Eurovision winner Oleg Psiuk locks lips before heading back to war-torn Ukraine
A Eurovision winner landed a kiss from his girlfriend before heading back to war-torn Ukraine to fight Russian invaders one day after the contest.
Oleg Psiuk, the leading member of the Ukrainian folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra, was seen embracing Oleksandra outside a hotel right before he left in a taxi for his country that has been under attack since February,
The image, akin to a scene out of a movie, was released on Sunday.
Psiuk and his six-member group won the international songwriting contest Saturday with their upbeat tune “Stefania” clinching the win.
But jubilation quickly turned to reality when Psiuk and other members were called to return to their country by Monday.
Ukraine mandates all men 18-60 remain in the country during the conflict with Russia. But the all-male group was allowed to leave the country to compete in the contest.
Following their win Saturday, the group released the music video to “Stefania,” which features images of three Ukrainian cities under attack, the group said in an Instagram post.
The song, originally an ode to Psiuk’s mother, has become a rallying cry in Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
“Hi friends, today the long-awaited music video ‘Stefania’ has been released,” the group said on Instagram. “We shot it in Bucha, Irpen, Gostomel and Borodyanka. It hurts deeply and painful.”
Psiuk, who wears a trademark pink bucket hat, turned 28-years-old on Monday.
“Many goals in my life have been reached and many task lists have been completed. Born in Kalush, I got lots of typical experience and it was not easy to diversify it,” he wrote on the group’s Instagram Monday.
“Throughout my life I have been changing, my views and priorities have been shifting, but there have always been a few qualities driving me that I would never exchange for anything. Hard-working, curious, and avid nature in everything I did. Thank you for always being with me. This is just the beginning…”
He told the Associate Press before the contest he set up a volunteer organization that uses social media to help people find transportation and shelter, according to PBS.
With Wires
