Olena Khokhlatkina, People's Artist of Ukraine and star of the Ukrainian horror film The Witch of Konotop, told Oleksiy Sukhanov about the offers of cooperation in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic.

According to the artist, she was once invited to join a theatre troupe in the DPR. She refused, of course.

"I was disgusted by it, it was not mine, it did not resonate with me, it made me hate it," she admitted.

Khokhlatkina also said that when she lived in Donetsk, it was a matter of principle for her to perform plays in Ukrainian.

"There were, of course, comments about the language, the region, the Khokhols, the Khokhol language. I immediately exploded at these comments. Why? Because I grew up with Ukrainian songs since childhood," the celebrity said.

And although people in some regions have always been predominantly Russian-speaking or used a dialect, the actress says that Donetsk has always been Ukraine.

Olena was born and raised in Kherson. She started her career in the Kherson Kulish Theatre. Then she was a leading actress at the Donetsk National Academic Music and Drama Theatre for many years.

When the hostilities in Donbas began, Olena Khokhlatkina, her husband (Viktor Zhdanov, star of the TV series To Catch the Kaidash) and children went to Kyiv.

"The airport is being shelled. I pack my suitcase and we leave the next morning. There is very little time. We took only my son's things, I was wearing short shorts and my husband was wearing shorts. Then our friends gave us clothes, some pots, cups, spoons.

Donetsk hurts me a lot because it is my home. This is my first apartment in my new home. My husband and I opened the door, got down on our knees and cried.

I now call myself a citizen of the world."