The creators, American playwright George Brant and Ukrainian composer Maxim Kolomiiets, both with extensive opera experience under their belt, sought a story that would convey the magnitude of Ukrainian suffering and resonate with the audience on a universal level. The opera focuses on a practice employed since the beginning of the Russian invasion: mass abductions and deportations of Ukrainian children. The libretto, however, is only loosely inspired by facts. It follows different women fighting to recover their abducted children, highlighting their common characteristic. They all lost their daughters after the children were taken to Crimea by deceit. Although the distance between Kherson and the peninsula is not far, due to the raging war, their mothers must travel thousands of kilometres, taking a roundabout way to the camp where the children are held. Will they be able to retrieve their missing children?
The production is directed by Barbara Wysocka, who made her opera debut at the Teatr Wielki and now pursues a successful European career. She interprets The Mothers of Kherson as a politically engaged documentary opera that explores fundamental themes, including suffering, oppression, parental love, and the power of community.This is an opera responding to the challenges of our times. It explores an acutely painful topic, giving voice to tormented women and highlighting the suffering of children. While emphasising the tragic impact of grand history on individuals, the piece also speaks to human determination and the ability to sacrifice in the name of higher values.
After the city of Kherson is invaded by Russia, the townspeople are offered an opportunity by the schoolteacher, Tetyana Borisova, to send their children to a summer camp in Crimea for two weeks to escape the bombing. Despite initial doubts, Kateryna and Dasha, whose teenage daughters Lilia and Olena are friends, agree to let them go. Thrilled, Lilia opens a livestream on Telegram to announce the news to her friends. Kateryna is confused by the new technology, which Lilia explains can broadcast around the world.
Weeks later, Dasha visits Olha, an elderly woman whose granddaughter, Inna, is at the camp with Lilia and Olena. Their stay has now been extended another month. Kateryna is searching for news of the children. At the railway station she spots Tetyana suspiciously boarding a train bound for Moscow. At the local textile mill women talk about the missing children, just as the Ukrainian army retakes the city. As the workers celebrate the Russian retreat, Kateryna dashes into the mill to tell Dasha about her meeting with Borisova. Kateryna heads home, where she is surprised to find her husband, Vitaly. He’s been off fighting the Russians and wants to see their daughter. Kateryna reluctantly admits she’s allowed Lilia to go to the camp. Devastated, Vitaly tells her that the route from Kherson to Crimea has been cut off. He believes their daughter is never coming back and blames Kateryna for it.
Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova addresses the press and denies all charges regarding the abduction of children under the pretense of participating in summer camps. She promises that any parents can collect their child—if they show up in person. Kateryna, Dasha, and Olha seek the assistance of a foundation that helps parents rescue their kidnapped children.
Lilia, Olena, and they younger Inna are held the Friendship Camp in Crimea. The girls face the growing threat of being sent to Russia for adoption. They are trying to resist the camp’s forced indoctrination, while being exposed to blackmail and obscene comments of the counselors.
Meanwhile, their mothers begin their journey to Crimea. Because the Russians have blown up the only bridge, they have to travel a 3,000-mile roundabout route. Led by a jocular if elderly Bus Driver, they journey through Poland, then into Belarus, then fly from Minsk to Moscow, then drive south to Crimea. Border and airport security guards interrogate them at every stop along the way.
Finally, their perilous and exhausting journey finds its end and the women reach the camp. As they wait a long time to be allowed in, Olha collapses and dies of a heart attack. The Bus Driver stays with her while the women head off to be interrogated. Kateryna begs the Camp Principal for her daughter, but when her pleas are rejected, she desperately pulls out her phone and goes live on Telegram. She reminds the principal of Maria Lvova-Belova’s promise that parents will be allowed to retrieve their children.
Put on the spot, he releases Lilia. Kateryna and Lilia board the bus, horrified to discover that many mothers were unable to rescue their children. Dasha arrives alone, in shock—she explains that Inna is already gone and Olena’s ID has been changed by one number, making her rescue impossible. The bus sets off for home, and Dasha quietly sings a lullaby. She is joined by Kateryna and the other mothers, then by the entire company.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian authorities have officially documented the deportation or forced transfer of more than 20,600 children to Russia or Russian-occupied territories. As of October 2026, around 2,700 children have been brought back, while thousands remain separated from their families. Many have been placed in Russian institutions or foster families, given Russian citizenship, or subjected to efforts to erase their Ukrainian identity.
In March 2026, a United Nations investigation concluded that these systematic deportations and forced transfers constitute crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court had already issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights in 2023. Behind these shocking figures are thousands of families still desperately waiting for their children to come home.
Composers in the crosshairs of our attention