The rescue worker and the opera star: Love and fear in wartime Ukraine
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Loading... - EVA REILLY
- 20 Aug 2024
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The story of Oleksii Skorlupin and Yulia Antonova, a rescue worker and an opera star in wartime Ukraine, is a powerful testament to the resilience, love, and courage of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances.
Oleksii Skorlupin is a rescue worker in Kharkiv, a city under constant threat from Russian attacks. His work involves digging civilians out of rubble after bombings, often finding himself in the heart of devastation. The risks are immense, as Russia frequently strikes the same location twice, targeting first responders like him. Skorlupin’s daily reality is filled with unimaginable horrors, from recovering body parts of children to encountering the haunting sight of victims with open eyes. Despite these challenges, he continues his vital work, driven by a hope to find survivors amidst the destruction.
Yulia Antonova, Skorlupin’s wife, is the lead singer at the Kharkiv Opera. In a city that has been battered by war, she performs for locals in a basement stage, bringing a sense of normalcy and hope through music. For a period, she and their two young children were abroad, safe from the immediate dangers in Kharkiv, as the opera went on tour across Europe. However, the separation from her husband and the pull of home eventually brought her back to Kharkiv. Now, she sings in the reopened opera house, a symbol of the city’s resilience.
The couple’s love story is interwoven with the grim reality of war. They are raising their children in a city just 18 miles from the Russian border, far from their families who remain in occupied Crimea and Melitopol. The constant threat of airstrikes means that every phone call after a bombing is filled with the anxiety of checking whether the other has survived.
Despite the daily dangers, Antonova believes deeply in the power of her work to help the city endure. For the people of Kharkiv, who have spent so much time in basements under air raids, her music is a reminder of life’s beauty and resilience. On the other hand, Skorlupin’s wish is more poignant in its simplicity—he wishes his work wasn’t necessary, that people could live without the constant threat of death.
Their story is one of love and fear, survival and hope, in the face of relentless war. It illustrates the different ways people contribute to the survival of a city and its spirit, whether through the physical act of saving lives or the emotional and cultural sustenance of performing arts. Together, they embody the strength and determination of those who refuse to be broken by war.
