Ukrainian violinist plays to her bomb shelter in moving and powerful footage

8 March 2022, 17:59 | Updated: 24 March 2022, 16:03

The power of music, in the darkness of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

A young Ukrainian violinist made a bomb shelter her concert hall, in a moving video amid the Russian war on Ukraine.

The video, tweeted by Ukraine lecturer, writer and hybrid warfare expert Liubov Tsybulska, is captioned: “What we do in bomb shelters when they bomb us from the sky.”

The moving footage shows violinist Vera Lytochenko playing a lyrical melody to families hiding with her in an underground bomb shelter.

She plays the 19th-century Ukrainian folk song What a moonlit night, written by Mykola Lysenko. The violinist is a member of the Kharkiv City Opera Orchestra.

Read more: A solo pianist plays for peace, as Ukrainians cross border into Poland amid Russia invasion

The video has so far gained over 2 million views, with many drawn to the poignancy of the performance, and the steadfastness of music and the human spirit.

“This is another dimension of this war,” Tsybulska said after her tweet went viral.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, music has played an important role in expressing solidarity and resolve. Performances of Ukraine’s national anthem ‘Shche ne vmerla Ukrainas’ have since taken place in opera houses and concert halls around the world.

Music has also been used in protests against the war, and campaigns for humanitarian assistance. On Sunday, 200 classical musicians formed an orchestral flashmob in central London, playing in solidarity with Ukraine.

Flashmob of Ukrainian National Anthem takes place in Trafalgar Square

On the day when bombs first fell on his home city of Kyiv, Ukrainian operatic baritone Yuriy Yurchuk sang his national anthem outside 10 Downing Street in a ‘call for peace’.

Yuriy Yurchuk sings Ukrainian national hymn outside 10 Downing Street