“YES!!! An unbelievable performance and victory”, he tweeted in Ukrainian. With somber lyrics it recalls how Crimean Tatars, including her great-grandmother, were deported in 1944 by Soviet authorities during World War II.
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Several Russian politicians and commentators blamed the result on hostility towards their country.
He also called for Russian Federation to consider a boycott of next year’s contest, which will be hosted by Ukraine.
Jamala was asked during a press conference whether she believed the competition should be held in Crimea. “So honored to be performing on this stage tonight”.
Ukrainian singer Jamala snatched victory from arch-rival Russian Federation to win the Eurovision song contest on Saturday, adding a touch of political drama to the annual kitsch extravaganza.
Jamala, born Susana Jamaladinova, is a 32-year-old Osh-born jazz singer who writes music with elements of world music, rhythm and blues, and gospel. The Eurovision Song Contest has a cult following in the gay community.
Lazarev’s club anthem “You Are the Only One” had the most striking visual effects.
Picking themselves up after the result, Joe and Jake said they were “thrilled” for Ukraine’s win and congratulated Jamala on her performance, adding they were looking forward to getting home and back into the studio.
The country came out on top with their contestant Jamala and her song 1944, edging ahead of the competition.
The rules of the glitzy competition prohibit political statements. Peskov remarked that Ukraine was obliged to honour tournament rules, and remarked Russian Federation should “wait to swing the sword”.
Russian Federation and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter feud since Moscow annexed Crimea in February 2014 and was then accused of fuelling a bloody separatist uprising in the east of the country.
Ukraine’s Jamala performs her winning song “1944” during the Eurovision Song Contest final at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, May 14, 2016.
New this year is that the votes from the judges and the viewers will be presented separately, a move meant to keep the drama going right till the end. In Russia, viewers gave the Ukrainian entry second place behind Armenia in the televote. The jury votes account for 50 percent of the total, the other half of which are comprised of televotes.
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Russian Federation was leading Ukraine on the popular vote, but Ukraine claimed victory with 534 points after the votes of each competing nation’s expert jury was taken into account.
