Story perspectives

Azov Testimonies Shape Kyiv’s Odysseus War-Myth Adaptation

8/29/2026

Summary

Story summary

National Guard serviceman Daniil Mireshkin stars as Odysseus in the Kyiv production “Odysseus, Maeotis”.
Director Ivan Uryvskyi stages the play at Ivan Franko Theater with an austere neon-lit set.
The production replaces Cyclops and sirens with drones and robotic war machines as contemporary monsters.
Playwriter Oleksii Dorychevskyi based the script on testimonies from 1st Corps Azov defenders.
The Azov brigade estimates about 600 of its servicemen remain in Russian captivity.

History

Historical Context

R.C. Sherriff’s anti-war play Journey’s End, first staged on 9 December 1928 and running for two years in London’s West End, depicted the grim reality of the 1918 Western Front. Kyiv’s Ivan Franko Theater now stages Odysseus, Maeotis with National Guard soldier Daniil Mireshkin, swapping mythic monsters for drones, echoing Sherriff’s tradition of using contemporary warfare onstage to confront audiences.

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Story summary

National Guard serviceman Daniil Mireshkin stars as Odysseus in the Kyiv production “Odysseus, Maeotis”.
Director Ivan Uryvskyi stages the play at Ivan Franko Theater with an austere neon-lit set.
The production replaces Cyclops and sirens with drones and robotic war machines as contemporary monsters.
Playwriter Oleksii Dorychevskyi based the script on testimonies from 1st Corps Azov defenders.
The Azov brigade estimates about 600 of its servicemen remain in Russian captivity.

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