New York, Ukraine: Ruins, Unemployment, And Mystery

New York, Ukraine, is a town of 10,000 inhabitants that was recently shelled by Russia-backed separatists. The origin of its name is a mystery. Some link it to 19th-century German settlers, but others point to evidence from the 18th century. In 1951, Soviet authorities renamed it Novgorodskoe, but last month the Ukrainian parliament voted to give the town its old name back. Whether it can revive the fortunes of a town whose population has been in decline since the collapse of the Soviet Union is another matter.