This will definitely be one of the most dangerous rock tours in history. Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, 46, the lead singer of the band Okean Elzy and probably Ukraine’s biggest rock star, was preparing to play the band’s latest album at locations sold around the world starting April. A record attendance at a concert at Ocean Els Stadium. Vakarchuk’s popularity is such that two out of three Ukrainians wanted him to run for president three years ago.
However, his visit to Zaporizhia Hospital, in the city of Southeastern Ukraine, shortly after the Russian invasion, pushed Vakarchuk on a less comfortable tour, which took him to the battle front, to hospitals, to train station halls. It is full of people fleeing desperately from their cities, to underground platforms, where civilians are fleeing bombs and newly bombed places. All this is an absolute secret in order to avoid being targeted by Russian forces.
“The first concert was in Zaporozhye a few weeks ago,” Vakarchuk explained during a brief stop in the western Ukrainian city of Lvov. “They wanted to sing in front of the staff and a few soldiers with minor injuries. We went out into the yard. And we were surrounded, you know, by things like face masks or military camouflage equipment. It was like that. Very exciting. I sang a few songs. Chapel. And I decided to continue it. “
Since then he has sung in Odessa, near the statue of the Duke of Richelieu, in memory of the city’s founder, from Russian ships hidden in the Black Sea and from ships sheltered in the Kharkiv metro, in the eastern city, where it’s worst. There were bombings.
Vakarchuk, known as Slava, played a 50-minute piano concerto in front of Lviv Central Station for refugees, police and military units who face daily attacks from Russia. It is represented in universities and major workplaces to give them the strength to continue in hell. He explains that he plays in such a way that “citizens feel” that he is “with them”. “I’m not watching, but I’ve probably sung in eight or ten cities,” he says.
The singer says that during a visit to Kharkov, while playing for the hideouts from the bomb shelters, he could not recall the bombing of London by the German army during World War II.
“It’s easy to think of this picture from the 1941 London movies, when Londoners were hiding in a mile during the Nazi bombing,” he said. “The feeling is similar. Ukrainians know that probably no country is going to fight this enemy. Even if we are left alone, we intend to do it ourselves and have no choice, otherwise we will disappear as a country.” Only trying to inspire or comfort others. Other times he sings to protest the situation.
Vakarchuk is carrying a toy car as a mascot, which was left to him by his nine-month-old son, Ivan, who has been in a safe place for several weeks. The singer admits that he takes care of his own safety during the tour: “I wonder, but I will tell you one thing: we are a small team and we have some security. I am not really alone. Secondly, the truth is that there is no safe place in the country.”
Vakarchuk has the rank of lieutenant in the army, which allows him to travel across the country. He was invited to raise money abroad, but said: “The law does not allow men who can carry weapons to leave the country and I really do not want to.”
Would he be able to shoot another soldier? “This is a very difficult question for those who have never done it. I do not think there is an easy answer to this question. But I am sure that, like thousands of others, I will do so if the need arises.”
Translated by Emma Reverter
Source: El Diario
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
