but they are no ordinary band. they re from ukraine, a country in the midst of a bloody war. in the lead up to the contest, all the band members faced a difficult decision. now their winning song has become a powerful statement of defiance. and they hope their global stardom will help ukraine s plight. i m viktoria zhuhan, i work as a journalist for bbc in ukraine. i don t normally cover eurovision, especially when there is a war raging in my country. but kalush orchestra isn t an ordinary, typical eurovision contestant. but after following the kalush orchestra for ten days, i ve learned that, for them, this is much more than a singing competition. it s a way to tell the world about the war that s destroying ukraine. we are on our way to a rehearsal in the north of the country. oleh, in the pink hat, the group s front man finds it hard to take in what he sees. it s tima, the band s vocalist and flute player who realises he s been here before. only weeks earlier, russian troop
i m viktoria zhuhan, i work as a journalist for bbc in ukraine. i don t normally cover eurovision, especially when there is a war raging in my country. but kalush orchestra isn t an ordinary, typical eurovision contestant. but after following the kalush orchestra for ten days, i ve learned that, for them, this is much more than a singing competition. it s a way to tell the world about the war that s destroying ukraine. we are on our way to a rehearsal in the north of the country. oleh, in the pink hat, the group s front man finds it hard to take in what he sees.
georgia has seen a surge in visitors from russia. hotels and airbnbs are fully booked. and while tourists are welcome here, the prospect of a more permanent resettlement of russians is causing some concern. georgians have been protesting almost daily against the invasion of ukraine. they remember their own war with russia in 2008 and its continued occupation of georgian territories. now ukraine s war is their war, too. for new russian arrivals like yevgeny, there is no escaping public displays of sympathy with ukraine and hostility towards the country they ve left behind. let s get more now on the situation in lviv. the city is preparing for an attack, while trying to preserve its most important cultural sites. 0ur correspondent from the bbc s ukrainian service viktoria zhuhan sent us this report from outside lviv cathedral.
that visa governments and themselves have said that visa requirement should be lifted that visa requirement should be lifted and that visa requirement should be lifted and are offering to take people lifted and are offering to take people on more readily. offering to act as people on more readily. offering to act as a people on more readily. offering to act as a super sponsor whereby ukrainians act as a super sponsor whereby ukrainians could come and move into temporary ukrainians could come and move into temporary accommodation first and then be temporary accommodation first and then be matched in more appropriate accommodation in the longer term but there is accommodation in the longer term but there is no accommodation in the longer term but there is no sign the uk government, at this there is no sign the uk government, at this stage, is going to relax any of the at this stage, is going to relax any of the requirements it has put in place let s get more now on
doesn t surrender, other cities? yes, assuming it doesn t surrender, which - other cities? yes, assuming it doesn t surrender, which they| other cities? yes, assuming it - doesn t surrender, which they are not going to do. they are not going to surrender. again, it is classic russian operational art. you encircle the city, bombard it, bombard it again and then you move in. ., , ,., , bombard it again and then you move in. professor chris bellamy, thank ou for in. professor chris bellamy, thank you forjoining in. professor chris bellamy, thank you forjoining us in. professor chris bellamy, thank you forjoining us today. in. professor chris bellamy, thank you forjoining us today. thank - in. professor chris bellamy, thank i you forjoining us today. thank you. lviv is preparing for an attack whilst trying to preserve its most important cultural sites. 0ur correspondent from the bbc s ukrainian service viktoria zhuhan sent us this report from outside lviv cathedral. this was ukrain