongoing since 2014, the subject becomes sensitive.
A lifeguard looks at man as he dips into the icy waters of the Dnipro River during the Epiphany Day celebrations in Kyiv's Obolon district on Jan. 19, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)A man prays as he dips into the Dnipro River during the Epiphany Day celebrations in Kyiv's Obolon district on Jan. 19, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine has been vocal in its objections to the bathing tradition. The church was established in 2019 as an independent Ukrainian church, an alternative to the Moscow Patriarchate-governed church which was previously the largest in Ukraine.
A priest sprinkles believers with holy water during the Orthodox Epiphany service at the Dnipro River in Kyiv's Obolon district on Jan. 19, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
While the Orthodox Church of Ukraine opposes the bathing tradition, the Russia-backed church, which still remains popular in Ukraine, actively encourages it. The celebration in Obolon was organized by one of the local churches from the Russia-backed Orthodox church.
A man takes a dip into the Dnipro River during the Epiphany Day celebrations in Kyiv's Obolon district on Jan. 19, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)A man dips into the Dnipro River during the Epiphany Day celebrations at Kyiv's Obolon district on Jan. 19, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
The practice comes with some risk: a 52-year old man was found drowned today after taking an icy dip near the town of Fastiv in Kyiv Oblast, according to a police report.
Priests participate in the Orthodox Epiphany service at the Dnipro River in Kyiv's Obolon district on Jan. 19, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)A man takes a dip in icy water during the Orthodox Christian feast of Epiphany on Jan. 19, 2022 in Kyiv's Obolon district. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Speaking at the military port of Constanța on Nov. 14, Romanian Defense Minister Ștefan-Radu Oprea confirmed that Romanian authorities had been notified of the incident and that an investigation was underway.
"Our focus now is on facilitating direct engagement between Moscow and European partners and preparing the agenda for the next round of trilateral talks," Kushner said.
"She should be banned from all WTA-sanctioned tournaments... This is the only proportionate response to such behaviour. She is a disgrace to the Belarusian people," Latushka said.
"More than 6 billion forints' worth of cash, buried or otherwise concealed, was found and seized yesterday and today by the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office," Prime Minister Peter Magyar said.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Khimprom drug ring has already made inroads into Poland and is trying to enter Germany. Ukraine has intelligence on this, Zelensky said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed establishing a temporary “humanitarian mission” in the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, which President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 13 could provide Russian forces with an opportunity to enter and occupy the city.
The General Staff reported a fire at the Samara linear production control station near the village of Prosvet in Samara Oblast, some 950 kilometers east of Ukraine-controlled territory, with several oil storage tanks on fire.
"If you impose restrictions there, you are already partially recognizing the temporarily occupied territories as not ours," Zelensky told journalists, referring to the existing ban on Ukraine using Starshield to target sites inside Russia, which has now been partially extended to Ukrainian territories occupied by Moscow.
"The Americans raised the question: 'What if Ukraine joins NATO? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbas?' This was the first time this issue had been raised," President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian attacks killed three people, including a child, and injured 62 others, including eight children, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.
"The October and November restrictions now raise the disturbing possibility that these vulnerabilities persist even within systems on which the U.S. government relies," Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Coons wrote.
The grounding was the first nationwide flight stoppage since January 2023, when an FAA computer system malfunctioned. Before that, the last nationwide grounding followed the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Local authorities later on Nov. 13 reported that a rescue worker from the Cobra emergency service was killed when a concrete slab fell on him while he was clearing debris from a building damaged in the Russian attack.
on Google
