Photos show Ukrainian war veterans as they find healing and hope under the stage lights

News > Arts & Entertainment News

Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
A woman supports Andrii Onopriienko, who was left blind from severe injuries he suffered in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, before the premiere of an adaptation of Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s “Eneida,” a Ukrainian reimagining of Virgil’s “Aeneid,” in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
A woman supports Andrii Onopriienko, who was left blind from severe injuries he suffered in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, before the premiere of an adaptation of Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s “Eneida,” a Ukrainian reimagining of Virgil’s “Aeneid,” in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Artem Moroz, who sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, performs during the play premiere in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Artem Moroz, who sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, performs during the play premiere in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Viewers react to the premiere of an adaptation of Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s “Eneida,” a Ukrainian reimagining of Virgil’s “Aeneid,” performed by war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Viewers react to the premiere of an adaptation of Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s “Eneida,” a Ukrainian reimagining of Virgil’s “Aeneid,” performed by war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Director Olha Semioshkina supports Yehor Babenko a war veteran who sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, before the premiere of an adaptation of Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s “Eneida,” a Ukrainian reimagining of Virgil’s “Aeneid,” in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Director Olha Semioshkina supports Yehor Babenko a war veteran who sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, before the premiere of an adaptation of Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s “Eneida,” a Ukrainian reimagining of Virgil’s “Aeneid,” in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Andrii Onopriienko, who lost his eyesight in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, performs during the premiere of an adaptation of Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s “Eneida,” a Ukrainian reimagining of Virgil’s “Aeneid,” in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Andrii Onopriienko, who lost his eyesight in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, performs during the premiere of an adaptation of Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s “Eneida,” a Ukrainian reimagining of Virgil’s “Aeneid,” in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Artem Moroz, who sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, performs during the play premiere in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Artem Moroz, who sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, performs during the play premiere in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Viewers react to the premiere of an adaptation of Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s “Eneida,” a Ukrainian reimagining of Virgil’s “Aeneid,” performed by war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Viewers react to the premiere of an adaptation of Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s “Eneida,” a Ukrainian reimagining of Virgil’s “Aeneid,” performed by war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukrainian war veterans, many of whom sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, perform during a premiere on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Taras Kozuk, a war veteran who sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, plays the hurdy-gurdy, a traditional musical instrument, during a rehearsal in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Taras Kozuk, a war veteran who sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, plays the hurdy-gurdy, a traditional musical instrument, during a rehearsal in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Andrii Onopriienko, left, and Taras Kozuk, war veterans who sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, relax before the premiere of an adaptation of Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s “Eneida,” a Ukrainian reimagining of Virgil’s “Aeneid,” in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Andrii Onopriienko, left, and Taras Kozuk, war veterans who sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, relax before the premiere of an adaptation of Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s “Eneida,” a Ukrainian reimagining of Virgil’s “Aeneid,” in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Yehor Babenko, a war veteran who sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, performs during rehearsal in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Yehor Babenko, a war veteran who sustained severe injuries in combat during Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, performs during rehearsal in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

9:07 PM on Friday, February 20

By EFREM LUKATSKY

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — War veterans living with severe injuries from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have taken the stage in Kyiv, transforming personal trauma into powerful storytelling through an adaptation of “Eneida” by Ivan Kotliarevskyi, a Ukrainian reimagining of Virgil's “Aeneid.” Directed by Olha Semioshkina, the amateur troupe spent nearly a year preparing for its premiere at the Kyiv National Academic Molodyy Theatre. The production blends epic poetry with humor, resilience and firsthand wartime experiences.

___

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

This content is used here with permission. To view the original visit: https://apnews.com/article/kyiv-ukraine-russia-war-wounded-veterans-theater-55e209d6197d83ada86034396675088e
 

You might also be interested in:

Salem News Channel Today

Sponsored Links

On Air & Up Next

  • Amazing Facts
    7:00PM - 8:00PM
     
    Each Amazing Facts broadcast opens with an amazing fact and is then followed   >>
     
  • Firing Line Radio Show
    8:00PM - 9:00PM
     
    Rick Travis will cover the world of firearms each week in an entertaining and   >>
     
  • Our Watch
    9:00PM - 9:30PM
     
    Our Watch with Tim Thompson is an outreach of 412 Church Temecula Valley. Their   >>
     
  • Walk in Truth
    9:30PM - 10:00PM
     
    Michael Lantz is the Senior Pastor of Living Truth Christian Fellowship in   >>
     
  • Wildwood Calvary Chapel Radio
    10:00PM - 10:30PM
     
    Pastor Chris Fraley planted Wildwood Calvary Chapel over 20 years ago. It was a   >>
     

See the Full Program Guide