A Ukrainian actor has been injured after thugs reportedly smashed a bottle off his head before using it to stab him in the face.
Oleksandr Grekov, 23, was also allegedly bitten by the gang at Eden Quay, Dublin, on Saturday night before he was rushed to hospital. He had just finished performing a Ukrainian version of the Irish play Translations in the city’s celebrated Abbey Theatre when he was attacked.
Oleksandr is attached to the Lesya Ukrainka National Theatre and its spokesman Anastasya Pavlenko said: “Oleksandr was standing near the Abbey after our last show. He was smoking near the main entrance and a group of people tried to take the cigarette from his mouth and his pack of cigarettes.
“Oleksandr tried to follow them and said, ‘These are my cigarettes, what are you doing?’ And the group of people started to hit him with a bottle.
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“They broke it over his head… Some girl was also biting him. There were five of them, two males and three females.
“We are all surprised because we thought that Dublin was nice but sometimes s**t happens, it’s life. We are happy that he is alive.”
Anastasya said she didn’t witness the attack herself but saw Oleksandr in the immediate aftermath. She explained: “I saw the blood and a hole in his head so I was shocked. I was worried about him. It was a bad way to end our shows in Ireland.
“Police and an ambulance came quite quickly. Everybody was so kind and helpful.” When asked how Oleksandr was doing now, Anastasya explained: “He’s pretty good now, he takes painkillers. He is OK but he has huge wounds on his face.”
She said she believes the group who attacked him were aged in their mid-20s.
Anastasya also revealed that due to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, the group must get permission from Kiev’s Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Defence in order for men to be allowed to leave the war-torn nation.
The 28-strong group of actors and production staff, flew back to Kyiv yesterday after finishing a seven-show run.
Translations was written by Brian Friel and was first performed in 1980. It tells the story of a country where landmarks and place names are wiped and renamed in a new language.
The Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Drama Theatre version was originally performed in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv last October.
The Dublin shows were in Ukrainian and tickets for anybody displaced by war and crisis cost €5.
Anastasya said apart from Oleksandr being attacked, the crew found being in Ireland “very good”. She added: “It was a good experience being in Ireland. We love Dublin and we loved our audiences and we love Irish people – so we were happy to be here.”
Gardai said nobody has been arrested for the assault yet. In a statement, a spokesman added: “Officers received report of an incident of assault on Eden Quay on Saturday evening.
“A man aged in his 20s was taken to the Mater Hospital to be treated for injuries believed to be non-life threatening. No arrests have been made but our inquiries are ongoing.”
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