AMON AMARTH frontman Johan Hegg recently discussed how he and his wife have taken in a Ukrainian family who fled the country due to the ongoing military attacks by the Russian government.
Hegg sat down with MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn on his “No FN’ Regrets” podcast and discussed the current situation in Ukraine, pointing out that the current refugee crisis is the worst since World War II.
The AMON AMRTH singer said: “Obviously what’s happening in Ukraine is horrible. Me and my wife, we took in a Ukrainian family. We have two Ukrainian women and their children living with us. A lot of people in Sweden have been doing that. It needs to be done. Over 10 million people in Ukraine are refugees, and almost 4 million of them are refugees in Europe now. So obviously they need somewhere to stay.”
Hegg also spoke about how AMON AMARTH have been donating money through funds raised by auctioning off old and rare band merch, saying: “Obviously it’s terrible. It’s the biggest refugee crisis since World War II, but we also feel that it’s important not to forget that there are other war zones in the world with loads of refugees. So we decided that we would donate the proceeds [from a few recent auctions of rare Amon Amarth merch] to the [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees], which is the UN refugee program, and Doctor’s Without Borders.
He added: “But also since [my wife and I] are big animal lovers, we decided to donate to the International Fund for Animals Welfare. Especially for the situation in Ukraine, where a lot of pets and farm animals are suffering right now and also need our help.”
You can watch the interview below.