Tina Karol has a fair way to go before she catches Ruslana in the national icon stakes but her willingness to sing pa-Russki and profess love for her "Rashan boy" haven't prevented the Maidan stallholders from doing a brisk trade in her t-shirts. As you can see, they're primarily intended for the army of rake-thin Slavic girls but, luckily, having to survive on Ukrainian food meant i had no problem fitting in to one.

Eurovision is a serious business in Ukraine and anyone representing the country is going to generate a fair amount of loyalty, especially if they do it with bravura displays like Karol's in Athens. She remains an endearing performer despite her tendency to ham it up rather bizarrely, like an aged 1930s starlet hallucinating a vast adoring crowd throwing bouquets of roses at her, in the slower songs. Vishe Oblakov displays her stridant voice over a Tatu-esque electro backing.

Tina Karol - Vishe Oblakov