Ukraine bids farewell to fallen opera conductor

Tearful mourners bid farewell on Tuesday to a celebrated Ukrainian opera conductor who was killed fighting Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.

Kostiantyn Starovytskyi, who joined the military after Russia’s February 2022 invasion, died last week near the city of Kramatorsk.

Starovytskyi, 40, had staged numerous operas in Kyiv, including Gaetano Donizetti’s Rita, and was invited to the Berlin Opera Academy in 2021 as an assistant conductor.

“It’s a shame that many of his plans, projects and ideas will remain only ideas,” said colleague Svitlana Melnychenko.

Friends, relatives and fellow service members laid flowers in Starovytskyi’s open coffin during a service outside the capital Kyiv, where they reflected on what they described as his positive nature.

“He was always very warm towards people – a holy person,” said university friend Ievhen Hryma, 37.

Starovytskyi is among a growing number of artists, athletes, and other public figures who have died fighting Russian forces in Ukraine.