Ukrainian girl who sang Let It Go reunited with mother as she performs in Poland
Amelia Anisovych was reunited with her mother just days before she sang the Ukrainian national anthem at a charity concert
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The mother of a Ukrainian girl who went viral for singing Disney hit ‘Let It Go’ in a bomb shelter has said she is “proud” after her daughter sang onstage in front of thousands of people.
Seven-year-old Amelia Anisovych was reunited with her mother days before she performed to a packed stadium in Poland, where she is now a refugee.
Her mother Lilia Anisovych watched from behind the stage as her daughter sang the Ukrainian national anthem dressed in a traditional embroidered dress at the Atlas Arena stadium in Lodz.
“Everyone was worried that she would be very worried but she did great,” Ms Anisovych told the PA news agency.
“I was behind the stage and she was brought to me immediately after the performance.
“Her happy grandmother Vera was watching in the hall… is there a grandmother out there who would not be proud of her granddaughter in that moment?
“When Amelia went to the stage you could hear her say into the microphone “nightmare, nightmare” but she reconciled (those) feelings and sang.”
Amelia went viral in March after she was filmed singing a song from the Disney film Frozen while sheltering from Russian shelling in an underground bunker in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Her mother had initially stayed in the capital while her two children travelled across the border to their grandmother’s home in Poland after spending six nights in a bomb shelter.
On Thursday Ms Anisovych was reunited with her son Misha and Amelia after fleeing the city where the children’s father Roman remains.
“We talk to her dad several times a day… Amelia is very sad but hopes to meet him soon,” she said.
“(I want) to emphasise that my child was lucky to be saved.
“More than 100 children’s lives in Ukraine have been taken by the war.
“These are wonderful, talented children who had just begun to live… they were not guilty of anything.”
Ms Anisovych echoed the frustration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Nato over the refusal to implement a no-fly zone as her home town continues to come under fire.
“We beg you to close the sky over Ukraine and that our children stop dying from missiles and bombs,” she added.
An equivalent of more than £280,000 was raised from viewers of the televised Together for Ukraine concert by Polish and Ukrainian artists, including Amelia.
Another £600,000 was given by the organiser, TVN media group, which belongs to Discovery.