Ukraine Opera Theater Resumes Performances Amid War: "We Must Show That We Are Alive"

A sandbag fortification built in front of the Odessa Opera House to prepare for a Russian attack. Photo by AP, Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] The Odessa Opera House, located in Ukraine's largest port city and heavily damaged by Russia's invasion, has resumed performances.

On the 18th (local time), according to The New York Times (NYT), the Odessa Opera House reopened 115 days after the Russian invasion.

First built in 1810, this opera house is a national theater and a landmark of Odessa. Vyacheslav Chernukhovoly, the theater's chief conductor, told the NYT, "We received permission from the Ukrainian military authorities to resume performances ten days ago."

Although there have been no direct attacks by Russian forces on Odessa in recent weeks, shelling by Russia continued in Mykolaiv, about 70 miles (approximately 112 km) away from Odessa. As a result, sandbags for defense were piled up like barricades in front of the theater building, and before the performance started, announcements instructed attendees to move to the shelter inside the theater if air raid sirens sounded.

Chernukhovoly said, "At the beginning of the war, explosions and air raid sirens were frightening and felt unreal, like watching a movie about World War II, but humans eventually adapt," emphasizing, "It was not easy, but we believe civilization will prevail."

The performance began with the Ukrainian national anthem and included duets from "Romeo and Juliet" as well as pieces by Konstantin Dankevich, a composer born in Odessa.

Due to strict security regulations, only one-third of the theater's full capacity was allowed to attend. Nevertheless, after the performance, applause and shouts of "Bravo" poured out.

Marina Nazmytenko, the soprano playing Juliet, said, "Art will help us survive and preserve our essence so that we can ultimately win this war."

Gennadiy Trukhanov, mayor of Odessa, mentioned in an interview with the media, "It is most important to show that Odessa and Ukraine are alive."

Odessa is a port on the southern Black Sea coast of Ukraine and was once a major grain export hub for Ukraine. However, in May, Russian forces completely blockaded Odessa from the southwest after attacking Mariupol in eastern Ukraine and launched missile strikes, halting the entry and exit of ships in Odessa.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.