A Ukrainian actor performing at the Abbey Theatre was left covered in blood after a group of thugs reportedly smashed a glass bottle off his head before using it to stab him in the face.
Oleksandr Grekov was rushed to hospital and needed stitches after the unprovoked and brutal assault which took place on Eden Quay on Saturday night.
The 23-year-old, who is part of the Lesya Ukrainka National Theatre, had just finished performing a Ukrainian version of the famous Irish play Translations in the iconic Dublin venue when he was attacked.
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Our exclusive pictures show the performer in the back of an ambulance covered in blood with his head wrapped.
While other ones show him with his thumbs up after his facial wounds were stitched up by medics in the Mater Hospital.
Anastasya Pavlenko, who is the Assistant Managing Director for International Affairs at Lesya Ukrainka National Theatre, spoke to The Irish Mirror on Oleksandr’s behalf.
She explained: "Oleksandr was standing near the Abbey Theatre after our last show.
"He was smoking near the main entrance and a group of people tried to take the cigarette from his mouth and take his pack of cigarettes.
"Oleksandr tried to follow them and said 'These are my cigarettes, what are you doing?' and the group of people started to hit him with a bottle.
"They broke the bottle over his head … Some girl was also biting him. There were five of them, two males and three females."
When asked how everybody felt following the attack, Anastasya explained: "We are all surprised because we thought that Dublin was nice but sometimes sh*t happens, it’s life.
"We are happy that he is alive."
Anastasya said she didn’t witness the attack but saw him in the immediate aftermath.
She explained: "I saw the blood and a hole in his head so I was shocked, I was worried about him. It was a bad way to end our shows in Ireland.
"Police and an ambulance came quite quickly. Everybody was so kind and helpful."
When asked how Oleksandr was doing now, she explained: "He’s pretty good now, he takes painkillers. He is okay but he has huge wounds on his face."
She said she believes the group who attacked him were in their mid-20s.
Anastasya also revealed that due to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, they needed to get permission from the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Defence in order for men to be allowed to leave the war-torn nation.
The group of actors and production staff, which was 28 people in total, flew back to Kyiv on Sunday after finishing a seven-show run.
Translations was written by Irish playwright Brian Friel and first performed back in 1980.
It is about a country where landmarks and place names are being eradicated and renamed in a new language.
The Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Drama Theatre version of Translations was originally performed in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv last October.
The Dublin shows were in Ukrainian and tickets for anybody displaced by war and crisis cost €5.
Anastasya said apart from Oleksandr being attacked, the crew found being in Ireland "very good".
She added: "It was a good experience being in Ireland. We love Dublin and we loved our audiences and we love Irish people - so we were happy to be here."
Gardai said nobody has been arrested for the assault yet.
In a statement, they said: "Gardaí received report of an incident of assault on Eden Quay yesterday evening, Saturday 24th June 2023.
"A man aged in his 20s was taken to the Mater Hospital to be treated for injuries believed to be non-life threatening. No arrests have been made. Enquiries are ongoing."
