UPDATE: A GoFundMe page in aid of Oleksandr Smykovskyi has now been launched here
A Ukrainian violin maker whose livelihood has been devastated by the ongoing Russian invasion is calling for help.
Oleksandr Smykovskyi was born, raised and lived his entire life in Mariupol, Ukraine, establishing his violin making business in 1996. When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February, Smykovskyi was forced to flee his home and workshop.
The eastern city of Mariupol has suffered extensively during the invasion, with reports of over 5000 civilians killed since Russian forces laid siege in February.
’My home and my violin shop are completely destroyed, including all my tools, my woods, all instruments including five new violins in various stages of completion. Like many of my countrymen, I am a now a displaced person, a refugee without any basic belongings or means of livelihood.’ Smykovskyi told The Strad.
PLEASE READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE.