A Ukrainian actor has been rushed to hospital following an alleged attack by thugs.
Oleksandr Grekov, 23, was reportedly bitten and had a bottle smashed over his head before the fragments were used to stab him in the face at Eden Quay in Dublin on Saturday (June 24), reports DublinLive.
Oleksandr received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. He had just finished performing a Ukrainian version of an Irish play at the Abbey Theatre with the Lesya Ukrainka National Theatre before the alleged incident.
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Its spokesperson, Anastasya Pavlenko, said: "Oleksandr was standing near the Abbey after our last show. He was smoking near the main entrance and a group of people tried to take the cigarette from his mouth and his pack of cigarettes.
"Oleksandr tried to follow them and said, 'These are my cigarettes, what are you doing?' And the group of people started to hit him with a bottle.
"They broke it over his head... Some girl was also biting him. There were five of them, two males and three females.
"We are all surprised because we thought that Dublin was nice but sometimes s*** happens, it’s life. We are happy that he is alive."
While Anastasya said she didn't witness the incident, she did see Oleksandr shortly afterward.
"I saw the blood and a hole in his head so I was shocked," she recalled. "I was worried about him. It was a bad way to end our shows in Ireland.
"Police and an ambulance came quite quickly. Everybody was so kind and helpful."
She said Oleksandr is now taking painkillers and has "huge wounds to his face" and added that she believed the alleged attackers were in their mid-20s.
The acting troop had travelled to Dublin after obtaining permission from Kyiv's Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Defence for men to leave the country, which is currently at war with neighbouring Russia.
The group of 28 actors and production staff returned to the Ukrainian capital yesterday after finishing a seven-show run in Ireland, where they performed the 1980 show Translations written by Brian Friel.
It tells the story of a country where the names of places and landmarks are wiped and renamed in a new language.
While the original play is Irish, the Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Drama Theatre version was in Ukrainian and originally performed in Kyiv last October.
The Dublin shows cost €5 (£4.29) for anyone displaced by the conflict in Ukraine.
Anastasya added that aside from Oleksandr being attacked, the crew enjoyed being in Dublin.
She added: "It was a good experience being in Ireland. We love Dublin and we loved our audiences and we love Irish people – so we were happy to be here."
Gardai confirmed there have been no arrests made in connection with the alleged attack yet.
In a statement, a spokesperson saod: "Officers received a report of an incident of assault on Eden Quay on Saturday evening.
"A man aged in his 20s was taken to the Mater Hospital to be treated for injuries believed to be non-life threatening. No arrests have been made but our inquiries are ongoing."
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