Russia Bombs Hometown of Ukraine’s Tvorchi as They Perform at Eurovision

Ukraine’s Tvorchi had to perform in the Eurovision Grand Final last night knowing their hometown was under Russian bombardment.

Shortly before taking to the stage at the Liverpool Arena, the duo posted on Instagram citing reports of the news and Andrii and Jeffrey held up a sign reading “Ternopil” during the audience voting.

They wrote after the final: "Ternopil is the name of our hometown, which was bombed by Russia while we sang on the Eurovision stage about our steel hearts, indomitability and will. 

“This is a message for all cities of Ukraine that are shelled every day. Kharkiv, Dnipro, Khmelnytsky, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Uman, Sumy, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Kherson and all others.

“Europe, unite against evil for the sake of peace!” 

The head of Ternopil's regional military administration Volodymyr Trush said early Sunday morning that two people were injured in the strike, which sparked fires at warehouses owned by commercial and religious groups.

"Two civilians were injured. Preliminary, shrapnel wounds and burns. The victims are in hospitals," Trush posted on Telegram.

Firefighters were still battling the blaze at the time of his post and he said that "specialists will be at the scene all night."

Ukraine’s Tvorchi came sixth with their Azovstal-inspired song “Heart of Steel”.

Eurovision 2023 will be held under yellow and blue colours again as Loreen brings victory to Sweden with her “Tattoo”. The singer who already won Eurovision in 2012 received a total of 583 votes coming 57 points ahead of the runner-up Finland.

Commenting on the results, Loreen said: “Right now everything feels surreal so you’ll have to ask me (how I feel) tomorrow. I feel so much gratitude.”

She added that she also feels proud because of the values of hope and strength that her “Tattoo” carries.

Loreen’s victory comes at a symbolic point as 2024 will mark exactly 50 years since ABBA won the competition for Sweden, so the hosting of the event will coincide with a big anniversary for the country.

This is the seventh win for Sweden who participated in Eurovision 62 times. The country now boasts the joint highest record of Eurovision wins with Ireland. Loreen also made Eurovision history by becoming the first female artist to win twice. 

Finland’s Käärijä came second with his crowd-pleaser song “Cha Cha Cha” and Israel’s Noa Kirel closed the top three of the competition results.

Eurovision 2022 was won by Ukraine but because of Russia’s ongoing invasion of the country, the song contest had to be moved. The UK, as the runner-up in the results table, took up the organisation and hosting efforts on behalf of Ukraine. Despite this being the ninth time that Eurovision has been hosted in the country, Liverpool hosted the song contest for the first time.

To honour Ukrainian culture and the bravery of Ukrainians protecting the country’s freedom and independence, Liverpool implemented a vast programme supplementary to the shows held at the M&S Bank Arena. As part of Eurovillage, Eurofest, and EuroLearn, residents and guests of Liverpool had a chance to see Ukrainian theatre plays, photo and art exhibitions, and try Ukrainain meals, desserts, and drinks.

Loreen said that she believes that Eurovision should be held in Ukraine when it becomes safe to do so.

“I love Ukraine. I’ve been so many times. I love the people and it hurts me what’s happening,” she noted.