WHAT'S THE ISSUE?

As the conflict continues and some families are finding themselves having to temporarily separate, the need for unity has never been stronger. And one thing which never fails to unite humanity in times of crises is music.

So, The Agenda's Stephen Cole is joined by Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, social activist and lead vocalist for Ukraine rock band, Okean Elzy.

MEET THE EXPERT:

Svyatoslav Vakarchuk is also a former member of the Verkhovna Rada parliamentary committee for freedom of expression and information.

In 2005 he was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program. The magazine Korrespondent ranked him as one of the 100 most influential people in Ukraine.

Svyatoslav has remained in Ukraine since the conflict began, and the famous figure is singing in places such as children's hospitals to help keep people's spirits up.

Joining the show from an underground bomb shelter, he told Stephen how everyone is feeling:

"Morale is very good. People are cold (but) people are focused. We can see small babies here – some are literally being born here – so this has completely ruined the normal course of life."

Svyatoslav went on to explain how music can help:

"Generally, people listen to the music that pumps up their moods, and it helps a lot.

"But the most help we need isn't music; it's anti-missile defense systems, planes and closing the sky over Ukraine. And then when we win, we'll have a lot of music."

ALSO ON THE AGENDA

- Sergei Markov, once a member of the Russian Duma and a former public spokesperson for President Putin and Oleksiy Honcharuk, who served as Prime Minister of Ukraine from August 2019 to March 2020 speak about whether there is really any chance of a diplomatic solution.

- Former Prime Minister of Lithuania and now MEP, Andrius Kubilius examines Europe's reliance on Russian oil and gas, and how that has played into the conflict.

FIND MORE STORIES FROM THE AGENDA WITH STEPHEN COLE  HERE