Silent Planet vocalist Garrett Russell has opened up about the band’s recent run of shows in Ukraine, revealing that the group was forced to take shelter multiple times during air raid alerts while performing in the country.
Speaking to Metal Hammer, Russell described the reality of touring in an active war zone during the band’s June 20 show in Kyiv and June 21 performance in Lviv, noting that the experience included repeated visits to bomb shelters amid drone warnings.
The band are among the few international acts to play Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in 2022, with Russell previously sharing that the trip “has grown our hearts and deepened our thoughts.”
Recalling one of the moments during their stay, he said:
“The first day, when we were in Kyiv, we got all the gear in and they started plugging everything in, and I hadn’t eaten all day. I went to this grocery store and, as I’m walking out, Oleksandra – our tour manager, an amazing person – was like, ‘There you are! All the band’s in the bomb shelter!’ There was an air alert: a couple of Russian drones were flying over Kyiv.
I checked my phone and there were 50 texts, like, ‘Where the fuck are you?!’ But you look around and no one seems concerned, and there’s supposedly an explosive drone somewhere over town. The danger is very real, but there’s also kind of a casual approach that people take to it.”
He also described disrupted sleep during their time in Kyiv due to repeated air raid warnings:
“The second night we were at our hotel in Kyiv, we got woken up by one, so we went down to the bomb shelter. Then we went back to bed, and apparently there was another bomb warning that same night but I just slept through it. My bandmates went back down, so they basically didn’t sleep the night after the first show.”
Russell also addressed the broader political context surrounding touring in the region, expressing frustration over artists performing in Russia while Ukraine continues to face ongoing conflict.
“It makes me sad. What breaks my heart is bands have been playing Moscow for the last few years, and getting paid really well to do it, and it seems fucked-up that the country getting invaded by Moscow is not getting shows because of Moscow.”
Despite the risks, Russell said he believes touring in Ukraine remains viable and encouraged other artists to consider doing the same, pointing to the unpredictability of touring elsewhere as well.
Silent Planet have previously used their music, including the 2025 track ‘Wick’, to support Ukrainian children affected by the war.
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