Kyiv is set to play host to Ukraine’s largest music festival, ATLAS, for the first time since the Russian invasion, now rebranded as ATLAS UNITED. The event will take place at the city’s Blockbuster Mall from July 12-14, owing to its hiatus as a result of the conflict that began in February 2022. Over 70 Ukrainian artists will take to the stage, with support from international acts yet to be announced. Donations from ticket sales of the festival will go to Ukraine’s armed forces, with an underground parking structure available should an air siren go off to signal a Russian attack.
In the past, ATLAS welcomed up to 600,000 attendees and presented performances from established acts such as Liam Gallagher, Kasabian, Placebo, The Chemical Brothers, and The Prodigy. Meanwhile, former Eurovision winner, Jamala, recently emphasised artists’ significance in keeping Russia’s campaign in the country on the agenda. She urged artists to “be as loud and creative” as possible, adding that it is “difficult to constantly keep attention on yourself so that people do not get tired of our war.”
In her view, the responsibility of “finding new ways of how to reveal and show their country” falls on artists in the country. There are currently several wars across the world, and it is essential to continue drawing attention to Ukraine’s war. She went on to suggest that Ukraine’s 2024 Eurovision entry, Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil, should undertake extensive interviews and discussions. Their interviews will help draw attention to the fact that the war in Ukraine continues.
Jamala herself was the subject of controversy in Russia, which reciprocated last year by placing her on its wanted list due to her alleged “violating criminal law.” She claims that the false information she spread was about Russia’s military and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The war, the largest such assault on a European country since World War II, is responsible for tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties
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