“The last windows were destroyed, a security guard was injured,” – General Director of the “Ukraine” Palace about the rocket attack
On the eve of the New Year, on December 31, more than one explosion rang out in Kyiv: air defense forces vigorously shot down enemy rockets aimed at the capital.
A fragment of one of these fell near the four-star ALFAVITO Kyiv hotel, next to the Palats Ukraina metro station.
At the same time, an explosive wave hit the Palace “Ukraine”: windows in the building were blown out, the area was covered with glass and debris.
The journalist of the “Evening Kyiv” edition managed to catch her Andriy Vydysh, acting general director of Palace “Ukraine”. at the site of dismantling works in the building and to talk about the consequences of shelling.
A YEAR AGO, THE PALACE WAS SOLD OUT, CYOGORYCH — DESTRUCTION
Andriy began our conversation with the fact that exactly one year ago, on December 31, 2021, the Palace was sold out. Four thousand residents of Kyiv came to the New Year’s musical “New Snow Queen”. And who would have known that a year later, just hours before the New Year, the capital’s main concert venue would be in a state of emergency.
“On the day when a fragment of a downed rocket fell near the Palace, there were guards and guards in the middle of the building. After the “Air Alarm” signal, everyone, except the guard, went down into the shelter. And when the explosion happened, the staff informed me about the destruction, and I immediately came to the place,” Andriy Vydysh tells our publication.
Together with the Acting General Director, specialists related to the infrastructure of the Palace also arrived on the spot. They promptly developed an action plan and began to clear the territory from the village.
THE INJURED GUARDIAN CELEBRATED THE NEW YEAR AT HOME
Due to the fact that the staff “overrode” the air alarm in the shelter, only one person received a non-critical injury.
The explosive wave swept away the guard who was keeping order in the Palace to the last. His condition was not critical, the man twisted his leg. Doctors promptly provided assistance and, according to his own wishes, the concert venue was sent to celebrate the New Year.
DISMANTLING OF OVER 400 WINDOWS IS NOW IN PROGRESS
Today, dismantling works are in full swing in the Palace.
More than 400 windows with cracks. The second three of them are double-glazed windows, and about a hundred are stained-glass windows.
Capital rescuers, “armed” with tools, tear out double-glazed windows with a sliding blaster. You can also break glass from inside the Palace. There is a lot of work, so dismantling will take several days. However, the rescuers are trying to finish before the onset of frost. only this should be pulled in to cover the cracks with reinforced film and chipboard. In this way, it will be possible to preserve the property of the Palace.
Inside, the Palace suffered minor damage. There is damage to some doors, furniture and appliances that were near the windows.
MILLIONS WILL GO TO RESTORE
A professional commission will later assess the consequences of the shelling for the Palace. They are already describing the ongoing repair work, which, according to the administration’s preliminary calculations, will cost more than one million hryvnias.
Those who care are already being asked to help the main concert venue of Kyiv return to a beautiful and safe appearance.
“Palace “Ukraine” wants to be a state enterprise, but it is not financed by the state. That’s why we ask philanthropists, businesses, our guests and stars who performed on this stage to help the Palace restore the damage caused by Russian aggression,” summarizes Andriy Vidish.
Details of assistance to the “Ukraine” Palace:
SE “National Palace of Arts “Ukraine”
EDRPOU code 02 221 461
JSC CB “Privatbank”
UA 903 052 990 000 026 009 006 706 216
Charitable contributions for the restoration of the Palace
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during, on December 31, Russia once again bombarded the capital with missiles. According to the words Mayor of Kyiv Vitaliy Klitschka is hit fixed for several addresses in Solomyansk, Holosiivsk, Dnipro and Pechersk districts. 55 rescuers worked intensively in all areas.
One of the fragments from a downed enemy missile damaged the Palace “Ukraine”. It was published in the concern site video with a video surveillance camera from the moment of the explosion. It shows how instantly empty halls and offices are filled with thousands of small fragments.
However, significant destruction came down to the Alfavito hotel Kyiv, located near the Palats Ukraina metro station. At the time of the explosion in the Kyiv hotel were two Japanese journalists: 59-year-old Norito Kunisue and 36-year-old Ko Sekida. The first suffered a shock, the second was injured in the leg, and are currently not under the supervision of doctors.
On the same day, a fragment of a downed rocket took the life of a resident of the Solomyan district. Nini is the husband of the deceased remembers: after the explosion, he was left with only his son and an iron.
DASA HRYSHINAphoto Boris Korpusenko“Evening Kyiv”