On January 31, the world celebrates Jeweler’s Day and Scotch Tape Day. On January 31, 1893, the Coca-Cola trademark was registered. On January 31, 1961, a chimpanzee named Ham made a flight around the Earth’s orbit and returned safely. On January 31, 1988, the film «Ten Blacks» was released on the country’s screens, which is included in the list of the 100 best detective novels of all time. On January 31, 2022, on the eve of the war with Russia, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov denied the threat to Kharkiv. Jeweler’s Day This holiday is dedicated to craftsmen who create exquisite jewelry and works of art from precious metals and stones. Jewelry art has a thousand-year history, because even in ancient times, people sought to decorate themselves with various products. Today, the profession of a jeweler combines traditional techniques and the latest technologies, allowing craftsmen to make real masterpieces. Jewelers not only create new jewelry, but also restore old products, preserving their historical and cultural value. Each product is the result of painstaking work, creative inspiration and accurate calculations. From delicate work with a microscope to melting metal at high temperatures, this process requires great skill and patience. Interesting facts The most expensive piece of jewelry in the world is the Kohinoor diamond, which has a long and complicated history. It is currently kept in the British Royal Treasury. The smallest jewelry art was created by the Russian microminiaturist Anatoly Konenko — it is a tiny rose placed in a hair. Some gems are formed in extremely extreme conditions. For example, diamonds are formed at a depth of more than 150 km under high pressure and temperature. And a mineral called peridot (chrysolite) is sometimes found even in meteorites. Sapphires are not only blue. In fact, they can be any color except red. The red variant of the same corundum mineral is called ruby. Ancient Egyptian jewelers worked with metals as early as 5,000 years ago, creating luxurious jewelry from gold and lapis lazuli. Egyptians believed that gold amulets could protect them in the afterlife. Medieval jewelers used a secret recipe to create red enamel by adding bone dust to it. The smallest piece of jewelry ever created is a ring smaller than a human hair. It was made using nanotechnology. One of the most expensive pieces of jewelry is the «Marie Antoinette Pendant» with a pearl that once belonged to the Queen of France. In 2018, it was sold at auction for $36 million. Jeweler Carl Faberge created more than 50 famous imperial eggs decorated with diamonds, enamel and gold. They were considered the most expensive holiday gifts in the world. In the 18th century, jewelers secretly used poisonous metals such as mercury and lead to create brilliant enamels. Because of this, many masters were poisoned and had serious health problems. Gold used in jewelry can even be obtained from ocean water, although the process of its extraction is very expensive. Jewelry sometimes helped save lives. For example, the famous «Pendant of Louis XV» with a ruby ​​and diamonds saved the owner from a shot — the bullet got stuck in the stone. The first wedding rings were used in Ancient Egypt, symbolizing eternity thanks to their circular format. Jewelers often use not only precious, but also unusual materials, such as meteorite metal or shark teeth. Scotch Day The holiday is dedicated to one of the most popular inventions of the 20th century — this sticky tape, applied to a cellophane or plastic base, is today an indispensable assistant in the home, office and industry. The history of tape began in 1930, when 3M engineer Richard Drew developed the first transparent adhesive material. It was originally created for use in the automotive industry, but later it found application in a wide variety of fields. Today there are dozens of types of scotch tape — from standard stationery to specialized industrial tapes. Interesting facts The name «scotch» comes from the English word «scotch», which means «thrifty». Workers who tested the first samples are said to have complained about the lack of adhesive and jokingly called the product «stingy». Transparent tape can be used to seal damaged documents and even in medicine. When peeling off, the tape may emit a faint light – an effect known as tribo-luminescence. In the United States, more than 2 billion rolls of duct tape are produced each year. Historical events on this day 1747 — the British doctor William Bromfeild opened the first clinic for the treatment of venereal diseases in London. This was an important step in the development of medicine aimed at combating common infections. 1865 — The US Congress passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which officially banned slavery. This moment became a turning point in the struggle for human rights and started a new era in American society. 1941 — the Kyiv Film Studio of Popular Science Films was created, which became known as «Kyivnaukfilm» in 1954. She played a significant role in popularizing science and culture through cinema. 1950 — US President Harry Truman publicly announced his support for the hydrogen bomb development project. This decision significantly influenced the course of the Cold War and the nuclear arms race. 1966 — The USSR launched the Luna-9 automatic station, which was the first to make a soft landing on the Moon and transmit an image of its surface. 2000 — a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 airliner of Alaska Airlines crashed near Los Angeles. As a result of the tragedy, 88 people died. 2009 — a large-scale disaster occurred in Kenya: 113 people died due to the ignition of spilled oil near the city of Molo. 2020 — Great Britain has officially left the European Union. This became one of the most important events in the modern political history of Europe. Registration of the «Coca-Cola» trademark On January 31, 1893, the Coca-Cola trademark was registered. The drink was invented by apothecary and amateur chemist John Stith Pemberton. During the American Civil War, he was seriously wounded and due to the constant pain, he actually became a morphine addict. That is why he tried to find a way to overcome his addiction. The drink was created in May 1886 under the name Pemberton’s French Wine Coca and, in addition to its main ingredients, contained red wine, kola nut and damiana, a plant used to restore libido in men. The drink was offered as a remedy for hangovers and headaches. When the «dry law» was introduced in the USA, Pemberton was forced to change the composition and exclude alcohol. However, the main ingredients remained: three parts of coca leaves (from which in 1859 Albert Niemann isolated a special substance and called it cocaine) to one part of the nuts of the tropical kola tree. Chimpanzee flight around the Earth’s orbit On January 31, 1961, a chimpanzee named Hem returned safely to the United States on the Mercury-Redstone-2 spacecraft. The rocket developed a speed of 8000 km/h and rose to a height of 250 km above the Earth. The flight lasted 16 minutes and 39 seconds. Although the air pressure in the ship’s cabin dropped, Ham was unharmed because he was in a space suit. Monkeys may well be jealous of people who flew later, but received much higher honors. We will remind that the first cosmonauts were the dogs Belka and Strelka. They successfully made a space flight on the Sputnik-5 spacecraft on August 19, 1960. The premiere of the film «Ten Blacks» On January 31, 1988, the film «Ten Negroes» based on Agatha Christie’s detective novel, written in 1939, was released on the country’s screens. This novel is included in the list of «100 best detective novels of all time» and is the author’s best-selling book. According to Agatha Christie’s own admission, this work was the most difficult for her to create. For reasons of political correctness in the USA, the novel was published as early as 1939 under the title «And there was no one left», and all mentions of the word «negro» (and the word «negro» appeared 74 times in the translation of the 1940s) were replaced with «little Indians». In Sweden, the abandonment of the title «Ten Negroes» was announced in 2007, in the Netherlands — in 2004, in Finland — in 2003. In 2020, the novel was published in France under the title «There were ten of them». The director of the publishing house, Beatrice Duval, went even further, stating: «It is not just a matter of changing the title, it was necessary to redo the translation entirely, to change the content of the book according to the new title.» Resonant statement of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov On January 31, 2022, amid growing tension on the border between Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov assessed the possibility of Russian troops occupying Kharkiv, making a resounding statement: “You asked about probability. Fortunately, I can confidently say: there is no such probability. I will explain why. Because if we’re talking about probability, it’s 100% probability in terms of the word. If we take the theory of probability, then probability is 100% probability. There is no such 100% probability. They are precisely working out various plans for an invasion in the event of a corresponding political decision. Therefore, there is a possibility of an attack from the south, from the sea and from the east. I will say more, there is also a possibility with ORDLO. Different plans are being developed. But I consciously understand that, as of today, there is no such possibility.» These words caused a wide resonance in the media and became the subject of discussions among analysts, because at the same time they indicated both a high threat of invasion and some uncertainty in the forecasts. On the same day, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby commented on the situation in an interview with the Fox News channel. He stated: «Russia continues to build up troops on the border with Ukraine. Washington does not know Moscow’s final intentions regarding Ukraine, but an invasion could happen in the near future.» His words confirmed the seriousness of the threat, which was indicated by numerous intelligence sources, as well as the strengthening of Russia’s military presence near the Ukrainian borders.

Ukraine is used to international support, which has helped develop institutions, implement reforms and support social initiatives for decades. USAID is one of the key donors whose funds have been invested in educational, economic and infrastructure projects. But now this financial insurance has temporarily disappeared: the US has suspended funding of all programs in Ukraine for three months while the State Department audit continues.

The news about the freezing of funds caused a heated discussion — some talk about possible delays in important reforms, others fear a reduction in funding for critical initiatives. However, the most pressing question remains overlooked: when will Ukraine learn not to depend on external infusions and be able to function without regular financial injections from abroad?

The USA suspended funding of USAID programs in Ukraine: what does this mean for the country?

For decades, Ukraine has received large-scale financial assistance from the United States through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Since 1992, this organization has financed hundreds of projects aimed at infrastructure development, economic support, social programs, medical initiatives and assistance to vulnerable categories of the population. Over the past two years, American support has only increased — after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, USAID financed Ukraine to the tune of tens of billions of dollars. But now the aid is suspended, and the consequences of this may be much more serious than it seems at first glance.

The reason for stopping the allocation of funds was an audit initiated by the US State Department. It is officially stated that it will last 90 days, but experts do not rule out that this process may take much longer. Now, all projects without exception, regardless of their direction, have been stopped. USAID not only implemented its own programs, but was also a key donor for many international initiatives — in particular, the United Nations Development Program, UNICEF and numerous public organizations. The USAID website has information on dozens of initiatives that were financed by American funds. Among them are educational, medical, economic, energy, social and humanitarian projects. All of them are now frozen, and many organizations have already started downsizing.

USAID has been one of Ukraine’s largest donors for the past two years. Thanks to it, the salaries of civil servants, doctors and social workers were paid, and the reconstruction of the economy and infrastructure was financed. In total, more than thirty billion dollars were allocated for these directions. Among them are psychological support programs, in particular the «How are you?» initiative, which was overseen by Olena Zelenska.

The situation hit the medical field particularly hard, where USAID financed mobile teams of doctors who worked in frontline and liberated cities, as well as programs for vaccination, rehabilitation of the wounded, and psychological assistance. In 2024 alone, this support made it possible to provide medical services to almost three million Ukrainians, as well as carry out the rehabilitation of wounded military and civilians, in particular through the «Rehabilitation for Ukraine» program, for which $13 million was allocated.

Funding for initiatives aimed at combating HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, which previously allowed thousands of Ukrainians to be tested and treated for free, has also stopped. Experts warn that more than eighty thousand people in Ukraine still do not know their HIV status, and without these programs the situation could get out of control.

The same difficult situation arose with the support of veterans. The co-founder of the Veteran Hub organization, Ivona Kostyna, said that due to the termination of funding, the office in Vinnytsia will have to be closed, and in general, the work of the organization and its branches in various cities is under threat. Although the Kyiv office and mobile brigades in the capital, Vinnytsia and Dnipro will continue to work, it is obvious that they will not last long without financial support.

In addition, over the past two years, 22.9 billion dollars from USAID was directed to direct budget support of the Ukrainian government, which allowed paying salaries to civil servants, doctors and social workers. Also, 2.6 billion dollars were allocated for humanitarian needs – support for internally displaced persons, food procurement, provision of basic services. At the same time, $5 billion went to economic recovery projects, support of small businesses, financing of public initiatives and infrastructure development. In particular, 522 million dollars in 2024 were set aside for the restoration of infrastructure destroyed by shelling.

Energy was among the industries that depended on American funds. The United States has invested nearly $1 billion in this area. The money went to: purchase of equipment to repair damaged power plants after Russian attacks, delivery of 1,700 generators to schools, hospitals and social institutions across the country, financing of mobile boiler houses that provide heat during power outages.

Another strategically important direction is agriculture. Thanks to USAID funding, more than 15,000 Ukrainian farmers received seeds and fertilizers, and through the AGRI-Ukraine program, $2.26 billion of investments were attracted to this sector. According to USAID data, since 2022, a third of Ukrainian farmers have benefited from the agency’s various types of support, which has provided the Ukrainian economy with an additional income of one billion dollars.

Among the dozens of projects and directions financed by USAID in Ukraine were programs for the construction of railway tracks and shelters in schools, support for business and culture, as well as individual initiatives of the Ukrainian media, in particular the public broadcaster «Suspilne», as well as «Hromadske», Ukrainer and «On the other side of the news».

So, the current situation demonstrates how critical foreign aid is for Ukraine, because many important areas remain dependent on international donors. Stopping funding doesn’t just slow down individual initiatives, it poses a real threat to the millions of people who have benefited from these programs.

Will Ukraine survive without American help?

The suspension of USAID funding is a serious blow to Ukraine, especially at a time when the country is at war. It became a cold shower not only for public organizations and social programs, but also for the Ukrainian authorities, which in the first days after the announcement did not comment on the situation at all. The lack of response from key ministries looked alarming, as they were the recipients of much of the international aid and now found themselves in a situation where urgent solutions must be sought.

The Ministry of Health generally refused to explain how the termination of American grants will affect the field of medicine. This looks especially cynical against the background of statements made by representatives of the Public Health Center back in December 2024. At that time, they directly said that without the support of international donors, Ukraine will not be able to effectively fight HIV and other serious challenges in the field of health care. At the same time, recently the Minister of Social Policy, Oksana Zholnovich, stated dryly that the situation is not yet critical. But for thousands of public organizations, which are already forced to close down their activities due to the termination of funding, this looks like a blatant disregard for reality.

At first, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that he did not know what funds were involved. However, a few days later, he instructed the government to figure out how to act in the conditions of the halted American support. In his video message, he stated that part of the funds will be covered by the state budget, and the rest will be compensated with help from European partners and negotiations with the United States. But by that time, hundreds of organizations had already announced the termination of their work, and many humanitarian programs had begun massive staff reductions.

Iryna Vereshchuk, the deputy head of the Office of the President, was the most honest in her comments. She bluntly stated that the situation is of serious concern, and that the authorities will look for opportunities to stabilize the humanitarian lines of work. Her statements seemed more realistic against the demonstrative optimism of some other officials who tried to play down the scale of the problem.

But not everyone in the ruling team shares confidence that Ukraine will be able to quickly compensate for the loss of this aid. For example, People’s Deputy from the «Servant of the People» party, Nikita Poturaev, openly stated that there is currently no mechanism in the country that would allow to replace funding that came from abroad. He emphasized that it is not about any individual programs, but about hundreds of millions of dollars, which were systematically supported by state institutions, the public sector, the field of medicine and infrastructure. Based on the current state of the economy, finding domestic reserves to replace this aid is unrealistic.

The politician also noted that even if USAID unfreezes funding in 90 days, many organizations will not be able to return to work by then. Many of them have already laid off staff, lost offices and shut down their activities, and even after funding is restored, it will take months or more than half a year for them to return to normal operations.

In this situation, one should pay attention to the following important aspect: even those programs that were sometimes criticized for inefficiency or the costs of the measures, still brought real economic benefits. And now that this flow is blocked, many enterprises that received orders thanks to USAID grants may find themselves on the verge of survival. But the biggest risk is that the funding freeze could affect other areas, including energy. The USA actively financed the purchase of equipment for the repair of destroyed energy facilities, and also covered part of the costs for the reconstruction of heating networks and power plants. If the funding is not restored in the near future, it may significantly complicate the country’s preparation for the next heating season.

Ukrainian politicians can say as much as they want that the situation is under control, but the reality shows otherwise. A huge layer of social, medical and economic initiatives remained without funding, and there is no alternative source in the country that could cover these losses. The risks of refusing this aid are much greater than it seems at first glance, and the coming months will show whether Ukraine is really ready to take responsibility for its own development, or whether it will have to urgently look for new donors to avoid catastrophic consequences.

Can Ukraine survive without grant dependence

Trump’s decision to suspend USAID funding in Ukraine became an explosive topic for discussion in society. Some greeted it with applause, saying that finally an audit, finally they will check where the billions of dollars went, finally the «grantoids» will suffer. To date, there have been 112 active projects worth $7 billion in Ukraine scheduled for years ahead. Everything looks great on paper, but the reality is not so bright. Many politicians believe that almost all these initiatives — endless round tables, conferences, dubious studies of experts who replace each other on discussion panels — do not represent any real value. Hundreds of people have received grant payments for years, conducting seminars, trainings, and forums that revolved in their own vacuum. And everything would be fine, but the problem is not even that.

The main question is what are these billions really spent on? After all, most of the funds did not even reach Ukraine. They remained in the USA, settling in the pockets of private companies that carried out these projects. In this case, the scheme looks simple: American money goes to American contractors who provide their services, receive their profit, and only a small part reaches the final recipients in Ukraine.

However, there are those who see Trump’s decision as a disaster. Their position is clear: thanks to this money, schools were financed, displaced people were supported, humanitarian projects were implemented, destroyed cities were rebuilt, etc. But at the same time, in this case, the question arises: how much of these funds ended up in the pockets of those who «effectively» distributed them?

Corruption on grants is a separate, silent topic that is not usually raised. It was, is and will be as long as big money flows in without proper control. Weren’t there cases when the grant-funded media did not engage in journalism, but propaganda in the interests of donors? Were not supervisory councils formed that were not responsible for anything, but lived well with other people’s money? And didn’t individual characters threaten to complain to international partners as soon as they felt a threat to their influence?

However, the main issue is not even finances. What will happen if we no longer open the taps? If this is not just an audit, but a trial step before the complete curtailment of assistance? It is no longer about who is right in the dispute over grants, but about the fact that our country still has not learned to live without external infusions. Yes, we have a war and we desperately need support. But when will this chronic addiction stop, because it began long before the war?

It should be emphasized that grants for science and education are a widespread phenomenon in the world. Money invested in education, medicine, and humanitarian initiatives is of great importance. But when other people’s money goes into politics, the media and the information space, it is not just help, but a tool of influence of certain persons. Money is always about interests. And if they are someone else’s, then their interests are also someone else’s.

Forever with an outstretched hand? Is Ukraine capable of becoming independent?

We constantly stand at a crossroads: either learn to solve our own problems ourselves, or wait for them to open their wallets for us again and give us a new tranche, but at the same time they will dictate their terms and solve our personnel issues. Because, as you know, the one who pays, the one who orders the music. Isn’t it time we learned to live without outside help? The authorities must draw conclusions. Ukraine needs not just financial infusions, but a self-sufficiency strategy that will reduce dependence on international donors. Meanwhile, the country remains waiting — will the US restore funding, and what will happen to those who are already without vital support?

The very concept of living «on subsidies» looks humiliating. We are not a small, weak country that has neither resources nor potential. We are not a banana republic. We have an industry, an agricultural sector, human capital, an economy that survives even under missile strikes. But for some reason, when it comes to self-sufficiency, politicians start singing the song about «the need for external support.»

Yes, war is exhausting. Yes, we would not have survived without the help of our partners. But it cannot be a model of existence. It is impossible to build the future of the country if the main strategy is to hope that they will give us a little more money, a couple more generators, a few more packages of humanitarian assistance. At what point does it stop being a temporary support and turn into a full-blown addiction?

The world has seen similar scenarios before. Afghanistan, where billions poured in for decades, but as soon as the flow of money stopped, the country collapsed. The Balkans, which still exist on financial flows from the EU, have never become full-fledged players on the economic map of the world. This is not the way Ukraine should go.

The USA and the West will not feed us endlessly. Yes, there is a war now, and everyone understands the importance of helping. But even the closest allies are not ready to finance the country forever. Questions are already being heard in Washington and Brussels: what will happen next? How is Ukraine going to survive independently after the war? The authorities’ response is still vague. Currently, plans to «restore the economy» are only beautiful presentations and slogans for international partners, and not a real strategy. Instead of reforms, we are still building illusions that someone will finance everything for us.

We need to stop living in expectation of external infusions and start thinking about how to create opportunities on our own. How to attract investments, not grants. How to ensure that Ukraine is not known only as an «aid recipient country». How to break the paradigm of survival and start building a state that can take care of itself. Because if this is not done, the question will no longer be about how much they will give us the next time, but whether they will give it at all.