Ukraine won the 66th edition of Eurovision on Saturday (14) with the song 'Stefania', by the band Kalush Orchestra. The country obtained 631 points, of which 439 were from the public vote. Italy came in sixth place, with 268 points.
The song 'Stefania', a rap that blends rhythms from local folklore, was composed shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Watch Banda Kalush Orchestra perform in the grand final:
But the lyrics, presented as a message sent to a mother, gained strength in the current context.
With lines like “I will always find my way back home, even if all the roads are destroyed,” the song seems to speak to the millions of Ukrainians who have had to flee the country.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, congratulated the group on their victory in a post on social media.
"Our courage impresses the world, our music conquers Europe." Zelensky also mentioned that the country will host the festival's final in 2023 and called for peace in Ukrainian territory.
In his victory speech, one of the band's members, Oleh Psiuk, reinforced calls for help to Ukraine and the city of Mariupol, one of the most devastated by the Russian invasion.
On the festival podium, the United Kingdom came in second place, with 466 points, and Spain in third place with 459 points.
See here the final score of the 25 finalists of Eurovision 2022, in Turin:
1st Ukraine — 631
2nd United Kingdom — 466
3rd Spain — 459
4th Sweden — 438
5th Serbia — 312
6th Italy — 268
7th Moldova — 253
8th Greece — 215
9th Portugal — 207
10th Norway — 182
11th Netherlands — 171
12th Poland — 151
13th Estonia — 141
14th Lithuania — 128
15th Australia — 125
16th Azerbaijan — 106
17th Switzerland — 78
18th Romania — 65
19th Belgium — 64
20th Armenia — 61
21st Finland — 38
22nd Czech Republic — 38
23rd Iceland — 20
24th France — 17
25th Germany — 6
Created in 1956, the Eurovision it has the participation of practically all the countries of the old continent, in addition to some special guest nations – such as Australia or Morocco. The grand final is always broadcast live on television across Europe and has an audience of almost 200 million people.
O Eurovision was known for having revealed big names in international music, such as the Spanish Julio Iglesias, Swedish group Abba in the 70s. Canadian singer Celine Dion and British actress Olivia Newton-John have also participated.
