Ukrainian ballet dancer Artyom Datsishin dies after getting injured in Russian shellings

Ukrainian ballet dancerArtyom Datsishin has reportedly diedafter being injured during the Russian invasion.

Datsishin, who had performed the main roles in 'Swan Lake', 'The Nutcracker', 'Sleeping Beauty', and 'Romeo and Juliet',passed away on Thursday after getting injured in Russian shelling weeks earlier.He was43 years old.

He wasreportedly fighting for his life for three weeks at a hospital before passing away.

Artyom's friendTatyana Borovik said that he was wounded in the capital city of Kyiv just two days after theRussian invasionbegan. His friend wroteon Facebook, "On February 26, he was fired upon by the Russian military," friend.He "was seriously wounded," Borovik continued, adding that he "died in the hospital."

"I can't express my heartache that is overwhelming me," she wrote. "May your memory be bright."

Datsishin was a principal dancer with the National Opera of Ukraine.

Alexei Ratmansky, a Russian choreographer and former artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, paid a tribute to the ballet dancer. ''I am furious,'' he said, adding that Datsishin's death at the hands of Russian invaders provoked 'unbearable pain'.

''Artyom Datsishin, a principal dancer with the National Opera House of Ukraine, died today in the Kyiv hospital from wounds received on February 26 when he got under Russian artillery fire. He was a beautiful dancer loved by his colleagues. Unbearable pain,'' he wrote.

A few days ago, Ukraine bid farewell to actress Oksana Shvets who was killed in a Russian rocket attack on a residential building in the capital city.

On February 24, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in countering the aggression of Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only.

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, almost 600 civilians have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in Ukraine since the start of the conflict.

(With inputs from the agencies)