The renowned actor advised his colleagues to travel to Bahmut and Avdiivka, sharing insights into the "mystique" on the front line

Since 2014, the popular Ukrainian actor Mykhailo Kukuyuk has been traveling to military units and hospitals to give performances in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The actor shared his feelings when he was on the contact line from time to time.

In a conversation with OBOZ.UA, Mykhailo Kukuyuk admitted that very strange things happened to him at the frontline. The actor also advised his colleagues to go to the front and collect stories from soldiers because "each of them is a ready-made script."

"I'm going to visit the guys again the day after tomorrow, I have my cell phone, so I packed up and went," says Mykhailo Kukuyuk. "I'll tell you something interesting: with these speeches, I not only try to help our soldiers switch, but first of all, I console myself. At the frontline, a very strange thing happens to me: I become incredibly calm. I don't know why: Druzhkivka, Bakhmut, Avdiivka... I sleep well there. And humor is more acutely perceived there. And there is so much of it! It seems to me that our filmmakers need to travel and collect stories. For every fighter there is a ready-made script. No 'Private Ryan' can compare."

The actor recalled his first speech to the military: "An internal deep exhale, incredible satisfaction from being in action. There were beautiful people in uniform, an incredibly beautiful surroundings. I even decided to take a walk on the grass. But the guys grabbed my hand in time: 'There are mines here, the 'petals' are scattered all around."

Mykhailo Kukuyuk is a well-known film and dubbing actor, musician, and TV presenter. He works at the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater. Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he and other theater actors have been giving concerts in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He sings his satirical songs and recites poems to the soldiers. Some of them are featured in the Franko Theater's musical performance "Muses Are Not Silent." Kateryna Artemenko, Valerii Velychko, Mykhailo Kukuyuk, and Mykhailo Matiukhin perform their original songs written during the war. The production also features riflemen's songs. This was stated in a recent interview by the chief director of the Franko Theater, Dmytro Bohomazov: "The actors perform riflemen's songs that were once stolen by the Bolsheviks, rewritten, and sung as revolutionary songs. For example, 'There, far beyond the river, lights were lit' is actually a Ukrainian rifleman's song. We are taking back what is ours."

Read the full interview with Mykhailo Kukuyuk on OBOZ.UA on Sunday, December 10.

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