Accomplished Ukrainian dancer in Hawaii uses social media to aid her war-torn nation

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - An accomplished Ukrainian dancer who is now performing in Hawaii is using social media to seek aid for Ukrainians devastated by the Russian invasion.

Champion ballroom dancer Antonina Skobina is from the town of Mariupol, where more than 2,000 people have died since the invasion.

“My family, I don’t know if they are alive. I don’t know where they are — whether they are at home or in bomb shelters,” she said.

Skobina is a member of the Stars of American Ballet dance troupe that performed Saturday night at the Hawaii Theater.

She said dancing in front of a live audience gives her the strength to cope with the harsh realities her family members are facing.

“People in Mariupol don’t have gas, electricity, water. They don’t have connection with the world. They almost don’t have any more food left,” she said.

“They’re really bombing residential areas, they’re bombing maternity wards, they’re bombing schools. They’re committing crimes against humanity. And at this point, it’s already genocide of Ukrainian people.”

As an artist, Skobina is using her social media platform to seek aid for people devastated by the war.

She, along with Ukrainian nationals who are now here, welcome the humanitarian aid and the economic sanctions that America and its allies have place on Russian. But they said that’s still not enough.

“Countries are wary of getting involved obviously, as any country should be. You don’t send your own people to death,” said Olexiy Dvornikov, and Oahu resident who grew up in the Ukraine.

“But every day that people are not pouring more help into Ukraine, more people are going to die.”

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