Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (February 24th, 2022), the Russia-Ukraine War has been ongoing. Among the many people who have been impacted by this war is that of the metal band Jinjer; from having to cancel a North American tour with Slipknot, to not being able to see loved ones, this war in Ukraine has brought with it a tremendous amount of struggle for the band. It is only as of recently that the band have been able to tour again.
During a recent interview with Chaoszine, Jinjer bassist Eugene Abdukhanov spoke about what it has been like navigating the Russia-Ukraine War and getting back to touring. At one point during the interview, Abdukhanov shares some of the horrors he has seen take place, at one point saying, “I saw things that I, before that, only saw in movies.”
This is everything that Abdukhanov shared regarding what he has experienced:
“I met the war exactly when it started. On the 24th [of this past February] at five o’clock in the morning, I was just driving and things around me started exploding. I got straight under the shelling, under the attack, and I thought, ‘This is the end.’ I was trying to get out of there, driving 180 kilometers on a very narrow road. It was still dark. And I saw things that I, before that, only saw in movies — huge explosions with all these pieces flying around. And they were falling right in front of me, and I was driving around them, and all the smoke around. It was like a real horror, but you’re a part of it.”
Abdukhanov continues:
“And I was on the way back to Kyiv, and I was just trying to get home as soon as possible. And I saw all these traffic jams — people were trying to get out of the city — and all the destruction because of the first attack. And then the first week was the most horrible time because nobody knew what was happening. I got home, and one of the first things which I did, I contacted everyone in the band. We made a post on social media. And everyone stayed home. Every half an hour, there was a siren – missile attack alert. We went to the basement. I went to the basement alone, because I was staying alone — I took my family out. I was alone, just sitting, watching the news and going crazy. Then every half an hour, I’d go to the basement, then go up, basement, up, spend half of the night in the basement. And there [were] huge explosions all around. Things that [weren’t] even close the first night — like, five kilometers, ten kilometers away from me. This is not close; in our reality, this is not close.
Abdukhanov concludes with sharing the following:
“But [because of] how massive those explosions were, the land was shaking. And the real horror started to happen. And this is basically when the siege of Kyiv started. And the next very day, I just felt like stating our position [to share with the public] and claiming our position. I made that video which is on YouTube. I wasn’t able to realize things like that could happen.”
Our hearts go out to Abdukhanov and his loved ones, Jinjer, and all the people who are struggling during this war. You can watch the full interview with Abdukhanov below: