The winners of the Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine, the Kalush Orchestra, have raised $ 900,000 (£ 713,000) for the country’s army by auctioning off their trophy.
During the contest, the song Stefania received a great show of support from the rest of the continent after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Kalush Orchestra on Sunday sold the crystal microphone they received at a Facebook auction hosted by Ukrainian TV presenter Serhiy Prytula.
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The money will be used to buy the PD-2 drone system for the Ukrainian armed forces, which includes three planes and a ground control station, Prytula said.
The winning bid for Ethereum 500, valued at $ 900,000 or £ 713,000, was made by WhiteBit, a European cryptocurrency exchange that claims to have more than two million users.
Offers in both cryptocurrencies and traditional currencies were accepted.
The auction was accompanied by a raffle for the pink cube hat characteristic of singer Oleh Psiuk, with tickets priced at € 5 each.
Prytula said the raffle had raised an additional $ 370,000 (£ 293,000) for the Ukrainian army, with more than 31,000 people from 56 countries taking part.
The Kalush Orchestra had taken to the streets fighting Russian aggressors a few weeks before taking to the stage in Turin, instead of rehearsing for the biggest performance of their lives.
Following his victory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed defiantly that next year’s contest will be held in Mariupol. Currently, the city is almost entirely in Russian hands.
The group later released a dramatic video of their song with images of several cities near Kyiv: Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka and Hostomel.
Children were seen being transported from buildings bombed by women dressed in combat clothing.