Ukrainian musicians unite on stage to tell Glastonbury ‘stop Putin’

Performers were met with cheers from the festival crowds

Jamala joins Ukrainian folk group DakhaBrakha at Glastonbury. Getty.

Ukrainian folk band DakhaBrakha and Eurovision 2016 winner Jamala have performed together on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, sharing a message to “stop Putin”.

Jamala won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016, representing Ukraine, and was welcomed on stage as DakhaBrakha’s special guest for the performance on Sunday afternoon.

Jamala, full name Susana Alimivna Jamaladinova, said after the set: “We can stop this evil only if we are united, only if we are together.

“We are fighting for freedom, for equality … it’s my first time in Glastonbury and I see that freedom here.

“It’s a treasure to be human and to express yourself, and you even don’t know how important it is.”

On a weekend when Kyiv experienced its first Russian bombing in weeks, part of DakhaBrakha’s act featured an animation on a screen showing birds transforming into fighter jets.

Other images included Ukrainian tractors dragging Russian tanks, and crowds marching towards armoured vehicles adorned with the letter “Z”, a Russian pro-war symbol.

Wearing a Ukrainian flag around her shoulders, Karolina Livsicaite from Vilnius, Lithuania, said she “really enjoyed” the performance.

“It made me feel sad and also uplifted,” Ms Livsicaite, 38, told PA.

She said the performance served to “remind Glastonbury (and) remind the world that war is going on, and Ukraine needs everyone’s help”.

On the support she had seen for Ukraine at the festival, Jamala said: “I so appreciate every little thing … all the flags, I can’t really even can explain.”

Speaking on stage, Marko Halanevych, one of the band members of DakhaBrakha, said: “Ukraine became (a) victim of Russian aggression, but Ukrainian people became real heroes of resistance.”

Jamala and the band were met with cheers during the performance, with many Ukrainian flags visible in the crowd.

The musicians’ appearance came after Russia attacked Kyiv for the first time in weeks, with missiles striking at least two residential buildings.

The general prosecutor’s office said one person was killed and four injured in the attack.