U2′ Bono and The Edge held a surprise performance in Ukraine on Sunday, singing in a subway station in Kyiv. The singer and guitarist were joined by members of a Ukrainian band as they performed hits like “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”
“President Zelensky invited us to perform in Kyiv as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and so that’s what we’ve come to do,” the band tweeted from its official account
Members of the Ukrainian pop-rock band Antytila joined Bono and The Edge to sing “Stand By You,” Antytila wrote on Instagram. They wore military fatigues and said the performance was impromptu and without rehearsal.
“Tonight we came from Kharkiv to Kyiv at the personal invitation of world legend Bono, @u2,” the band wrote on Instagram, sharing a video of their performance. They said the performance was to “support Ukraine and all our people.”
“Very important moment for us and all country,” the band said, thanking U2 and the people of Ireland for their support.
U2 has held surprise concerts before, including several in New York City throughout the years.
The concert in Ukraine, however, takes on a bigger meaning, as the country is in the middle of a war with Russia, which launched an unprovoked attack in February. Millions of people have fled the country and thousands have been killed.
On Sunday, a Russian bomb destroyed a school in Luhansk province that was sheltering about 90 people in the basement. Dozens of Ukrainians are feared dead.
Since Russia failed to capture Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, it has focused its offensive in the Donbas region, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting since 2014 and occupy some territory. The largest European conflict since World War II has developed into a punishing war of attrition due to the Ukrainian military’s unexpectedly effective defense.
