In March 2022, soon after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Kyiv-based illustrator Masha Foya produced what I think is one of the Guardian Weekly’s most powerful covers on the war, concerning the devastation of Mariupol. So it’s a pleasure to feature Masha’s work again for the current edition, this time marking 40 years since the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.
“Since childhood, the story of Chornobyl has always made me feel a strange dissonance – such a tragedy occurring on a beautiful spring day in April,” explains Masha on the thought process behind her design, in which seasonal greens fade away into ominous skies.
It also reflects present-day anxieties. For a special report, Pjotr Sauer visits the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident and sees up close how the giant containment structure around the failed reactor is in urgent need of costly repairs after a Russian drone strike, as fears grow of a possible new catastrophe.
On Chornobyl’s environmental legacy, Jonathan Watts considers the benefits (and otherwise) to wildlife from the accidental rewilding that resulted from the exclusion of humans around the site. Jonathan also hears the views of former nuclear power opponents who are now cautious advocates, now the dangers of fossil fuels have become better understood over time.
Get the Guardian Weekly delivered to your home address
***
Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Environment | Why apes are more like us than we ever thought
Imagination, reason and ability to recognise faces from the past are not the sole preserve of humans, studies show. Gloria Dickie reports
Finance | The wagering of war
Once largely siloed to sporting events, betting has now spread to include contracts on news events where insider information could pay handsomely. With over $1bn in perfectly timed bets on the Iran war having recently been seen, Lauren Aratani explores what exactly is going on
Feature | The big game hunters who believe they can save Africa’s wildlife
One way to pay for wildlife conservation is to allow the rich to bag a few animals for high prices. But critics see this approach as an exercise in neocolonialism. Cal Flyn went in pursuit of answers
Opinion | Starmer’s listless government shows zombie politics is the new norm
Distracted, listless and unambitious – the British PM’s true form has finally emerged. But whatever comes next must end this ruinous cycle for the country, argues Nesrine Malik
Culture | Iron Maiden on 50 years of heavy metal madness
As a career-spanning documentary hits cinemas, the legendary rock band revisit their path from pubs to stadiums over half a century of headbanging hits. Harry Sword buckles up
***
What else we’ve been reading
• Michael, the big-budget Michael Jackson film, may have shattered opening-weekend records for a biopic – but it has also drawn criticism for its sanitised portrayal of the performer’s life. However, Catherine Shoard finds that bad movies often prove a hit with fans. Neil Willis, production editor
• A photo gallery with words from Susan Montoya Brown makes for a beautiful celebration of Route 66, 100 years old this year. I prefer trains to cars and am not planning a Chicago to LA trip any time soon, but the piece captures the romance of America that swept through music, art, movies and books in the middle part of the last century. Isobel Montgomery, deputy editor
***
Other highlights from the Guardian website
• Gallery | World Press Photo 2026 winners
• Audio | Japan’s PM Sanae Takaichi: the most powerful woman in the world?
• Video | How Hezbollah embedded itself into the fabric of Lebanese life
***
Get in touch
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the magazine: for submissions to our letters page, please email weekly.letters@theguardian.com. For anything else, it’s editorial.feedback@theguardian.com
***
Follow us
Get the Guardian Weekly magazine delivered to your home address
