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The tragic reality of Russia’s bloody war on Ukraine took centre stage in a rather unusual setting recently – the Eurovision song contest. The embattled nation was supposed to host the event but due to the ongoing and deadly conflict, it was relocated to Liverpool. Ukrainian performers not only attended the ever-popular show but made sure to use the opportunity to spread their message to the huge TV audience. Among them was Kyiv rapper Otoy, who lost his own brother on the frontline. The 24-year-old, whose real name is Vyacheslav Drofa, performed at Eurovision alongside other Ukrainian musicians, bringing awareness of the atrocities of the invasion to millions. He described the “adrenaline and emotion” coursing through his body as he took to the stage earlier this month, telling The Independent: “I have never felt such a level of solidarity and support for the Ukrainian people as I did in Liverpool. “That level of understanding and emotion at Eurovision – it was crazy. Everybody was with you and your country. It felt like, ‘We support you because you are going through hell’.” Otoy is no stranger to that hell, having received tragic news in March that a body discovered in Ukraine was his brother, who had gone missing the previous April while defending besieged Mariupol. “I don’t even know what I felt,” said Otoy. “When you’re hoping for a year that he’s alive and can’t find anything, then realise his body is in Kyiv and you should identify it. “In fact, this isn’t even a body – it’s a head, a bit of a leg, part of a hand, little bits of bones. We could only identify him through his teeth. It feels really bad, the worst emotions I had in my life actually.” The rapper’s music reflects his fury and he accuses Russia of trying to “destroy” Ukraine and its culture. “I feel a lot of anger inside of me because of the things the Russians are doing,” he said. “They already crossed all the red lines, there’s no way back, we should fight till the end. “If we stop now then give it 10 years and they’ll come back with a bigger army and then they’ll invade Poland, which is a member of Nato. We’re fighting a worldwide evil. “The reason we’re doing it is we are really tired of that Russian b******t – trying to destroy Ukraine, our culture, our musicians.” Not only has the 24-year-old tackled the war through his music, he volunteered on the frontline last summer by salvaging the bodies of dead soldiers and bringing them back to their families. He is also fundraising to provide military supplies to Ukrainian soldiers for the country’s planned counteroffensive. His day job is in IT, working as a UX director at a company that created RSFY, a mobile tracker of Russian army losses. The company also developed the app TacticMedAid, which provides medical instructions for people if they input their symptoms after getting injured. Otoy juggles all of these roles during Moscow’s frequent attacks on the Ukrainian capital. “It feels like a surreal dream I live in,” he said. “Every time when there’s some air or rocket attacks, or shelling, it feels like this type of nightmare. I think, give me a couple of minutes, then everything will be OK – but I never wake up because that has continued for more than a year.” He is hopeful the war will come to an end his year but says the road to recovery after that will not be easy. “It will be a hard time – receiving bodies back, lots of funerals, lots of rebuilding cities, people returning to their houses and realising there’s no home because it will have been destroyed,” he said. “After the war, I don’t know what people will do with their emotions, I’m really scared of this.” Otoy said he will continue to make music and apps when the conflict is over, and had nothing but praise for his countrymen and women as they continue to fight against Putin’s forces. “The only thing that helps me feel alive and some kind of emotions is the process of making music and to know that millions of Ukrainians will use the IT applications I work on,” he said. “Those are two things I’ll be doing until the end of my days. “I’m feeling proud about Ukrainians. People are staying in their country, for their homeland, until the end, until their last breath.” Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Don’t turn a blind eye to Putin’s invasion, Zelensky warns Arab leaders Britain says Russia will ‘pay the price’ for Ukraine invasion as fresh wave of sanctions unveiled Ukraine's president begins visit to Saudi Arabia, aims to enhance ties with Arab world The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

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England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley hailed his goal-hungry Young Lions after they crushed Serbia 9-1. The hosts ran riot at the City Ground to continue a flawless start to their European title defence. Noni Madueke, Jaden Philogene and Harvey Elliott scored twice as Liam Delap, Jonathan Rowe and Luka Subotic’s own goal completed the Euro 2025 qualifying win. A dominant England had to come from behind after Vladimir Lucic’s shock opener but the Young Lions remain top of Group F. “You can’t afford to waste too many chances and they were cutthroat in the second half. It was good to see because it helps with their confidence,” said Carsley, who takes his team to Slovakia to face Ukraine on Monday. “Sometimes when you see the scoreline, if you hadn’t been at the game, you’d think it was a walk in the park but it didn’t feel like that, especially going a goal down. “We spoke about it a few days ago, how will this squad react to a setback? To go a goal down when you are so in control, it’s testament to the players they responded the right way.” England were dominant from the off and Charlie Cresswell, Elliott and Philogene had already gone close before the visitors struck when Lucic guided the ball into the top corner. But Hull’s Philogene levelled after 38 minutes, with Delap and Elliott giving England a 3-1 lead at the break. Two goals in seven second-half minutes from Madueke put England in complete control and Philogene added a sixth after 63 minutes. A comical Subotic own goal made it seven before Rowe and Elliott wrapped it up. Carsley added: “The fundamentals of tonight were based on outworking your opponent. It’s important if you are going to get a long career and play for England you can be technically and physically better than your opponent. “We did that all over the pitch. When the scoreline started getting away from Serbia we didn’t stop.” Read More Shane Duffy hoping Evan Ferguson can be Ireland talisman for years to come Northern Ireland rising star Isaac Price grateful to former boss Frank Lampard Nathan Broadhead keen to maintain scoring form after ‘Perfect’ Ed Sheeran boost Marcus Smith set for full-back role in England’s World Cup quarter-final Young Lions go goal crazy as they put nine past Serbia in qualifier FA would face criticism one way or another for conflict response – Southgate

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