Nuclear disarmament of Ukraine A documentary about Ukrainian nuclear weapons and the events that led to the country losing them
SFG Media
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the topic of Ukrainian nuclear weapons has periodically (sometimes very frequently) appeared in the informational space. Ukrainian media, bloggers, and other people, typically superficially familiar with this history, reduce it to a simplistic conclusion like "if the weapons had not been given up, Russia would not have attacked". Even people in power today allow themselves to make completely absurd statements about our "possibility to blackmail the whole world" if the nuclear disarmament had not happened.
It should be emphasized right away that the deterrent factor of nuclear weapons cannot be underestimated; it is significant. Even the most notorious dictators are unlikely to decide to attack a country that possesses even a small arsenal. However, the quotes and conclusions mentioned above are made without the minimal understanding of the full range of factors and events that led Ukraine not only to lose its nuclear weapons but also to the extremely unfavorable conditions under which this happened.
The film "Nuclear Devastation of Ukraine" details how Ukraine's nuclear arsenal (which was the third largest in the world), along with missile carriers, strategic aviation, and a giant technological and production base, was lost by our country (and also taken away).
Excerpt from the film "Nuclear Devastation of Ukraine". Watch with English subtitles
SFG Media, youtube.com/@sfg
Considering Russia's involvement in depriving us of both nuclear weapons and other types of armaments (explosions at depots in Ukraine's border regions with Russia), it can be stated with almost certainty that our "brotherly" neighbor has been working to subjugate Ukraine since the day independence was regained on August 24, 1991. Military invasion was considered, to a greater or lesser extent, throughout all this time.
Unfortunately for Ukraine, Russia's goals and desires to deprive us of nuclear weapons coincided with those of the United States. This is why the United States turned a blind eye to the total violations of treaties and agreements under which the Ukrainian nuclear arsenal was reduced. This was openly reported by global and Ukrainian media.
The New York Times
Highlighted text: "In fact, Ukraine, under enormous international pressure, was forced to hand over its tactical nuclear weapons to the very state that posed the main external threat to Ukrainian statehood, without any declared guarantees and in the absence of any international oversight."
Голос України
The film also reflects the role (and sometimes inaction) of Ukraine itself, or rather the people in power, which led to the country losing colossal military assets without adequate compensation and reliable security guarantees.
The film does not limit itself to the narrative of events related to the history of Ukraine's nuclear disarmament. It includes accounts from direct participants in those events, both from political and military spheres: Mykola Filatov — commander of the 46th Missile Division in Pervomaisk and deputy commander of the 43rd Missile Army; Yuri Kostenko — Minister of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety. Additionally, it features comments from Harvard University nuclear energy researcher Mariana Budjeryn.
Footage from the film "Nuclear Devastation of Ukraine"
SFG Media
All interviews for the film were recorded in Kyiv in May-June 2023. Production of the film began in August 2022. It includes a large amount of archival and previously unpublished material. For example, original photographs of the process of exporting tactical nuclear weapons, taken in 1992 by Ukrainian photographer Valeriy Solovyov for the newspaper "Голос України" (Voice of Ukraine).
Голос України
Watch the film "Nuclear Devastation of Ukraine" on YouTube in Ukrainian with English or Russian subtitles.