By: Tristan Ascenzo

On June 17, 2022, Ukraine showed Russia that they weren’t scared of war by reopening the famous Odesa Opera House. On the day of the opening, they sang the Ukrainian national anthem and projected photos of their land that reminded them of peaceful times.

The beautiful Opera house was only able to host one-third of its capacity due to security restrictions. Viacheslav Chernukho-Volich, the opera’s chief conductor, didn’t let this stop him from showcasing scenes from famous operas, including Romeo and Juliet. The music seemed to make people forget the savagery directed against their hometown.

“We got permission to perform from the military 10 days ago, and today is pure happiness,” said Chernukho-Volich. Chernukho-Volich used to work in Moscow but left after witnessing Putin’s actions he left.

The applause at the end of the performance was emotional for many people. “It is art that is going to help us survive and to preserve our essence so that we can win this war,” said Marina Najmytenko. Najmytenko, a soprano who played Juliet, was filled with emotion and patriotism after her performance. “It just makes us depressed just how crazy Putin seems to be,” she said.

It is hard to believe just three months ago this city was hit by a rocket attack that killed eight people. Now it seems that normal life has been restored. “It is important to show that Odessa is alive, that we want to live and create while the way of the Russian occupiers is killing and death,” said Gennadiy Trukhanov, the mayor of Odesa.