Tvorchi, made up of producer Andrii Hutsuliak and Nigeria-born vocalist Jeffery Kenny, hoped to defend the Eurovision title after Kalush Orchestra won last year in Turin.
They performed “Heart of Steel” – a song about troops who led an ultimately unsuccessful resistance against Russian forces at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.
Liverpool is hosting the contest on behalf of Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict.
At the end of their performance, Tvorchi held their fists in the air as acts from other nations were also seen waving the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine.
Last year, Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra rode a wave of sympathy after the Russian invasion to win the Eurovision contest, but Ukraine was unable to stage Eurovision this year, as the winner usually does, because of Russia’s invasion.
Russia issued a statement blandly admitting the attack but glossing over the obvious timing of the assault.
NBC News:
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Russia’s Defense Ministry later confirmed it had attacked Ternopil in a statement posted to its Telegram channel on Sunday, which said it “delivered a strike with high-precision long-range air- and sea-based weapons.” It added that it had targeted places storing “ammunition, weapons and military equipment received from Western countries.”
The attack came after Zelenskyy traveled to Rome, where he met with Pope Francis and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Then on Sunday he traveled to Berlin for a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
As for Tvorchi’s performance, “Heart of Steel,” UK ambassador to Ukraine Dame Melinda Simmons posted, “The staging was brilliant. And poignant as their university home town of Ternopil was targeted by Russian missiles this evening,” she tweeted.
The sights and sounds of Ukraine ran throughout the show, starting with an opening film that showed 2022 Eurovision winners Kalush Orchestra singing and dancing in the Kyiv subway, with the tune picked up by musicians in the U.K. — including Catherine, Princess of Wales, who was shown playing the piano.
The winner of this year’s Eurovision was Swedish singer Loreen.
