Ukraine war: New Edinburgh home for All Together Now star Vlad Melentiev who fled war in Ukraine

A young Ukrainian musician who reached the finals of a popular TV talent show has settled in Edinburgh, after hiding for months at a zoo in war-torn Kyiv.

Last year when Vlad Melentiev reached the final of All Together Now, a BBC equivalent to Britain’s Got Talent, he felt a step closer to his dream of a career in music.

But his life was shattered when the Russians invaded Kyiv just a week after he moved there. With nowhere to stay and no friends in the city yet the 21-year-old was forced to sleep at the local zoo - on the floor behind a tiger enclosure.

To escape the shelling Vlad, who has a heart condition, hid in a bomb shelter where he recorded a cover of a popular Ukrainian song.

But as the war raged on, and with no prospect of finding a home or work, Vlad decided it was time to get out. He arrived in Edinburgh in June after his Gran helped him pay for the flight.

He said: “I feel safe and free here in Edinburgh. Kyiv was bad. I had no friends yet or a place to stay. I slept on the floor at the zoo behind the wall where tigers were. I went to sleep with the sound of bombs, people being killed and the animals making distressed noises.

"I never knew what the next day would bring. When I think back it’s as if it wasn’t real. It was hardcore.

"I can’t go back home, it’s occupied. It would be impossible. And Kyiv is still so dangerous. It got so bad and I had no work or accommodation so decided I had to move on and try to build my life again. Nobody can give me back the time I lost. All my stuff is back home and my family are in Donetsk and some in Poland. All I have now is my education.”

Vlad has settled into life in Edinburgh

Vlad had lived in a war zone since the age of 13 when his life was first turned upside down after Russia annexed Crimea and occupied his hometown of Donetsk.

But he always found a way to keep his dream of becoming a professional musician alive.

The youngster has recorded soundtracks for films and performed as a lead vocalist with the National Donetsk Symphony Orchestra.

Now he is determined to realise his dream of a career in music and has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for instruments, after starting a music course at Edinburgh College.

Vlad is studying music at Edinburgh College

He added: "I had a dream of going to the Royal Conservatoire Scotland. But it seemed unrealistic for a regular boy from Ukraine. Now that I am here it feels like it is a sign. There are so many opportunities. My tutors and classmates are so amazing. I am lucky.”

His friend and the organiser of the fundraiser Karolina Bajbuz said: “People have been so kind already. It has been such a tough journey for Vlad to get here. He has faced so many obstacles but they didn’t break him.

"I hope that this money will help him move on with his life. Anything left over after instruments are bought would be to help him rent a room, buy food and clothes for the winter."