Gallery: Okean Elzy play Tallinn on 'Help for Ukraine Tour'
Ukrainian band Okean Elzy performed the latest show on their "Help for Ukraine" tour on Thursday night at Tallinn's Saku Suurhall.
Formed three years after Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union, the band, who have been together for over 27 years, have played an integral role in the country's recent history and cultural development.
In an interview on ETV current affairs show "Ringvaade" ahead of the Tallinn show, lead singer Svjatoslav Vakartšuk said that, since the war began in February, he had played 140 solo concerts for Ukrainian troops serving on the front line.
"It's acoustic, Bob Dylan style. I'm just playing my guitar and that's it," Vakartšuk told Ringvaade. "Sometimes it's in the trenches, literally for 15-20 people. But, I don't care, I just need to do it, because it's the right thing to do. It inspires the soldiers and it inspires me," he said.
In the morning before the show, Vakartšuk even managed to fit in a run through the streets of Tallinn with Former Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid.
Okean Elzy's "Help for Ukraine Tour" continues, with a show in Kaunas, Lithuania on Saturday, September 10. The tour aims to raise both awareness and much needed funds to support Ukraine as it defends itself from Russian invasion. The money raised will be donated to humanitarian organizations, particularly for those working with children and medical institutions.
The band are also planning to perform a full tour in Ukraine in 2023.
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Editor: Michael Cole