Home of Ukrainian Eurovision contestant destroyed

The location of Ukrainian Eurovision contestant Khrystyna Starykova has been destroyed by Russian shelling successful the metropolis of Myrnograd.

The 19-year-old is presently successful Switzerland rehearsing for her show with the set Ziferblat, but posted photos of her damaged flat artifact successful the Sviltly neighbourhood.

"Home. And I dreamed truthful overmuch of returning home," she captioned the post, which showed the gathering shrouded successful smoke, with its windows blown retired and respective balconies collapsed.

"Fortunately, each my relatives and friends are live and well," she said, and vowed to execute astatine Eurovision adjacent week "for the involvement of our country".

In an interview with Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne, Starykova said she had astir anticipated the demolition of her home.

"Four months ago, my grandma mislaid her location - it was conscionable specified a large hole," she said. "Then my aunt mislaid the extortion implicit her head.

"I understood that possibly I could beryllium the adjacent 1 and, unfortunately, it happened. It's precise unspeakable news. I had truly hoped to spell back."

The singer's location is little than 5 miles from the frontline, adjacent the concern metropolis of Pokrovsk, a cardinal battleground connected Ukraine's eastbound front.

In a caller Instagram station connected Tuesday morning, she shared further footage of Myrnograd's bomb-damaged streets.

"I ever went location from vocal lessons this way," she wrote successful the caption. "It was my favourite mode home."

Ziferblat volition correspond Ukraine astatine the Eurovision Song Contest with Bird of Pray, a opus telling the communicative of Ukrainians who person been separated from their loved ones by the warfare with Russia.

"It's astir our problems we spell through, the calamity for the past 3 years," vocalist Valentyn Leshchynskyi told Eurovision fansite Wiwibloggs.

"To beryllium honest, the past eleven years."

Starykova is simply a backing vocalist for the band, affectionately known arsenic "bird girl" arsenic she handles the song's precocious notes.

She antecedently competed successful the Ukrainian mentation of the TV endowment amusement The Voice, reaching the expansive final, wherever she performed a screen of Duncan Lawrence's Eurovision winner, Arcade.

Born successful Donetsk, she spent her puerility successful Myrnograd, surviving done fierce battles betwixt Russian-supported separatists and Ukrainian authorities forces successful the region.

"When it each started, I was conscionable successful shock," she aboriginal told section quality outlet The Eastern Variant, recalling the dense shelling that deed Myrnograd successful 2015.

"The full entity lit up and we started moving to fell successful the corridor," she said. "That was the archetypal clip I felt it all."

The household aboriginal moved to Kyiv, wherever Starykova studied astatine the renowned Glière Music College - but she ever intended to determination backmost to her hometown.

In a TV interview, she said it was important to spell up with her Eurovision show arsenic a show of resilience.

"Despite what happened to me, I privation to represent our opus successful a bully way," she said.

"And conscionable to convey our main message, that everything volition beryllium fine.

"Despite our troubles, we volition survive. I'm holding connected for us."