Two young Ukrainian women who performed on the streets of Ukrainian cities, collecting money to support the Ukrainian army, were killed in Wednesday’s shelling of Zaporizhia. Their last concert was in the city an hour before the attack. “They believed in a bright and peaceful life under the Ukrainian flag,” their friend wrote on social media. “The Russian rocket mercilessly took their voice, life, and with it a piece of the soul of each of us,” the post reads.
On Wednesday, the Russians carried out missile attack on Zaporozhye. Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said that most likely the Russians used Iskander missiles. Several shells hit a residential part of the city. The church was destroyed, houses and shops were also damaged. Four people died in the attack.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that this is another Russian war crime. He also vowed to retaliate for the attack. As he stressed, the Ukrainian defenders will respond to the Russian troops through actions at the front.
Damage after the Russian attack on ZaporozhyeAndriy Yermak/telegram
They sang for Ukraine, died in a Russian attack
According to local media, among the victims of the Russian attack were two young women – 19-year-old Svitlana Semejkina and 21-year-old Kristina Spicyna, who organized concerts in the streets of Ukrainian cities, raising money for the Ukrainian army. Similar Girls – because that was the name of their two-person band – recorded their street performances, later posting them on social media. Their last concert was in Zaporizhia, an hour before the Russian shelling in which both lost their lives.
The last song performed by them was the song “We will win the war” by Ostap Driwka. The recording of the performance was posted on social media by their relatives. The video with Polish subtitles was shared by the Belsat station on its profile.
“Just a few days ago, they wrote on their channel: ‘Today there was a shelling in the city. They hit the spot where we often sing … no words,’ reads Belsat’s post on Twitter.
“They believed in a bright and peaceful life under the Ukrainian flag”
“Yesterday they sang and played together for people. The Russian rocket mercilessly took their voice, life, and with it a piece of each of us’s soul,” wrote a friend of Svitlana and Kristina Wiktoria Knysz in social media. “Their beautiful voices and songs resounded throughout Ukraine (…) and put everyone in a good mood” – she added.
“The girls believed in a bright and peaceful life under the Ukrainian flag. They believed in victory, they brought it closer through their own effort. That’s why now we have to do it for them. May their souls rest in peace. We will remember you. We will never forgive the Russians,” wrote a friend dead women in a Facebook post, and expressed condolences to the relatives of the victims.
The Ukrainian portal Telegraf reports that a fundraiser has been launched online for the relatives of Svitlana and Kristina.
tvn24pl, Belsat, uanews
Main photo source: Emergency State Service/EPA/PAP