The Ukrainian music group Kalush Orchestra, winner of the last edition of the Eurovision song contest, auctioned off its trophy and won $900,000, which it donated to a foundation helping the Ukrainian armed forces.

The trophy, a large crystal microphone with the Eurovision logo, was put up for auction on Facebook which ended on Saturday evening. It was won by the company Whitebit, which specializes in trading Bitcoins.

"You guys are amazing!" exclaimed the Kalush group on Facebook on Sunday evening. "Thank you in particular to the Whitebit team who bought the trophy for 900,000 dollars (837,000 euros, editor's note) and who are now its rightful owner."

The money from these auctions – which you could participate in using cryptocurrencies – will be donated to the Prytula Foundation, which helps the Ukrainian army, the group said on Instagram.

"For the first time in the history of Eurovision, the winners are auctioning off their trophies to help the Ukrainian army," he said.

The group Kalush Orchestra won the European competition on May 14 with its song “Stefania” mixing hip-hop and traditional music, which won the acclaim of viewers.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine on February 24, was excluded from this competition.