The Hutsulia Ensemble reports an attack: the artists have fractures, concussions and bruises

Members of the Ivano-Frankivsk National Song and Dance Ensemble "Hutsulia" who were returning from a concert tour abroad were attacked at a gas station in Lviv region. This was reported by artistic director of the Vasyl Sheremeta Ensemble and head svitlana Onyshchuk, head of the regional military administration.

She said that the artists had been attacked by a group of people and called on law enforcement officers to promptly and impartially investigate the circumstances of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.

"Violence against artists who represent Ukraine abroad with dignity and were returning from a long tour is absolutely unacceptable... Such incidents should not happen again. Ukrainian culture and the people who create and popularize it deserve respect and proper protection," Onyshchuk said.

The artistic director told the details of the incident, which occurred at an OKKO gas station in Sheptytsky (Chervonohrad) during the curfew at about 03:00.

According to Sheremet, the attackers – six aggressive young men and three women – broke into the bus, threw things around, provoked a conflict, and then began physical violence. He noted that it was not a fight, but a one-sided attack.

The artists tried to calm the situation and defended the girls. However, the members of the ensemble suffered numerous injuries:

→ broken noses;

→ numerous bruises, bruised ribs;

→ concussion;

→ complex fracture with displacement, surgery is required;

→ The administrator of the ensemble was injured – she was pushed, her ribs were bruised, she was under severe stress.

on December 11, the band is scheduled to perform in Poland. Law enforcement officers arrived at the scene of the conflict, but the artists have "serious questions" for them as well. In particular, the attackers were not detained, and the police calmly communicated with them despite the foul language and aggressive behavior on their part.

"We don't draw conclusions, we ask questions. We are not looking for hype – we are looking for justice. It's a matter of people's safety, trust in law enforcement, and whether it's safe to move around in Ukraine. The beatings have been stopped. We expect an objective and public investigation of this incident," Sheremeta said.

Police of Lviv region saidthe police opened criminal proceedings under the article on hooliganism. Law enforcement officials confirmed that three artists and the driver, aged 25 to 44, were injured. All participants in the incident have been identified, and investigative actions are underway.

Hooliganism is punishable by restraint of liberty for up to five years or imprisonment for up to four years.

• december 4 in Lviv mortally wounded with a knife to a military TCC. The attacker was detained and taken into custody without the right to post collateral until January 30, 2026.