During a Victory Performance, a 'Kwang' Sound... Russian Actress Dies Due to Ukraine Airstrike

Polina Menshik... Over 20 People Dead

A Russian actress died after being caught in a Ukrainian airstrike while performing to boost the morale of soldiers.

Polina Menshik. [Photo by Polina Menshik Instagram capture]

According to major foreign media reports on the 22nd (local time), Russian actress Polina Menshik was killed in an explosion along with about 20 Russian soldiers while holding a celebratory performance for the Russian military at a ballroom in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine, on the 19th.

The ballroom had been occupied by Russian forces since the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and was located in the village of Kumachovran, about 60 km from the frontline where the two countries' armies have been fiercely clashing recently. The ballroom was known to have a maximum capacity of 150 people.

The ballroom where Russian actress Polina Menshik passed away.
[Photo by Telegram]

According to a video posted on social media (SNS), a woman believed to be Menshik was playing guitar and singing on stage when an explosion was heard, and the ballroom was instantly plunged into darkness.

Menshik, who was injured, was taken to a hospital but eventually died. The Russian authorities have not yet issued any official statement regarding her death.

Her theater troupe Portal, based in Saint Petersburg, announced that they would stage a memorial performance of a play she had previously directed.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Rights Office announced that the number of civilian deaths in the Russia-Ukraine war has exceeded at least 10,000. It further analyzed that the majority of civilian deaths were caused by explosive weapons causing wide-area damage, such as shells, missiles, and cluster munitions.

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