‘Bomb them’: Russia accused of ‘toddler meltdown’ over Ukraine’s Eurovision win

Ukraine’s Eurovision victory has sent Russia into “meltdown” with disturbing messages scrawled on missiles and calls for the song contest to be nuked.

Ukraine’s Eurovision triumph has sent Russia into a “toddler meltdown” with disturbing taunts scrawled onto bombs and calls for the song contest to be targeted in a nuclear missile strike.

Kalush Orchestra – Ukraine’s Eurovision entry – seized the top spot at the annual song contest, the world’s biggest live music event, with an impressive 631 points following a tense night of voting.

But as Ukraine was basking in the morale-boosting glory of the landside win on Saturday, Russian state media started to make it’s somewhat differing feelings on the outcome known.

Russian journalist Yuliya Vityazeva suggested blowing up the show at the Pala Olympic Arena in Turin, Italy.

“Bomb it with a Satan missile,” she wrote on Twitter. The so-called Satan missile is one of Russia’s newest nuclear weapons.

Alessandro Cattelan, Laura Pausini and Mica with Kalush Orchestra of Ukraine as they are named the winners of the 66th Eurovision Song Contest at Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy on May 14, 2022. Picture: Giorgio Perottino/Getty Images.

Members of the band Kalush Orchestra pose onstage with the winner's trophy and Ukraine's flags. Picture: Marco Bertorello / AFP.

In an opinion piece published on Moscow’s AiF newspaper website, columnist Vladimir Polupanov branded the show “boring politicised television” and “fake”.

He wrote that “the competition smells badly of a rotting swamp” and claimed “almost none of the winners with the exception of ABBA” become “big stars”.

Meanwhile, pictures published on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels allegedly show the hashtag Eurovision2022 written across a bomb as well as references to Kalush Orchestra, The Sun reported.

On stage, the group made a plea for more aid to be given to the besieged city of Mariupol.

Kalush Orchestra frontman, Oleg Psiuk, said: “I ask all of you, please help Ukraine, Mariupol. Help Azovstal, right now.”

In a chilling response, Russian troops reportedly wrote “Kalush, as you asked”, “help Mariupol” and “help Azovstal right now” across a bomb.

“#Eurovision2022. I heard the call to f*** up Azov. Help Mariupol. Help Mariupol right now,” another reportedly read.

One message on a missile referenced the band’s plea for help to be sent to Mariupol. Picture: Telegram.

Russian troops reportedly scrawled ‘Eurovision2022’ on a bomb. Picture: Telegram.

A mocking retort to Eurovision winners Kalush Orchestra’s plea for further aid in Ukraine and for the evacuation of Ukrainian fighters from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

Petr Andryushchenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, shared the images of the Russian bombs on his own Telegram channel, where he condemned Vladimir Putin’s forces for having “lost their humanity”.

Hundreds of people remain trapped beneath the Azovstal plant, with Mariupol seeing some of the worst destruction of the war.

The Azov battalion, which is among the plant’s last 1000 defenders, sent their thanks from the warren of tunnels beneath the plant.

“Thank you to Kalush Orchestra for your support! Glory to Ukraine!” the group posted on Telegram.

The country’s Eurovision victory comes as the war rages on. Picture: State Emergency Service of Ukraine /AFP.

Smoke rises as flames burn at a train station in Seversk, eastern Ukraine on May 8, 2022, after the facility was targeted by missile strikes amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Picture: Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP.

‘Toddler meltdown’

Dr Ian Garner, a historian, author and watcher of Russian war propaganda said Russian protestations that the country doesn’t care about Eurovision were nonsense. Often the county sent some of its biggest stars to compete, he said.

“Russian media is having an absolute A+ toddler meltdown over Eurovision,” Dr Garner said on Twitter.

“From the way they’re carrying on, you’d think Russia never cared about Eurovision and you’d never know that, until February 24, they were – as every year – desperate to participate and win.

“In reality, placing well is a big deal for the regime to ‘prove’ it’s popular abroad.”

Kalush Orchestra won Eurovision after being given special permission to leave the country to represent Ukraine at the music contest.

The band and its song Stefania beat 24 other performers in the grand final of the competition.

With the public vote, they pipped Brit Sam Ryder – who led after the national juries in 40 countries cast their vote – to first place.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the victory, the country’s third since its 2003 Eurovision debut.

He posted: “Our courage impresses the world our music conquers Europe!”

“Next year Ukraine will host Eurovision!

“For the third time in its history. And I believe – not for the last time.”

🧵 Russian media is having an absolute A+ toddler meltdown over Eurovision. pic.twitter.com/XuLavLyZTa

— Dr. Ian Garner (@irgarner) May 14, 2022

NATO: ‘open ended support’ for Ukraine

NATO on Sunday pledged open-ended military support for Ukraine, as Finland hailed its “historic” bid to join the alliance and with Western claims that Russia had suffered heavy losses in its push east.

The promise came after Finland jettisoned decades of military non-alignment for a bulwark against Russia, redrawing the balance of power in Europe and angering the Kremlin.

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin (L) and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto announce that Finland will apply for NATO membership at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland on May 15, 2022. Picture: Alessandro Rampazzo / AFP.

On the ground in Ukraine, Russia announced air strikes in the east, as well as in Lviv, near the Polish border in the west which has largely been spared the destruction of elsewhere.

At a meeting of alliance foreign ministers in Berlin, Germany’s Annalena Baerbock said it would provide military assistance “for as long as Ukraine needs this support for the self-defence of its country”.

“Ukraine can win this war. Ukrainians are bravely defending their homeland,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg added.

Sweden’s ruling party said it was in favour of joining NATO just hours after Finland’s announcement, in a remarkable turnaround in political and public opinion following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Stoltenberg said the alliance would look to provide both with interim security guarantees while the applications are processed, including possibly by increasing troops in the region.

In Berlin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he heard “almost across-the-board, very strong support” for the bids, despite misgivings from Turkey.

Ankara has accused both Sweden and Finland of harbouring Kurdish extremists but Stoltenberg said it was not blocking their membership and was confident of finding common ground.

The Kremlin has insisted the Nordic nations have nothing to fear. But in apparent retaliation, Russia has pulled the plug on electricity supplies to Finland, with which it shares a 1,300-kilometre border.

Earlier, Western intelligence claimed that Russia has suffered huge military losses in Ukraine and that it had become bogged down in the strategic east because of stiff local resistance.

– With AFP