A crypto-currency exchange bought this year’s Eurovision crystal microphone trophy from Kalush Orchestra, the Ukrainian rap-folk band that won the competition, to help it raise funds for their country’s fight against the Russian military.
Estonian crypto exchange WhiteBit, which is ranked 19 out of 624 on trust score by industry tracker CoinGecko, bought the trophy for $900,000 in an auction held on Instagram over the weekend. Oleh Psiuk, Kalush Orchestra’s lead singer, also sold his signature pink hat for 11 million hryvnia ($374,000). The money will be spent on drone systems, according to the band.
Kalush Orchestra won Eurovision amid a wave of viewer support across the continent for the song Stefania, which they dedicated to all Ukrainian mothers. They filmed a video for the song among ruined buildings destroyed during the Russian invasion.
The band said funds would be provided to the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation, a charity that helps the Ukrainian Army, and will be used to purchase three drones. Sunday’s online auction was led by Prytula on Facebook, according to Reuters, who said the drones will be PD-2 unmanned aerial systems.
The sale coincided with the band’s appearance at a charity concert at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.
Top Photo: Giorgio Perottino/Getty Images
Sources: BBC; Newsweek; Bloomberg