Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra returned to their homeland on Monday after an emotional Eurovision Song Contest victory, greeted at the border with Poland by servicemen and women whose cause the band had championed in Turin. Frontman Oleh Psiuk was presented with a bouquet of yellow and blue flowers - the colours of Ukraine's flag - and reunited with his girlfriend before he and his band launched into an impromptu version of "Stefania," their winning song.

Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest in Italy on Saturday with their entry "Stefania", riding a wave of public support to claim an emotional victory that was welcomed by the country's president. Sung in Ukrainian, the winning song fused rap with traditional folk music and was a tribute to band frontman Oleh Psiuk's mother. The bookmakers had made Kalush Orchestra the clear favourite for the annual contest, which normally draws a television audience of close to 200 million, based in part on popular sympathy for Ukraine following Russia's invasion in February.

Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra’s upbeat, melodic entry for this month’s Eurovision Song Contest was written as a tribute to the frontman’s mother. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has become an anthem to the war-ravaged motherland.