Ukrainian artist performs at a fundraising event in Rochester to help with war evacuation efforts

Rochester, New York – In support of Ukraine’s war against Russia, a concert was held in the downtown section of the city on Tuesday night.

As Iryna Fedyshyn took the stage, more than 350 people crowded the Holiday Inn on State Street, helping to raise money for 200 evacuation vans for people in her war-torn native Ukraine.

Lyiv-born Fedyshyn, a singer-songwriter from Ukraine, is touring the United States. She has already raised more than $1 million for humanitarian causes.

“The goal is for 200 (vehicles). We’ve already purchased 182 with the four concerts I’ve already had here in the U.S.,” Fedyshyn said. “The outpouring and the amount of support is astounding. I know without a doubt that we will hit 200.”

Fedyshyn praised the strength of the Ukrainian people and expressed her gratitude to the Americans for allowing her to share her message.

“The men and women in Ukraine are ready to fight,” Fedyshyn said. “They just don’t have the armor, and they don’t have the weapons.”

Viktoriia Sydorova, a foreign exchange student from Ukraine who studied at Nazareth University last year, expressed surprise at how many other Ukrainians she knew in the neighborhood.

“It actually has been an incredible experience,” Sydorova said. “Before I came here, I actually didn’t know there is such a huge Ukranian community. I was so surprised.”

But Sydorova’s days in the United States are done.
On Wednesday, she will return to her hometown of Kharkiv, which is located directly on the Russian and Ukrainian borders.

“I actually have mixed feelings in coming back home,” Sydorova explained. “I am happy to go back and see my family, but on the other hand, it’s a little dangerous.”

The performance on Tuesday was the fifth show in Fedyshyn’s American tour. Later this week, her crew is leaving for Chicago.