Ukrainian Organist Killed by a Russian Missile Strike in Sumy. Remembering Olena Kohut

Olena Kohut, solo organist of the Sumy Regional Philharmonic, pianist, and teacher, was killed in a Russian missile strike on the city center of Sumy on April 13, 2025.

On Palm Sunday — one of the most important Christian holidays — Russians committed another act of terrorism, killing 35 and injuring approximately 130 residents in Sumy. Two missiles struck the geographical and historical center of the city in rapid succession, destroying several historic landmarks, including the neo-Baroque Sukhanov-Sumovsky estate (1895), a building of Sumy University, and the family theater. 

Russia continues to shell the city and the entire region daily and, according to PEN Ukraine, Russia has killed at least 238 Ukrainian cultural figures since the start of the full-scale invasion. On June 8, 2025, Vladyslav Horay, an opera singer and soloist with the Odesa National Opera, was also killed, while on a volunteer mission in the Sumy region.

Friends and colleagues shared their memories of Olena Kohut.

About the Musician

Olena Kohut was born into a family of musicians in Sumy. A native of the city, she graduated from the local music school, continued her studies at the Donetsk Conservatory, and later completed anassistantship at the Kharkiv State University of Arts as a pianist.

She discovered the organ during her time at the Donetsk Conservatory, studying under Natalia Chesnokova. Although she was instantly drawn to the instrument, she continued to focus primarily on the piano for many years.

Olena Kohut built her career as an organist in her hometown. In Sumy, she became known primarily as a gifted soloist of the Sumy Regional Philharmonic, an institution where hardly a single organ music concert took place without her participation. 

The director of the Philharmonic, Tetiana Lastovetska, remembers: 

“Olena joined us in 2017 and immediately fell in love with our organ. She was passionate about her work and deeply committed to her performances — always asking for more pieces in her programs. Olena was easygoing and open to all kinds of experiments and adventures. All kinds of bizarre music came to life when she was on stage: metal with organ and coloratura soprano, organ jazz, pop, rock, and of course, classical music.

Olena Kohut was one of the most prolificfigures in the Sumy’s music community. What an ordinary musician might accomplish in five years, she achieved in just one. In addition to exceeding her performance quota at the Philharmonic, she also held three other jobs. It seemed as if she was in a hurry to live and wanted to accomplish as much as possible, as if she knew what the future held. She left us at the height of her career. She could have called herself a star, having already explored bold artistic directions and collaborated widely.”

On April 21, the Sumy community honored her memory with a concert at the Philharmonic Hall. 

Olena also performed in other cities acrossUkraine and Europe. One of her notable events before the Russian full-scale invasion, was the Lviv Organ Residence at the the Lviv Organ Hall (2021). 

As a pianist, Olena worked in the orchestra of the Sumy National Theater (named after Mykhailo Shchepkin) and taught piano at both the local music college and the pedagogical university. Her former student, Maksym Sholokh, artistic director of the Philharmonic, recalls:

“This year, Olena Kohut became head of the department at the college. Every student and teacher in Sumy, in a way, took lessons from her. She had an individual approach to each of them and spared no time or effort. She rarely performed solo — she mostly worked as an accompanist. The piano remained her favorite instrument for a long time.

For the record, Olena also played the harpsichord a bit. She even stepped in for our harpsichordist at one of our concerts. To a listener, it might not seem like a big deal, but for a musician to perform publicly on an unfamiliar instrument is truly an act of courage. That moment made me reconsider what it means to respect someone: it’s a feeling evoked by a courageous act. I think I felt that same feeling again on April 13.”

Olena Kohut’s legacy lives on through her children. One of her sons, Vadym Kohut, is now a member of the popular Ukrainian rock band Skver. 

“It was a blatant war crime”

The exact circumstances of Olena’s death have not been officially disclosed. However, it is known that the missile strike caught her on the streets of Sumy. Maksym Sholokh shares his understanding of what happened: 

“As far as I know, one of the causes of Olena’s death could have been the shock wave from the Iskander missile, which threw her onto the stairs.

I am constantly haunted by the thought that if she had been just 30 meters farther from the impact site, or if she had been inside the Philharmonic Hall, she might have survived.”

Tetiana Lastovetska adds:

“There were two strikes in a row; the second one killed her. It was a blatant war crime: for the second time, the Russians targeted people who were helping the victims of the first strike. No one expected another missile so soon and everyone rushed to help, including Olena. She was always fearless and never shied away from challenges. 

While most people panic and run for coverduring explosions, Olena did the opposite; she ran toward the wounded. She had always shown self-sacrifice and a willingness to give, even in the way she cared for her colleagues and students. When she was around, no one felt hungry or tired.”

Rescuers managed to get her into an ambulance, but her heart stopped beating on the way to the hospital.

Memories of Olena Kohut

Serhii Strelchenko, choir conductor and former student of Olena Kohut

Olena Kohut’s integrity was evident in everything — in her gaze, her smile, her walk, her way of speaking, and even in the smallest gestures. Her “rightness” never irritated me; on the contrary, it felt natural. I thought that all true artists must be like that. Later, I learned that wasn’t always the case. But Olena Kohut left me with an invaluable example of decency and humanity.

We first met when I entered my first year at the music school. I was a 16-year-old who had just finished ninth grade at a general education school, and I remember being struck by how she addressed her students formally. When I asked her why, she said,  “You are my future colleague. Perhaps you will also teachsomeday.” This attitude always lifted my self-esteem and gave me confidence.

Later, when I wanted to apply to the conservatory in Kyiv, I was told during my first consultation that my chances of admission were slim due to a high level of competition. But Olena Kohut said to me, “Who, if not you, should study there?” She spent an entire year preparing the program with me, never sparing her time or energy. During the entrance exams, she supported me and cheered me on over the phone.

I never saw her angry or rude. Her classes always had a calm, friendly atmosphere. But, when it came to music, she was uncompromising — there couldn’t be a single wrong or poorly played note or phrase. Sometimes, we’d spend the entire lesson on just one phrase from a piece. I remember Olena Kohut with a pencil in her hand, making countless notes in the score. I keep those markings, as a memento. She had a gift for finding the perfect verbal analogy for each musical phrase — explaining where the climax was, where to breathe, and where the tension should rise.

Olena Kohut didn’t believe in the “learn, play, and forget” approach. At some point, she would simply take the score away and I would play from memory. To this day, I still remember many of the pieces I studied with her.

She will remain in my memory not only as a gifted teacher, but as a person of the highest integrity — noble, principled, and deeplysensitive.

Orest Koval, organist and Olena Kogut ‘s teacher

Olena truly loved music. This was evident in every performance — whether on the organ orthe piano. She was talented, technically skilled, and extraordinarily hard-working. Her contributions to  the musical life of the Sumy region were remarkable.

Our conversations mostly revolved  around organ performance. Olena was always very polite and easy to talk to. She had a way of winning people over. Even when she was clearly tired or stressed from her demanding musical and teaching schedule, she never lost her naturalfriendliness. 

Olena was open to collaboration with other musicians. She performed as a solo pianist with the Sumy Regional Philharmonic’s chamber orchestra, playing piano concertos by various composers. She was especially accomplished in Mozart’s works, which often drew full houses.

As an organist, she performed in various European countries on numerous occasions. The last time was in 2023, when she even drove the choir, she performed with by herself.

Ultimately, Olena worked hard to expand the organ repertoire at the Philharmonic, which had been neglected for several years. While remaining faithful to Classical and Baroque music, she introduced works by Franck and Messiaen, as well as film and pop music — creating original arrangements herself.

We often performed together in organ concerts. We loved offering different interpretations and performing concepts to audiences. Recently, we had many new concerts planned, in which she was to be involved. For example, we wanted to bring back cross-genre concerts this spring. Olena would have been brilliant and natural in such projects. 

Her loss is truly irreparable for us.

 

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Read also:

• Ukrainian Musician Killed at the Front. In Memory of the Singer and Warrior Ihor Voronka
• Killed in Russian Occupation. In Memory of Ukrainian Conductor Yurii Kerpatenko
• He Was in a Hurry to Live. In memory of Ivan Kuzminskyi