Donetsk, Oct 15 – DAN. Russian prominent singer Iosif Kobzon, People's Artist of the USSR and People's Artist of DPR, handed aid to Donetsk specialized boarding school for bright children and a kindergarten in Kievskiy district of the city that was hit by Ukrainian forces shelling.
The school students met Kobzon in Donetsk State Music Academy and gave a concert, Russian singer performed some songs together with children's choir.
Kobzon passed a kitchen stove, a washing machine, a TV set, a laptop and a stereo system to kindergarten No.297, that was hit by Ukrainian fire in August 2014 and had to move to another premises. Today the reconstruction is almost completed.
"It's a pleasure to see children in a new, restored house," said the musician who spent his childhood in Donbass. "I would show the kindergarten to everyone, so that they see how people struggled to bring back childhood to children."
Iosif Kobzon was born in Donbass in 1937 in the town of Chasov Yar. He is an honorary citizen of Donetsk, Makeevka, Artyemovsk, Gorlovka and other towns in Donetsk region. In 2014 after Kiev launched an offensive against Donbass, Kobzon was striped of his honorary citizenship in Dnepropetrovsk and other Ukrainian cities.
From the very beginning of Donbass war he supported the choice of people of the region. Kobzon performed in Donetsk several times. He was awarded People's Artist of DPR title on February, 23, 2015, and the Hero of DPR title on August, 29.
Today Kobzon is giving a concert in Donbass Opera, closing event of World Ballet Stars festival.