1974–2016
Vasyl Slipak
Paris Opera soloist, fighter “Mif”
A Paris National Opera soloist whose voice filled Europe's great houses. He rallied support for Ukraine from Paris during the Revolution of Dignity, then in 2015 went to the front as a volunteer under the call sign “Mif”, after his favourite role, Mephistopheles. Killed in Donetsk region in 2016.
Key accomplishments
- Soloist of the Paris National Opera from 1997
- Performed leading roles at the Opéra Garnier, Lyon Opera and other major European houses; finalist of the international Armel Opera Competition (2011)
- During the Revolution of Dignity (2013-2014) organised fundraising and benefit concerts for Ukraine in Paris
- In 2015 volunteered for the 7th Separate Battalion of the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps; posthumously made a Hero of Ukraine (2017)
Why “Mif”?
Why would one of Europe’s finest bass-baritones choose the call sign “Mif” - Ukrainian for “Myth” - on the front line? The answer is on the opera stage. Vasyl Slipak was born in Lviv in 1974, sang in the Dudaryk boys’ choir from age nine, and became a soloist of the Paris National Opera in 1997. One of his favourite roles was Mephistopheles in Gounod’s Faust - and a short form of that name became his call sign when he went to war.
The singer who couldn’t stay in Paris
During the Revolution of Dignity of 2013-2014, Slipak organised fundraising and benefit concerts for Ukraine in Paris, and in May 2014 he carried a Ukrainian flag onto the stage of the Lyon Opera. When war broke out in the Donbas, he wrote to a volunteer friend that it was hard to sit in Paris while his soul wanted to be beside them. In 2015 he volunteered for the 7th Separate Battalion of the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps - the same corps in which Dmytro Kotsiubailo fought. He saw combat near Pisky and Avdiivka, then returned to the front again in 2016.
On 29 June 2016, Vasyl Slipak was killed by a sniper near the village of Luhanske in the Donetsk region. He was 41.
Why it matters today
Vasyl Slipak served Ukraine with his voice and with his deeds. A singer heard on Europe’s great stages, he could have stayed in Paris, but he decided his place was beside the people defending Ukraine. He showed that success abroad doesn’t take you away from home: it can be turned into help for your country. His life is a reminder that you can love Ukraine on stage and in the ranks alike.
