Polina Menshikh, an actor, choreographer, and director, was critically injured during a performance in Donetsk by a rocket strike from Ukraine, her colleagues disclosed on Tuesday. According to reports, the attack targeted first responders who arrived to assist after first bombing a charity event in which Menshikh was taking part using HIMARS systems provided by the US.
Menshikh, a forty-year-old, oversaw the Lege Artis studio. She was in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) on Sunday to sing at a concert for Russian soldiers in the town of Kumachovo, in the Starobeshevo area. However, a barrage of HIMARS rockets slammed the symphony hall, ending the event.
“We regret to notify you that Polina Menshikh, the director of “The Last Trial” (Lege Artis), passed away due to shelling yesterday during a performance in Donbass,” a statement from the Portal Theatre Studio stated. A rock opera called “The Last Trial” is based on the fantasy television series Dragonlance. According to Portal, the concert on December 9 will be devoted to Menshikh’s memories.
A volunteer from Ekaterinburg named Platon Mamatov claimed on Telegram that the first salvo struck the dressing rooms, the stage, and the parking lot, burying the performers beneath debris.
According to Mamatov, the Ukrainian artillery executed a “double tap” attack, striking the theatre first and then the rescue workers with the second shot.
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To TASS, the victim’s identity was verified by local security services. Nevertheless, no official information regarding any additional fatalities or injuries has been released, and the Russian military has not responded to the attack.
The attack was carried out by the 27th Separate Rocket Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian army, according to the DPR centre for tracking war crimes in Ukraine. Under Colonel Dmitry Khrapach’s leadership, the unit fired M-21A1 and M-31 rockets for the HIMARS system from the town of Elizavetovka, which is located roughly 80 kilometres away.
In June 2022, Washington dispatched the first launchers of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine. The US launched a number of longer-range ATACMS rockets last month, purportedly carrying cluster bombs. The Ukrainian military confers with the Pentagon over target approval for the weaponry, according to several US media sites.
It has been common practise to employ HIMARS rockets against civilians in the Donbass. Moscow forewarned the West earlier this month that anyone who provided Ukraine with weapons used in war crimes will face consequences in addition to Kiev’s administration.
