The star of "The Serf" talked about a dispute with Russian actors over language: hardly any of the Ukrainians stood up for her

Actress Nataliia Vasko discussed a public conflict on a film set in Kyiv with two Russian actors who had come to the city for filming and behaved as if they were at home. The actress pointed out with disappointment that almost no Ukrainians supported her during the incident.

Nataliia Vasko shared these details in an interview with OBOZ.UA. She mentioned that only one director expressed solidarity, and he did so quietly and privately.

"I had several arguments with the Russians on the set - it felt like my own Maidan," Vasko remarked. They whispered to me only once. After a heated exchange with Dmytro Pchela and Volodymyr Lytvyn, who discussed "Greater and Lesser Russia" with me during the shoot, one of the directors approached me. They asked, "Why are you speaking Ukrainian here?" I couldn't tolerate it and responded, "Are you going to dictate which language I should use in my everyday life? I joined this project, and the script is in Russian, so I'll speak your Moscow dialect in the film. How I speak with my mother is my own business."

"Everyone remained silent, even though it was our crew. Only one director stated, 'Today, I felt a deep sense of horror because, for the first time, I witnessed the reality of Russian fascism.' I turned to him and said, 'Zhenia, why is it so quiet?'" the actress added.

In a related context, OBOZ.UA previously reported on the fight choreographer Dikusar explaining why he intentionally speaks Russian in eastern Ukraine.

You can read the full interview with Nataliia Vasko on OBOZ.UA on Sunday, November 5.