Actors Ben Whishaw and Maisie Williams have given grim readings of translated Ukrainian poetry at a live event to raise money for the besieged country.
Dressed in black against blue and yellow backlights, movie and TV stars on Tuesday read emotionally charged passages to thousands of people at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Center in London.
The event, called Slava Ukraini, which means honor for Ukraine, raises money for the Disaster Preparedness Committee (DEC) appeal, which provides assistance to Ukrainian refugees.
Whishaw and Williams took to the stage after classical performances of Ukrainian folk music sung by Kseniia Nikolaieva and pianist Dinara Klinton.
Bafta-winning Whishaw read Dancing In Odessa and A Cigarette by Ukrainian author Ilya Kaminsky, while Game Of Thrones actress Williams gave an emotional account of a woman fleeing Kyiv.
Juliet Stevenson, who has welcomed a family of Ukrainian refugees into her home, Jonathan Pryce and Kiev-born baritone and lead artist of the Royal Opera House Yuriy Yurchuk will also perform.
The event marks Day 27 of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Slava Ukraini has been organized in collaboration with the Ukrainian Institute in London and is supported by the British Council.
The DEC brings together 15 of Britain’s leading charities, including the British Red Cross, Oxfam UK and Save The Children UK, working on the ground in Ukraine and at the country’s borders to help those fleeing the conflict.