In the Lviv region, an attack was carried out on the artists of the Hutsul ensemble “Hutsuliya”: details

Members of the Ivano-Frankivsk National Academic Hutsul Song and Dance Ensemble “Hutsuliya” were attacked at a gas station in Sheptytskyi, Lviv Oblast. Police are investigating the incident.

This was reported by the ensemble’s general director, Vasyl Sheremeta , the Lviv region police , and the head of the regional military administration in the Carpathian region , Svetlana Onyshchuk .

According to the ensemble, the artists were returning home after 25 concerts in Poland and Finland. At 3:30 a.m. on December 7, at the OKKO gas station in Sheptytsky, a group of approximately six men and three women, in a distraught state, stormed the artists’ bus, threw their belongings around, provoked a conflict, and then began beating them.

“It wasn’t a brawl, but a one-sided attack. The performers tried to calm the situation and defend the girls,” Sheremeta said.

According to official reports, several members of the ensemble suffered serious injuries, including broken noses, bruises, concussions, and displaced fractures. The group’s administrator was also injured, diagnosed with bruised ribs and severe stress.

The artists contacted the police, but expressed concerns about the actions of the law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene. They noted that the attackers were not immediately detained, and the video shows them cursing even at the police, while the patrol officers interacted calmly with them.

Against this backdrop, the head of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Military District called for a prompt and impartial investigation and punishment of those responsible. She emphasized that violence against artists representing Ukraine abroad is unacceptable.

Police clarified that three performers and the bus driver, all residents of Ivano-Frankivsk aged 25 to 44, were injured in the conflict. One of the injured suffered a fracture, while the others suffered bruises and abrasions.

Law enforcement officials claim to have identified all participants in the incident and are conducting investigative actions with them. Criminal proceedings have been initiated under Part 2 of Article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – hooliganism, which carries a sentence of up to five years of restricted freedom or up to four years in prison.