Ukrainian Eurovision winners SELL their trophy for £700,000 and the money will be used to buy drones to fight Putin
- Kalush Orchestra sold the crystal microphone in an online auction
- The funds will be used to purchase PD-2 unmanned aerial systems
- Whitebit, a cryptocurrency exchange, purchased the trophy
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra, which won the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this month, raised £700,000 for the country’s military battling the Russian invasion by selling the contest’s trophy.
Whitebit, a cryptocurrency exchange owned by Vladimir Nosov and Oleg Kayin from Estonia and Ukraine, purchased the trophy.
‘Get them signed up, they truly deserve it,’ said Kalush in a Facebook post. ‘Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.’
The group won Eurovision with their entry ‘Stefania’, surfing a wave of public support to claim an emotional victory that was welcomed by the country’s president.
On Sunday they sold the crystal microphone they were awarded in a Facebook auction led by Ukrainian TV presenter Serhiy Prytula.
Kalush Orchestra sold the Eurovision trophy in a an online auction on Sunday, it said on Facebook. Whitebit, a cryptocurrency exchange owned by Vladimir Nosov and Oleg Kayin from Estonia and Ukraine, purchased the trophy
The Kalush Orchestra, representing Ukraine, perform on stage during the Grand Final show of the 66th Eurovision Song Contest at Pala Alpitou
Kalush Orchestra of Ukraine pose with the trophy before leaving Universo Hotel after winning the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision trophy, a classic microphone made of solid transparent sand-blasted glass with sand-blasted, is pictured
The funds raised will be used to purchase for the armed forces the PD-2 unmanned aerial system, which includes three drones and a ground control station, Prytula said at the auction.
Russia’s invasion on Ukraine, now in its fourth month, has claimed thousands of civilian lives, sent millions of Ukrainians fleeing and reduced cities to rubble.
Moscow calls its actions a ‘special military operation’ to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists.
Ukraine and the West say the fascist allegation is baseless and that the war is an unprovoked act of aggression.
Over the weekend, Ukrainian forces endured heavy artillery barrages as they held off Russian attempts to capture Sievierodonetsk, the largest city Ukraine still controls in the eastern region of Luhansk.
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra returned to their homeland mid-May after an emotional Eurovision Song Contest victory, greeted at the border with Poland by servicemen and women whose cause the band had championed in Turin.
‘Stefania’ – a tribute sung in Ukrainian to Psiuk’s mother that fuses rap with traditional folk music – was lying fourth after national juries voted, but stormed into top spot thanks to a record score during the second stage of voting by viewers.
Oleh Psiuk, frontman of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest winners Kalush Orchestra, takes a selfie with fans. The group won Eurovision with their entry ‘Stefania’
On Sunday the group sold the crystal microphone they were awarded in a Facebook auction led by Ukrainian TV presenter Serhiy Prytula
The song was written as a tribute to the frontman’s mother, but has transformed since Russia’s invasion on February 24 into a war anthem.
The lyrics ‘I’ll always find my way home, even if all roads are destroyed,’ written by frontman Oleh Psiuk, are said to have taken on a special meaning in light of the war.
Bookmakers had made Kalush Orchestra clear favourites among the 40 competitors in the annual contest, which normally draws a television audience of close to 200 million, in part due to widespread sympathy for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in February.
The war-torn nation ended on 631 points while the UK finished second with 466 points. Spain finished third with 459 with Sweden fourth on 438.
Volodymyr Zelensky was quick to hail the victory – and even vowed to hold next year’s competition in Mariupol, despite the city being besieged by Russian forces.
The six-member, all-male band received special permission to leave the country to represent Ukraine and Ukrainian culture at the music contest.
One of the original members stayed to fight and the others returned after the contest was over.
The frontman from Kalush Orchestra who won last night’s Eurovision song contest has kissed his girlfriend goodbye and joined the frontline in Ukraine’s war against Russia
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