Eurovision winner releases video filmed in Ukraine's ruins
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TURIN • Hours after their Eurovision Song Contest victory in Italy, Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra released a music video for their winning song on Sunday that was filmed in the ruins of towns that were heavily bombed during Russia's invasion.
Kalush Orchestra said they filmed the video in four towns north of Kyiv - Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka and Hostomel. The towns were among the hardest hit by Russia's failed attempt to advance and seize the capital.
Russian forces retreated from the area last month, leaving evidence of atrocities and extensive damage in their wake.
The band's Eurovision victory was seen as a show of solidarity and a pop-culture endorsement of Ukraine, illustrating how the war has unified Europe against Russian aggression.
In the new video, the Ukrainian rap and folk band used actors and the backdrop of war to reinterpret the song's maternal tribute as a broader homage to their country.
The video follows soldiers as they carry children out of fiery rubble and blasted buildings, a nod to the original theme of the song titled Stefania.
It was written in honour of the mother of the band's frontman Oleh Psiuk. "You can't take willpower from me, as I got it from her," raps the 28-year-old, according to a translation, as he stands in a ruined building.
In the video's credits, the band said the song was "dedicated to the brave Ukrainian people, the mothers protecting their children and all those who gave their lives for our freedom".
The video closes with a simple message: "Stand with Ukraine."
Meanwhile, residents of the western Ukrainian city of Kalush said they were overjoyed after the band won the Eurovision contest last Saturday night.
Mr Petro Yugan, a 74-year-old resident of Kalush, said: "My wife and I were watching till 1am and we were happy to win. I was jumping. I was in seventh heaven, but I also want us to end the war as fast as possible. It would be an even bigger victory."
In the contest, Ukraine was in fourth place based on jury voting, but claimed victory with a record tally in viewer voting in an event that features 40 nations.
NYTIMES, REUTERS
