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One Ukrainian musician is trading in his microphone for military fatigues and an assault rifle as he aids in the country’s efforts to thwart Russian insurgents.
Andriy Khlyvnyuk from the Ukrainian band Boombox was seen in social media images and videos donning his new getup and toting a weapon instead of a guitar amid the deadly Russian invasion.
“Musicians are peacemakers,” Khlyvnyuk, 42, recently told the Euronews website — but “now it’s not time for playing guitars. It’s time to take the rifles.”
“They bombed us,” added the musician who has left his children in the care of his grandmother in the interim.
MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY TELLS INSTAGRAM HE’S IN POLAND AFTER FLEEING UKRAINE
Ukranian musician Andriy Khlyvnyuk, right donning New York Yankees ballcap, joins fight against Russian invasion.
(BOOMBOX FAMILY/INSTAGRAM)
However, Khlyvnyuk is still using his musical powers for good and on Monday, the 42-year-old was seen in social media images outside a church delivering an inspirational performance designed to motivate and uplift the spirits of those in the ongoing fight.
The image shows Khlyvnyuk clad in military garb, a New York Yankees cap and a rifle over his shoulder.
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On Sunday, Khlyvniuk echoed a similar sentiment on his decision to stay in the fight telling Rolling Stone that in his estimation, Ukraine is well-equipped to handle any push from Russian troops.
“We do not need anything,” he said. “It’s them who need us. Both the West and Ukraine declare adherence to the same principles: equal rights for all, rule of law, right to choose, human rights above all, not the animal rule of the strongest, but morality and intellect.”
“They need us as the shield to protect it all,” Khlyvniuk said.
Meanwhile, On Tuesday, “Dancing with the Stars” alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy revealed that he has safely made it to Poland after fleeing his native country Ukraine.
MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY ON A TRAIN TO WARSAW FOLLOWING ARREST AS HE ATTEMPTS TO FLEE UKRAINE
The professional dancer posted to his Instagram Story on Tuesday morning, writing, “I’m in Poland.”
In a second post, Chmerkovskiy revealed that he hasn’t slept in 31 hours. While he’s crossed the border into Poland by train, the 42-year-old said he was still one and a half hours away from his destination.
“Dancing with the Stars” alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy revealed that he has safely made it to Poland after fleeing his native country Ukraine.
(Maksim Chmerkovskiy/GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images)
The star’s latest update follows several others he’s shared with fans via social media since first revealing last week that he was in Kyiv when the Russia invasion began.
“The situation at the train station is insane. AT first it feels manageable, but it gets A LOT worse when it comes time to actually board the train. Long story but all I can say now is that I’m a big man with nothing but a backpack it’s TRAUMATIZING,” he said in an Instagram Live on Tuesday.
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Chmerkovskiy described the capacity of the train “wagon” as being 30 people normally but claimed they were told the “wagon” would need to fit 135 people.
“Walkways are packed,” he revealed. “People everywhere. It’s sweaty and claustrophobic.”
In a dig at invaders, the dance pro pressed that the “Russian army can’t even lose a boxing fight without cheating.”
Russia started its attack on Ukraine last week.
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Russian strikes pounded the central square in Ukraine’s second-largest city and other civilian sites Tuesday in what the country’s president condemned as blatant campaign of terror by Moscow.
Fox News’ Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this report.
