A Shahed UAV struck the house of  puppet mechanic Oleh Zablotskyi during a Russian attack on the city of Kharkiv.

Source: Kharkiv Puppet Theatre on social media

Details: The theatre announced a fundraiser to support their wounded colleague. On 29 March, a Russian Shahed drone struck Zablotskyi’s home. His wife was killed, the house was destroyed and he was taken to hospital.

Photo: Kharkiv State Academic Puppet Theatre

Zablotskyi turns 73 on 10 April. To support him, his colleagues launched a donation campaign: "On this day, we would very much like to support Oleh and wish him a happy birthday. So we’re opening a fundraiser for him – please join in with your contributions and reposts".

Zablotskyi was responsible for bringing puppets to life in nearly all of the performances of the theatre that continued working despite the war.

Background:

• On 29 March, a drone strike on Kharkiv killed 2 people and injured 30 others, including 5 children.
• The Kharkiv State Academic Puppet Theatre named after V. Afanasiev turned to a volunteer hub in 2022. In February 2023, it reopened its stage to the public for the first time since the full-scale invasion.
• Theatre director Oksana Dmytriieva won the Women in Performing Arts category of the Ukrainian Women in Arts. The Resistance 2024 Award. This year, she was also featured in the UP100. Power of Women project.

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