In 1979, Protsenko became the chief architect for Pripyat, though she was barred from joining the Communist Party because of her Chinese birth.[4] Working under Dipromisto,[2] she supervised the city's expansion. During the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, her knowledge and her access to city maps put her in charge of the city's evacuation.[5] She was one of the last people to leave Pripyat. After its evacuation, she worked with the KGB to seal off the city.[1]
In 1991, she fell ill to paraparesis (weakness of the legs).[3] Her husband Viktor died in 2005.[3] The deaths of her husband, and also her son, was attributed to Chernobyl by Protsenko's daughter Natalia.[6] As of 2019, Protsenko is teaching art, design and architecture at the Art Institute for Decorative Modelling and Design in Kyiv.[2][7]
In November 2021, a crowdfunding campaign was initiated for her medical expenses related to gastric and gallbladder tumor.[8] On April 3, 2022, Maria appeared in a YouTube video from Yes Theory. The hosts met up with her in a refugee center in Poland, following her and her family’s escape from Ukraine during the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine. During the interview, she lamented the war, and urged for peace. In an Instagram post, Yes Theory stated that Protsenko and her daughter made it safely to Germany.[9][10]