---
title: "\"My City Has Been Completely Destroyed\": Teacher from Volchansk Moved Artem Pivovarov to Tears at the Premiere of 'Ukraina Maye Talant' 2026"
description: "At the premiere of 'Ukraina Maye Talant' on August 23, 2026, teacher Olga Khodos from the destroyed Volchansk presented a sand animation dedicated to her hometown. Judge Artem Pivovarov, a native of Volchansk, could not hold back his tears and called it his mission to talk about the city on every stage."
date: 2026-08-24T11:14:04.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/teacher-from-volchansk-moved-pivovarov-to-tears-on-ukraina-maye-talant
tags: [ukraine-maye-talent, artem-pivovarov, vovchansk, stb, sand-animation, talent-show, ukraine-war]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "My City Has Been Completely Destroyed": Teacher from Volchansk Moved Artem Pivovarov to Tears at the Premiere of 'Ukraina Maye Talant' 2026

![Teacher from Volchansk and host Artem Pivovarov at the premiere of Ukraine's Got Talent 2026: a moving story of a destroyed city](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/24/uchitelitsa-iz-volchanska-dovela-do-slyoz-pivovarova-na-ukraina-maye-talant/uchitelitsa-iz-volchanska-dovela-do-slyoz-pivovarova-na-ukraina-maye-talant-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Olga Khodos, a teacher from Volchansk, presented a sand animation about her destroyed hometown at the premiere of 'Ukraina Maye Talant' and received three "yeses" from the jury.
- Artem Pivovarov, a native of Volchansk and judge of the show, could not hold back his tears, admitting that of his hometown "only earth remained."
- Pivovarov stated that he considers it his mission to talk about Volchansk on every stage and believes that only the Armed Forces of Ukraine can bring him home.
- The premiere on August 23, 2026, broke two ratings records and included the awarding of the first "golden button" of the new format.

On August 23, 2026, the premiere of the new season of the legendary show 'Ukraina Maye Talant' aired on the STB channel. Among the dozens of talented participants, Olga Khodos — a teacher from Volchansk — drew particular attention from the audience and the jury. She presented a sand animation on stage dedicated to her hometown, which was destroyed during the fighting. Her performance became one of the most emotional moments of the season's first episode and provoked an outburst from judge Artem Pivovarov, for whom Volchansk is his hometown.

### Sand Animation as a Personal Confession

Before her performance, Olga Khodos explained why she chose exactly this format: "I want to show a part of my city, Volchansk, which is very much in pain here." On stage, she began drawing a picture out of sand while telling her story. "I was born in the city of Volchansk. This is my homeland. And I love it very much with my heart. My little house was located by the forest," she said, creating images of her native streets and home from the grains of sand. The climax of the performance was the phrase: "I saw from the drones how my hometown and my house were destroyed. A great many people died — both friends and relatives." In the finale, the audience gave a standing ovation, and all three judges expressed their support — Olga received three "yeses."
### Pivovarov's Tears: "Nothing Was Left There, Just Earth"

Hearing that Olga was a native of Volchansk, Artem Pivovarov immediately got up from the jury's seat and walked onto the stage to hug and support her. "I am very glad to see you. Actually, for the first time in my life, as an artist, I am meeting someone from Volchansk," the singer said. Listening to Olga's story about her destroyed house and deceased loved ones, Pivovarov could not hold back his tears. "They destroyed everything. Nothing was left there. Just earth remained, no houses. Everything was simply leveled to the ground," the artist admitted. Elena Kravets also came out onto the stage to support her colleague, having been moved by the performance as well.

### "This Is My Mission": Pivovarov on the Duty to Talk About Volchansk

At the end of the emotional dialogue, Pivovarov addressed the audience with a personal confession. "There is no house of mine. There is no house of yours, and there are no relatives of mine, no friends of mine, but the earth remained. The earth that gave us birth, that raised us. The earth that gave us many special moments. This is your and my place of power," he said. The artist also shared that he regularly sees his childhood home in his dreams: "Many times I dream that I am at home. It is an inexpressible pain, and it is hard for me to control it." Pivovarov emphasized that he considers it his duty to talk about Volchansk every time he is on stage: "It does not matter where I am, in which city, in which country. Every time I must say something about Volchansk. This is my mission. I believe that thanks to our Armed Forces of Ukraine — these are the only people who will be able to bring me home."

### Premiere Context: Records and the First Golden Button

The first episode of 'Ukraina Maye Talant' 2026, which aired on August 23, became an event not only because of Olga Khodos's performance. According to STB and specialized publications, the premiere broke two ratings records of the season, and the first-ever "golden button" of the new format was awarded on air. The performance of the teacher from Volchansk entered the list of the most quoted moments of the episode, and the clip with Pivovarov's reaction spread across social media. Previously, the artist had repeatedly mentioned Volchansk in his performances, emphasizing that he lost his home and that "this is not just a house — I am from the city of Volchansk, my city is gone, completely gone."

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Teacher from Volchansk Moved Pivovarov to Tears on 'Ukraina Maye Talant': Emotional Video](https://styler.rbc.ua/ukr/people/vchitelka-vovchanska-dovela-pivovarova-sliz-1787564670.html) - Основной источник. Подтверждает дату (23.08.2026), имя участницы (Ольга Ходос), формат (песочная анимация), реакцию Пивоварова (слёзы, цитаты), результат (три «да»).
- [Ukraina Maye Talant 2026 Premiere: Tears, Two Records at Once, and the First Golden Button](https://fakty.com.ua/ru/styl-zhyttia/show/20260823-prem-yera-ukrayina-maye-talant-2026-slozy-odrazu-dva-rekordy-ta-persha-zolota-knopka/) - Подтверждает дату премьеры 23.08.2026, наличие двух рекордов и первой золотой кнопки в эфире. Слёзы в эфире согласуются с историей Пивоварова.
- ["I See My Childhood Home in My Dreams": Artem Pivovarov Could Not Contain His Emotions After the Story About the Destroyed Volchansk](https://blik.ua/show-biz/42212-bachu-ridnii-dim-u-snakh-artem-pivovarov-ne-strimav-emocii-pislya-istoriyi-pro-znishenii-vovchansk) - Независимое подтверждение эмоциональной реакции Пивоварова и цитаты о снах с родным домом. Название города в украинской транслитерации — Вовчанськ.
- [First Golden Button, Records, and Emotional Performances: How the Premiere of 'Ukraina Maye Talant' 2026 Went](https://www.stb.ua/talant/ua/2026/08/23/persha-zolota-knopka-rekordy-j-chuttyevi-vystupy-yak-projshla-prem-yera-ukrayina-maye-talant-2026/) - Официальный источник канала СТБ. Подтверждает дату, рекорды, золотую кнопку и эмоциональные выступления в первом выпуске.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Who is Olga Khodos and what did she present at 'Ukraina Maye Talant'?
**A:** Olga Khodos is a teacher from Volchansk. At the show's premiere on August 23, 2026, she presented a sand animation dedicated to her hometown, which was destroyed during the fighting, and told a personal story about her deceased loved ones and destroyed house. The jury gave her three "yeses."

### Q: Why did Artem Pivovarov cry during Olga Khodos's performance?
**A:** Volchansk is Artem Pivovarov's hometown, and he is one of the judges of the project. Hearing Olga's story about the destroyed city and the people who died, he could not hold back his tears, admitting that of his hometown "only earth remained, no houses."

### Q: When did the premiere of the new season of 'Ukraina Maye Talant' take place?
**A:** The premiere of the new season of the show took place on August 23, 2026, on the STB channel. The episode broke two ratings records, and the first "golden button" of the new format was awarded on air.

### Q: What did Pivovarov say about his mission in connection with Volchansk?
**A:** Pivovarov stated that every time he steps onto a stage, he considers it his duty to talk about Volchansk: "This is my mission." He also noted that he believes only the Armed Forces of Ukraine can bring him home, and that he regularly sees his childhood home in his dreams.