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The Ukrainian versions of the Cossack stories are voiced by TNMK frontman Oleg Mykhailiuta, MUR Rap musical director Oleksandr Khomenko, lead voice actor of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Oleksandr Laptiy, and actors Roman Lutskyi and Andriy Saminin.
International visitors won’t miss out either; the Cossacks also speak English, thanks to performances by actors Mark Hamill, Mark Strong, Stephen Fry, documentary photographer Giles Duley, and The Guardian Defence Editor Dan Sabbagh.The Talking Statues initiative operates worldwide, having brought dozens of monuments to life – from Hans Christian Andersen in New York and Queen Victoria in London to Julius Caesar in Rome and Joan of Arc in Paris.
Academy Award winners like Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Zoe Saldana, and others have lent their voices to these iconic figures.Now, thanks to a partnership with the NGO Ukraine WOW and Avrora Multimarket, this renowned international project is launching in Ukraine.The launch is timed to coincide with International Day for Monuments and Sites on April 18 and features dedications to five legendary Ukrainian Cossacks: Ivan Mazepa in Poltava, Pylyp Orlyk in Kyiv, Anton Holovaty in Odesa, Georg Kulchytsky in Lviv, and Dmytro Vyshnevetsky in Zaporizhzhia. With support from Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, monuments to these historical figures will soon speak in cities across Europe and the U.S. as well.“For us, this project is a natural continuation of the strategic partnership between Ukraine WOW and Avrora, which began in December 2024 — when Oleksandr Usyk raised Ivan Mazepa’s saber in the ring in Riyadh,” says Roman Sivkovsky, Marketing Director of the Avrora multimarket chain. “Right now, Avrora is selling a toy version of that saber, and judging by demand, it will soon be completely sold out.
All proceeds will be donated to support the Chernihiv Historical Museum. This new project is designed to make learning about outstanding Ukrainians even more accessible and engaging.”Voiced by:Ivan Mazepa, the Hetman who fought for Ukraine’s freedom from Russian occupiers over 300 years ago and was also a prominent patron of the arts, was voiced by Ukrainian theater and film actor Andriy Saminin, the official Ukrainian voice of Tom Cruise, and British actor and writer Stephen Fry.Pylyp Orlyk, Hetman of Ukraine and the author of one of the world’s first constitutions, was voiced by Ukrainian actor and official voice of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Oleksandr Laptiy and American actor and Star Wars icon Mark Hamill.Anton Holovaty, Cossack otaman and founder and first commander of the Black Sea Cossack Fleet, was voiced by musician and TNMK frontman Oleh Mykhailyuta and Dan Sabbagh, Defence and Security Editor at The Guardian.Yurii Kulchytskyi, a Cossack and diplomat from Halychyna, known for his role in the liberation of Vienna from the Ottoman siege and for opening one of the first coffee houses in Europe, was voiced by Ukrainian actor Roman Lutsky ( Reflection, Antarctica) and British actor Mark Strong (Kingsman, Sherlock Holmes).Dmytro Vyshnevetsky, founder of the first Cossack Sich and one of the key organizers of the Zaporizhian Cossacks, was voiced by Ukrainian actor, director, and founder of the MUR project Oleksandr Khomenko, and British documentary photographer, head of the Legacy of War Foundation, and first UN Global Advocate for People with Disabilities in Armed Conflict, Giles Duley.